One Piece At A TIme

 By Kartheik Iyer 


I was listening to a rather diverse collection of songs today, slightly different from the music I've been listening to of late. I swung up and caught the handhold as the train pulled into yet another station and a stream of humanity rushed past. The song was Paper Puli, by Bangalore rock band Thermal and a Quarter. The song starts off with, "Frank Zappa once said, 'Rock journalism is all about people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read.' " The train pushed off again, with the stream of humanity, now a pool of humanity crowded into the half the space of a multiplex washroom, with one gentleman who was trying to facilitate the fostering acquaintance between my face and his elbow. I kindly declined, but getting back to topic, if not anything else, I could read. Couldn't I?

Paper puli wound up its act and Deep Purple started off with Highway Star, remarkable how much the starting riff resembles that of Sinbad the Sailor from Rock On, but ah, well, it must've been 'independently composed'. I wanted to sing, but knowing my voice, I'd probably have joined the railway casualties list had I done so. The song was superb, the vocals scratchy, rough, and typical of that period. What period? The 70's of course. Wasn't that when it all happened? Well, yes and no. The seventies were an amazing time to be in, if you were a music lover. There was something for everyone. Rock, pop, metal, grunge, reggae, blues, you name it. Not that these genres didn't exist before that. Hendrix was wrapping up, he passed away in 1970, John Petrucci was three years old, and there was this new band that called itself Led Zeppelin, formed in 1968, in the same year as this other band called Black Sabbath. And the people of our world seemed to have rediscovered new and extremely inventive ways of using a variety of trance-inducing substances for both recreational and inspirational purposes, and would forge ahead and produce realms and genres of music that would then proceed to blow the minds (whatever fragments remained). It was to be an amazing high, er, no, amazing journey.

After Deep Purple came Iron Maiden's Blood Brothers. And good song though it was, I was rather distracted by two strikingly beautiful ladies who were engaged in the rather un-maidenly act of striking down an unfortunate soul who happeneth to glance rather lecherously in their direction, going by their version. The poor victim, er, pervert was mutinously complaining that it had simply been something in his eye. A crowd was in its nascent stages around the spectacle, for our people are never ones to turn down wholesome free entertainment, and were gatherin' 'round with the satisfied expressions of one who's platform ticket has yielded its money's worth. Unfortunately, the train had a schedule of its own to keep up with, and with a clang of the gears that amounted to a mechanical sigh, it set off once more, bearing me with it.

What surprised me, as my playlist progressed, playing Edwin Starr's War, Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over troubled water, and Rolling Stones' You can't always get what you want, was the sheer amount of variety that emerged from that period. I thought back of how people were stereotyped now according to what kind of music they listened to, Rock artists are dumb. Satanic Metal Punks. Gay pop loving freaks. And those days, when everyone was a brother, food was cheap and music was peace, how would they have been like? (Again, I have no idea whether the seventies were really like that, and they most probably not, but what the heck, why can't people dream?) The train went on, with its assorted clangs and rattles providing background accompaniment to the subtle nuances of an ever effective Pink Floyd' Comfortably numb, which was followed by the Eagles' Tequila Sunrise.

I had almost reached, and AC/DC (visit Edocsil's wall, no, not facebook) was playing Back in Black. I waited for the song to finish, and wound up my earphones. There was so much I couldn't cover, the Who, Queen, Alice Cooper, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen, The Doors, The Ramones, Presley (deserves a special mention for cult-ishness, hats and wierd hairdos off to him.), Lennon, Marley, and god-knows-how-many-more-bands-i'm-forgetting, so much more I couldn't write about, about the experimentalism, about the feckless, reckless nature of the bands, and their individual personae, the stories, world reception, styles and the emergence of the sub-genres that classify music today, (and how dare I forget them, the groupies), and of course, Hindi music from that era, and how it influenced / was influenced by its western counterparts. But I leave all that for a later date, and end with an excellent dictum from the age of psychedelia. Peace, bro'.

ps. One interesting piece of information that puzzled me, though. Deep Purple once occupied a position in the Guinness Book of World Records as "the loudest pop group". Er, pop. How? 

Theories and answers are welcome at mail.ltgtr@gmail.com, on our facebook page, or at sahihaiyaar.blogspot.com.

Also, this site, whose address I happened to find on wikipedia, happens to have a wealth of information on the 1968-1976 period, do visit it if you feel like. http://musiccollectorsite.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer. All the songs mentioned are the sole property of their respective artists, this article is not part of any promotional propaganda or publicity material, and may be shamelessly copied, lifted and reproduced in any form, with the cognizance of the author. He'd feel good about it.

