Vol. 1976No. 101The dramatic seventies
The India you were born into
Saturday10 April1976
For 10 April 1976, the useful question is not only what made headlines, but how housing felt in an India where emergency-era politics, constitutional change and state-led development dominated the national environment.
Change dateThe Front Page
India under the Emergency
An exceptional period in the nation’s democratic history
India was living under the Internal Emergency, a period marked by restricted civil liberties and major political change.
Television was separated from radio, and Doordarshan Corporation was established.
Television was separated from radio, and Doordarshan Corporation was established.
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In april 1976, 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 1976
Moment of the year · Hockey
India finishes seventh at the Montreal Olympics
India finished seventh at the first Olympics played on synthetic turf.
197605 · 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.
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Year 1976
Film of the year · 1976
Nagin
Also in theatresKabhi Kabhie · Dus Numbri · Kalicharan · Laila Majnu · Adalat · Bairaag
Song of the year · 1976
"Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein"
Also on the radio"Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon" · "Mere Dil Ke Chain" · "Kya Hua Tera Wada"
$ cat science-and-technology-1976
Satellites, television and national communications
What science and technology looked like in India in 1976.
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 1976
Indira Gandhi
Passed the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, adding 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble.
Sanjay Gandhi
Directed national policy execution during the Emergency through his 5-point program.
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Achieved breakthroughs in rocket motor design for India's upcoming satellite launcher.
Sunil Gavaskar
Scored heavily during India's historic run-chase of 406 runs against the West Indies in Trinidad.
Amitabh Bachchan
Starred in 'Kabhi Kabhie', showcasing his versatility beyond action roles.
Verghese Kurien
Expanded national dairy infrastructure, bringing thousands of small farmers into co-operatives.
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.
Viking 1 lands on Mars
20 JUL
NASA's Viking 1 becomes the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and return data from the surface.
1976, circled in red
The year India turned 29.