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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WHO confirms 92 cases of monkeypox across 12 countries
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Two plaques in Srirangapatna claim to mark the spot where Tipu Sultan died. Which one is accurate?
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How have some people managed to avoid Covid-19 for so long? It could be more than just luck
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Ramachandra Guha: What I learnt from Madhav Gadgil, towering ecologist with a social conscience
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Opinion: Why is Modi the only prime minister who is haunted by Nehru’s ghost?
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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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‘Before, people didn’t even know about the Thomas Cup’: PM Modi meets India’s Thomas Cup winners
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Caught on camera: Man takes ‘wrong turn’, ends up driving down Rome’s iconic Spanish Steps
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Flash mob: Actor Monami Ghosh and SpiceJet crew dance to promote new film in Kolkata airport
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‘Being Ravi Shastri is fun’: Former Indian cricket coach and cricketer in a new avatar for an ad
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‘The Great Gama’: Google doodle honours 144th birth anniversary of Indian wrestler with rare clip
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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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When a 50-minute film feels just right
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‘Stranger Things’ season 4: Watch the first eight minutes
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‘Escaype Live’ review: A cautionary tale of the desperate pursuit of fame and success
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‘Baymax!’ trailer: ‘Big Hero 6’ spin-off follows the adventures of the friendly healthcare companion
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Watch: ‘Mad Max’ director George Miller returns with fantasy film ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’
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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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French Open: Ons Jabeur after shock first-round defeat – ‘Maybe it was a good thing to lose’
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India’s rescheduled Test in England: Cheteswhar Pujara recalled in Rohit Sharma-led 17-member squad
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India vs SA T20Is: KL Rahul named captain, Dinesh Karthik returns, Arshdeep and Umran called up
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IPL 2022: Ricky Ponting has ‘absolutely no doubt’ that Rishabh Pant is the right captain for DC
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‘Being Ravi Shastri is fun’: Former Indian cricket coach and cricketer in a new avatar for an ad