Blast From The Past

By Nishant Boorla

Evolution. Steadfast rule of life. Conventional wisdom states evolution to mean adaption as means of survival. In most cases that’s true. Even with movies this rule remains unchanged. Well almost. While the norm is for films to evolve as per the tastes and preferences of the target audience, every once in a while a visionary comes along to make a movie that’s ahead of it’s time. Case in point - Brian DePalma’s “Scarface” [1983] - a movie that bombed at the Box Office (or so I heard on Entourage) and yet is studied by film-students today.

Scarface is the quintessential gangster flick. 

But such movies are exceptions to the norm and come about but once in a blue moon. Which brings me to the  70’s.

For me, the 70’s was the era that re-defined film-making and set benchmarks that are adhered to to  this day. Every decade has its fair share of good movies, but what sets the 70’s apart is the fact that the good movies of this decade weren’t just good, they  were trend setters that ushered in a paradigm shift in filmmaking method. There’s not a genre that went untouched. The directors were visionaries and as ahead of the time as they were they still knew how to appeal to audiences. Every director was fearless and in a way the embodiment of Pacino’s famous line from Scarface - “all I have in this world is my balls and my word, and I don’t break ‘em for no one”

Point to be noted - I mentioned Scarface at the beginning because a lot of parallels can be drawn to and from it. Let me begin with a lesser known masterpiece. 

Dog Day Afternoon[1975]. A film starring Al Pacino, the  man who owned the 70’s was a risky one in many ways. Most definitely c ahead of its time in one sense - a homosexual male lead. A homosexual male lead in the 70’s when the world swore by bigotry and conservative ideals. Yet Sidney Lumet knew how to sell the film. Slick direction and razor sharp editing apart, the race was  half-won with the prerelease tagline - “The robbery should have taken 10 minutes. 4 hours later the bank was like a circus sideshow. 8 hours later it was the hottest thing on live TV. 12 hours later, it was history. And it’s all true.” 

Al Pacino dominated the 70’s with an eclectic blend of characters all driven by quiet determination. It’s the hallmark of a true acting great to downplay theatrics to deliver an effective, breath-taking  performance. He debuted as a male lead with “The Panic in Needle Park” in 1971. A film I’ll come back to later on in this write-up. Stellar performances followed in “Serpico”, “And Justice for all”  and “Scarecrow”. Movie-lovers will note I left out two his most  famous films. In fact, two of the greatest films ever made. But more on that later. Pacino asserted his dominance in this decade and picked up one Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and 4 consecutive nominations for Best Actor in a Lead Role.

This brings me to the Directors. Let me start with the obvious choice. The man who has landmark films in every decade. Martin Scorsese. He kick started the decade with Mean Streets which is to this day sets the standard for street gang films. Again, a film that defined its genre. Realism in cinematography, gritty storytelling that borders on documentary style of filmmaking, flipping the birdie to all things glamorous. And of course, Scorsese’s trademark stylized violence. 

He followed it up with “Taxi Driver”. Again, a path-breaker. A case study, a social commentary and one man’s twisted story. Genius. He also directed “New York, New York” which failed at the box office but is regarded as one of his finest achievements. From gang violence to shock and awe. Hello Stanley Kubrick! “A Clockwork Orange” took violence to whole new levels and is set in futuristic, authoritarian Britain. a setting echoed by “V for Vendetta”. Another 70’s character study and a deeply disturbing one at that this is one of the most infamous movies from the 70’s with a cult following. Kubrick of course went on to pioneer the use of the Steadicam which would become the staple of horror movies. 

Speaking of Horror. Steven Spielberg (yeah there’s no end to name dropping in this article) broke through in to the big league with Jaws. A film that combined horror with creature-film effects, Jaws went on to set a record for the highest grossing film of its time. This set the precedent for future Spielberg ventures that guaranteed quality film-making and big bucks at the box office.

Spielberg went on to become friends with - George Lucas. The visionary genius behind the Star Wars. The franchise that took the world by storm was trend setting in more ways than one. To begin with, it announced the era of films with storylines set on an epic scale. Innovative directorial techniques and special effects and one of the most notorious villains of all time made this the most succesful franchise of its time. It shares the underlying theme of Scarface - “what goes up must come down” (issued in public interest by Sir Isaac Newton). Anakin Skywalker steps over to the dark side only to fall rather melodramatically to his son! Star Wars also set the trend for brand merchandising. Star Wars erasers, pencil boxes, t-shirts and what not? 

Reverting to horror films, the 70’s saw two horror classics in stark contrast to each other. One set in a house with a primitive storyline while the other is set in outer space with an extravagant premise. One had the most haunting background score of all time while the other was a silent killer. The former being “The Exorcist” and the latter “Alien”. Yeah Alien launched Ridley Scott who decades later gave us “Gladiator”.

