Vol. 1978No. 286The dramatic seventies
The India you were born into
Friday13 October1978
Look at 13 October 1978 sideways: cinema-going reveals the everyday scale of a year in which india was adjusting to a new political order while debates over institutions and economic policy intensified.
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.
In Child Marriage Act, minimum age for marriage was raised to 21 year for males and 18 years for females.
In Child Marriage Act, minimum age for marriage was raised to 21 year for males and 18 years for females.
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In october 1978, 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 1978
Moment of the year · Hockey
India wins Asian Games hockey silver
India finished runner-up in Bangkok.
197805 · 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.
MUQADDAR KA SIKANDAR
Year 1978
Film of the year · 1978
Muqaddar Ka Sikandar
Also in theatresDon · Trishul · Satyam Shivam Sundaram · Pati Patni Aur Woh · Ghar · Des Pardes
Song of the year · 1978
"Khaike Paan Banaraswala"
Also on the radio"O Saathi Chal" · "Aanewala Pal Janewala Hai" · "Aap Ki Aankhon Mein Kuch"
$ cat science-and-technology-1978
Satellites, television and national communications
What science and technology looked like in India in 1978.
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 1978
Dhirubhai Ambani
Held Reliance Industries' legendary Annual General Meeting, pioneering equity culture among retail investors in India.
Morarji Desai
Demonetized ₹1,000, ₹5,000, and ₹10,000 currency notes to curb illicit wealth.
Indira Gandhi
Staged a political comeback by winning the Chikmagalur Lok Sabha by-election.
Charan Singh
Emerged as a major political leader representing agrarian and rural interests within the Janata government.
Kapil Dev
Made his Test debut for India against Pakistan, ushering in a new era for Indian fast bowling.
Amitabh Bachchan
Starred in iconic box-office hits 'Don' and 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'.
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.
Camp David Accords are signed
17 SEP
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign a framework for peace after U.S.-brokered talks.
1978, circled in red
The year India turned 31.