The Darkest Hour
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If the Emergency was so terrible, why didn’t voters punish Indira Gandhi more severely?
In 1977, Congress got 34.5% of national vote (BJP got 31% in 2014). By 1980, voters had completely forgiven it for the Emergency.
Shoaib Daniyal
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In media's Emergency analyses, Indira stood as proxy for anxieties about Narendra Modi
Many commentators alluded to a very contemporary situation: the persistence of a personality cult that could perhaps be used to stamp out liberties.
Ajaz Ashraf
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First person: The story behind how Sanjay Gandhi slapped Indira six times at a dinner party
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lewis M Simons recounts how he got the story and the reaction of Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi when he met them long after the Emergency had been lifted.
Ajaz Ashraf
Trending
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‘Supporter of BJP met me’: Surat candidates on the various reasons they withdrew from the election
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Mumbai Police give clean chit to Ajit Pawar, his wife, nephew in alleged money-laundering case
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CAA is a letdown, but Bengali Hindus in Assam are unlikely to ditch BJP
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What Sudhir Kakar (1938-2024) had to say on violence, secularism, and religion in India
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Over 17,400 citizens write to EC seeking action against PM Narendra Modi for hate speech
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What drove Sanjay Gandhi and his coterie during the Emergency?
While the forcible sterilisation programmes appeared aimed at the poor population at large, Muslims were a special target.
John Dayal
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Five hilarious defences from people who insist: 'All India needs is a dictator'
Indian people, other than B-Tech graduates, don't know what's good for them.
Rohan Venkataramakrishnan
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Five reasons why the BJP loves the Emergency
The party looks back at the 21 months during which the Constitution was suspended with the sense of nostalgia many people have for their childhoods.
Vrinda Gopinath
Video
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Watch: K-Pop singer Aoora sings in Assamese as he collaborates with Nilotpal Bora in a new folk song
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Watch Anu Malik and Sonu Nigam’s impromptu performance of ‘Main Hoon Na’ at Farah Khan’s home
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Watch: Doordarshan newsreader faints on live TV in Kolkata owing to severe heat
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Watch: Spice Girls sing ‘Stop’ as bandmates reunite to celebrate Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday
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Watch: Over 350 ballerinas come together to break the world record for standing on tip toes
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What if the Emergency hadn’t happened: would the Jan Sangh still be ‘political untouchables’?
The Emergency is a well known but little examined event. It is for this reason that the BJP claims itself as the winner of the episode in history.
Arvind Rajagopal
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The midnight knock of the Emergency: how Indira Gandhi arrested her opponents
All the arrests were to be made simultaneously so that there was an element of surprise, and those on the list could not be forewarned and thus evade arrest.
Coomi Kapoor
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BJP is mythicising its anti-Emergency role ‒ it did not face the brunt: academic DL Sheth
'This is the only thing they have to celebrate,' says the renowned political scientist. 'Behind its celebration they can hide their past'.
Ajaz Ashraf
The Reel
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In ‘Tahader Katha’, the many partitions endured by a freedom fighter
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Watch: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ trailer
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Start the week with a film: A legend returns in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’
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In Cannes-bound ‘In Retreat’, a Ladakh that has rarely been seen before
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‘Trap’ trailer: M Night Shyamalan’s thriller stars Josh Hartnett as a serial killer
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The Emergency at 40: you know the facts, now read the fiction
The finest novels about the darkest period for Indian democracy have all become modern classics.
Anu Kumar
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'Himmat' during the Emergency: When the Press crawled, some refused to even bend
When Indira Gandhi suspended the Constitution, some journalists maintained their independence despite State repression. Why can't today's journalists find ways to resist corporate control to tell readers the truth?
Kalpana Sharma
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How Sanjay Gandhi and his coterie implemented a programme of conveyor-belt sterilisations
Forty years ago this month, Indira Gandhi suspended the Constitution and declared an Emergency. This excerpt from 'For Reasons of State' recalls the programme of forced vasectomies and tubectomies that was instituted during the period.
John Dayal and Ajoy Bose
The Field
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Watch, highlights ISL 2023-24: Odisha FC beat Mohun Bagan Super Giant in first leg of semi-final
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Archery, World Cup Stage I: Indian men’s and women’s compound teams through to finals
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ISL 2023-24: How first-time head coach Petr Kratky helped Mumbai City FC pick up the pieces
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IPL 2024: Marcus Stoinis helps Lucknow breach the Chennai fortress with unbeaten century
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Archery, World Cup Stage I: Jyothi Surekha Vennam finishes second in women’s compound qualification