Vol. 1956No. 053Republic in formation
The India you were born into
Wednesday22 February1956
Look at 22 February 1956 sideways: theatre and performance reveals the everyday scale of a year in which state reorganisation and economic planning were redrawing India's political map and development 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.
president inaugurated Bhoodan padyatra led by Dr. Sushila Nayar.
president inaugurated Bhoodan padyatra led by Dr. Sushila Nayar.
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In february 1956, 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 1956
Moment of the year · Hockey
India wins a sixth straight Olympic hockey gold
India defeated Pakistan in the Melbourne final.
195605 · 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.
C.I.D.
Year 1956
Film of the year · 1956
C.I.D.
Also in theatresChori Chori · Jagte Raho · New Delhi · Ek Hi Raasta · Raj Hath · Basant Bahar
Song of the year · 1956
"Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahan"
Also on the radio"Jaata Kahan Hai Deewane" · "Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein" · "Ankhon Hi Ankhon Mein Ishara Ho Gaya"
$ cat science-and-technology-1956
Radio, fixed telephony and institution-building
What science and technology looked like in India in 1956.
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 1956
B. R. Ambedkar
Led hundreds of thousands of followers in converting to Buddhism at Deekshabhoomi in Nagpur shortly before his death.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Passed the States Reorganisation Act, restructuring Indian state boundaries along linguistic lines.
Satyajit Ray
Released 'Aparajito', the second installment of the famous Apu Trilogy.
S. Radhakrishnan
Represented India on international goodwill tours promoting Indian philosophy and democratic values.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
Spearheaded the passage of the AIIMS Act, establishing the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Balraj Sahni
Delivered critically lauded dramatic performances reflecting realistic social themes in Indian cinema.
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.
Hungarian Revolution begins
23 OCT
A nationwide uprising challenges Soviet-backed rule in Hungary.
1956, circled in red
The year India turned 9.