Vol. 1962No. 042New nation, new ambition
The India you were born into
Sunday11 February1962
The texture of 11 February 1962 sits in elections and political participation; the surrounding year was shaped by the fact that security concerns and the Himalayan conflict changed the country's strategic outlook and public priorities.
Change dateThe Front Page
India builds a young republic
Democratic institutions and development remain central
India was consolidating its democratic institutions, pursuing planned development and shaping its role in the post-colonial world.
General Election ( 3rd) of India begins.
General Election ( 3rd) of India begins.
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In february 1962, a litre of petrol cost Loading… and a local phone call cost Loading….
Interpolated placeholder between benchmark years; replace with annual UN WPP estimate before publication. Not a census count. Source: current India population working dataset.
Prices from the month you were born, listed the way the kirana shop would have written them.
- The Hindu archive
- National archival records
- Press and public memory
04 · Sport
India on the field in 1962
Moment of the year · Hockey
India wins Asian Games hockey silver
India finished runner-up in Jakarta.
196205 · Cinema & music
What India was watching and humming
The film everyone queued for that month, and the song that played from every cassette player that year.
BEES SAAL BAAD
Year 1962
Film of the year · 1962
Bees Saal Baad
Also in theatresSahib Bibi Aur Ghulam · Asli-Naqli · China Town · Hariyali Aur Rasta · Dil Tera Diwana · Anpadh
Song of the year · 1962
"Aap Ki Aankhon Mein Kuch"
Also on the radio"Tumhi Ho Mata Pita Tumhi Ho" · "Ehsaan Tera Hoga Mujh Par" · "Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera"
$ cat science-and-technology-1962
Television and the beginning of the space age
What science and technology looked like in India in 1962.
INCOSPAR formed
India created the Indian National Committee for Space Research, the institutional beginning of its space programme.
Technology moves closer to daily life
Computing, communication and consumer electronics were gradually moving from specialist institutions toward ordinary homes, offices and public life.
Faces of 1962
Jawaharlal Nehru
Led the nation during the Sino-Indian War, which reshaped India's strategic and defense priorities.
Vikram Sarabhai
Established the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR), the predecessor to ISRO.
S. Radhakrishnan
Assumed office as the second President of India.
V. K. Krishna Menon
Resigned as Defence Minister following political fallout from the Sino-Indian border war.
Homi J. Bhabha
Mobilized domestic scientific initiatives toward strengthening defense communication and tech self-reliance.
Dilip Kumar
Starred in 'Gunga Jumna', which gained widespread acclaim for its realistic depiction of rural dialogue.
09 · BEYOND INDIA
Beyond India
Before the internet put the world in our pockets, news from abroad arrived through telegrams, radios, television sets and eventually phones.
Cuban Missile Crisis begins
16 OCT
The United States reveals Soviet missile installations in Cuba, triggering a superpower confrontation.
1962, circled in red
The year India turned 15.