1972 HALFWAY HOUSE

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1947-2008-India-Roundup

There couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate the silver jubilee of Independence. Fresh from a victory in the 1971 war, Indira Gandhi signed the Simla Agreement with Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, aiming to “put an end to the conflict and confrontation” and maintain the line of control that resulted from the ceasefire of 1971. Bhutto promised he would persuade his people to accept its conversion into the international border. India insisted the two nations would settle their differences “by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations”.

BAD TO WORSE

There were more illiterates in 1972 than there had been in 1947. Drop-out rates were very high and only a small proportion of those enrolled in universities graduated. Thanks to the various initiatives launched by the government over the years, India’s literacy rate has improved by almost 50 per cent since 1947 and now stands at 61 per cent.

FIRST CUT

• In July, Kiran Bedi became the country’s first woman ips officer and was inducted into the Delhi cadre. She later became known for initiating prison reforms in Delhi’s Tihar Jail.
• Hindustan Aeronautics produced the first agricultural aeroplane, named Basant.

THE MIDDLE ORDER

Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s debut feature film Swayamvaram (meaning one’s own choice) was critically acclaimed for its depiction of the middle class and its woes realistically. Made in Malayalam, thefilm told the story of a couple who eloped to marry, only to face poverty and hardship. Gopalakrishnan, a former government officer-turned Film and Television Institute of India graduate, wrote his own scripts and was heralded as a master realist the world over.

The Wildlife Preservation Act was passed to protect wild species like tigers and lions from extinction. It also banned the capture and sale of dancing bears.

“IF TOMORROW THE PEOPLE OF KASHMIR START A FREEDOM MOVEMENT, THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN WILL BE WITH THEM.”

ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO in Pakistan, after signing the Simla Agreement in India

YEAR OF THE FEDERATION

As India celebrates 25 years of Independence, the Congress Party swept the state elections in March, riding on Indira Gandhi’s garibi hatao programme and the victory over Pakistan. Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram were declared Union territories and Meghalaya, Maniput and Tripura were awarded the status of full-fledged states.

THE MESSIAH M.G. Ramachandran

Expelled from the dmk in 1972, MGR, the Tamil superstar-turned-politicdal sensation, who was originally from Kerala, also demanded an enquiry into corruption in the parent party and went on to formthe Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (later renamed aiadmk), named after the late Annadurai. A people’s man, he later launched the successful mid-day meal scheme as chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

When India Got its Own War Vessel

INS Nilgiri, the first British-designed Indian-built modern warship of the Leander class, was commissioned into the naval fleet in Bombay. The 2,400-tonne, anti-submarine, all-purpose frigate equipped with a highly developed radar and sonar system, was one of the most modern and sophisticated warships of the type.

ELSEWHERE…

• The last of the US ground units withdrew from Vietnam, “Peace is at hand,” announced Kissinger. The US Army also turned over its base at Long Binh to the South Vietnamese army, marking the end of US military involvement in the Vietnam War.
• The British Army killed 13 unarmed Roman Catholic civil rights marchers in Derry, Northern Ireland (above). The Bloody Sunday Massacre triggered anti-British riots in Ireland.

An earthquake measuring 7.0 killed a fifth of the population of Iranian province of Fars.

10,00,000 women adopted family planning measures and the country’s birth rate dropped to 3 per cent.

433 films were produced as India topped the world in film production. The Indian film industry is biggest in the world now.

Courtesy By India Today