Vol. 1981No. 040The long eighties
The India you were born into
Monday9 February1981
Begin 9 February 1981 with government offices. It is a quieter route into an India where industrial expansion, science and the growth of modern communications were becoming increasingly visible.
Change dateThe Front Page
India in a changing political era
Democracy, public life and national institutions remain in focus
India’s political landscape was evolving through major debates over democracy, development and national unity.
Kuda Bux, great Indian mystic (I'd Like to See), passed away at 75.
Kuda Bux, great Indian mystic (I'd Like to See), passed away at 75.
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In february 1981, a litre of petrol cost Loading… and a local phone call cost Loading….
Benchmark value; verify against the original census/official source 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 1981
Moment of the year · Athletics
P. T. Usha emerges as a leading Indian track athlete
Usha's international rise accelerated ahead of the 1982 Asian Games.
198105 · 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.
KRANTI
Year 1981
Film of the year · 1981
Kranti
Also in theatresNaseeb · Yaarana · Laawaris · Rocky · Umrao Jaan · Silsila
Song of the year · 1981
"Dard-e-Dil"
Also on the radio"Om Shanti Om" · "Humein Tumse Pyaar Kitna" · "Aap Jaisa Koi"
$ cat science-and-technology-1981
Satellites, television and national communications
What science and technology looked like in India in 1981.
APPLE demonstrates communications capability
The experimental APPLE satellite advanced India's domestic satellite-communications capability.
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 1981
Rajiv Gandhi
Entered active politics following his brother's death, winning the Amethi Lok Sabha by-election.
Indira Gandhi
Secured major IMF loans to stabilize the economy and managed growing political unrest in Punjab.
N. R. Narayana Murthy
Co-founded Infosys, helping lay the foundation for India's globally significant IT-services industry.
MS Swaminathan
Appointed Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
Sunil Gavaskar
Captained India and surpassed world records for total Test run scoring.
Amitabh Bachchan
Delivered box-office successes including 'Laawaris' and 'Silsila'.
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.
Ronald Reagan is inaugurated
20 JAN
Reagan becomes the 40th president of the United States.
1981, circled in red
The year India turned 34.