Alright, I’ve been putting this franchise off for long enough. Perhaps the greatest film ever made followed by perhaps the greatest film ever made. Never have 2 films been made of such high caliber before. Both took home Oscars for Best Picture, with the second film being the first ever sequel to do so. The Godfather parts I and II. Francis Ford Coppola’s epic tale of mob life, strong characters and the power of family ties and vengeance. A heady cocktail. The first movie, in my opinion the greatest film ever made, took home several Oscars. Marlon Brando’s epic performance won him the Oscar for Best Actor while Al Pacino (yeah him again) was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Both these screen legends boycotted the Academy Awards that year! Coppola followed it up with what is widely regarded to be the best sequel ever made, adding Robert DeNiro to the list of legends to have been associated with this epic fanchise.

But Coppola didn’t stop with those two movies. Oh no! He went on to direct the war epic Apocalypse Now. A film that was considered the best war film until a certain Steven Spielberg came along to make “Saving Private Ryan”. No doubt then that the 70’s were the greatest decade for mainstream cinema. 

Honourable mentions - The Sting[1973], Chinatown[1974], One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest[1975], and finally - Network[1976] which had one of the greatest on screen monologues ever written. This monologue set the trend for what is in my opinion the greatest pilot ever made for a TV show - The pilot to “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”. 

Long live the 70’s!

| articles | bio | email | twitter  

---

Nishant Boorla
Sarcasm means the world to me. Yeah that's always a good place to start. I watch movies...a lot of movies! Sports nut and a die hard Manchester United fan. Highly opinionated and that shows in my articles.

---

An Age Of Heroes

By Sahil Mehta


The 70s were a tough decade for India. We were still grappling with the fact that Nehruvian socialism had led us astray. Lethargy gripped the Indian economy and pervaded through every section of Indian society right down to the common man. With internal conflicts, and the rise of Indira Gandhi and dynasty politics, despair had spread like wildfire through the people. The dreams of independent India lay shattered by the roadside. The India of the 70s needed a hero. Enter Bollywood!

The 70s were not the golden era of Indian cinema. They were the period immediately after when every aspect of Indian cinema was at its peak. It was the era when we finally moved from socialist and neo-realist cinema to commercial movies. It was the era when movies stopped depicting real life and started setting the trend for common people. Colour had just made its way to Indian cinemas in the late 1960s but it was only in 70s that it broke through the monotony of daily Indian lives with its bright, sparkly and often awful coloured sets and costumes. But look beyond the obvious, the large floral prints, the oversized shades, the longish manes of our hero-dearest, the bun on top of our damsels in distress; beyond the dance sequence around trees to groovy RD Burman tracks and beyond the poor boy-rich girl love story. Look beyond and you’ll find an abundance of stellar individual performances and a decade full of evergreen Indian movies.

The story of the 70s is so long that you could fill volumes with it. I will stick to the parts which I believe deserve special mention and those to which I can do justice. 

If you ever ask people which is the most iconic Indian film ever, the answer would be obvious; Sholay! But if you look for the second favorite, a very popular answer and mine too would be Anand. This 1971, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh starrer is a heart-wrenching tale of a terminally ill cancer patient who spends the last few days of his life spreading joy in others. While Amitabh perfectly fit the bill of a no-nonsense doctor who befriends this patient and then helplessly watches him die, Rajesh Khanna stole the show as the terminally ill Anand. The dialogue at the climax of the movie shall remain engrained in Indian cinema forever. 

 
The 70s were known for their rom-coms and masala movies. And what’s a masala movie without tragedy, right? It was tragedy for Indian cinema in 1972 when one of the most beautiful actresses to ever grace the silver screen passed away. Meena Kumari may have been “The Tragedy Queen” in both reel and real life but she was also a fine actress. And she portrayed with her role as a Luckhnow tawaif in her final film Pakeezah. This movie took 16 years to complete and was based on her own love story with the director the movie and two time husband Kamal Amrohi. Also starring Raaj Kumar, this movie is a cult classic. 

This was also the decade when Raj Kapoor, the showman of Indian cinema, slowly ended his acting career but not before delivering the blockbuster super-star studded Mera Naam Joker (1970). Soon a new Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor his grandson, alongside the scintillating Dimple Kapadia became the heartthrobs of the Indian public with Bobby (1973). There was also Roti Kapda Aur Makaan by Manoj Kumar which we cannot but mention. 

But the real star of the decade was the year 1975 which saw arguably the three biggest movies ever. Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen starrer Aandhi was a wonderful film which was unfortunately banned for a couple of years due to its similarity to Indira Gandhi’s Life. The songs of this movie are still hummed by people and played on the radio in the nights. But the showstopper of this decade was Amitabh Bachchan and with Deewar and Sholay (both 1975) he firmly established himself as the leading man of Indian cinema. If you haven’t heard or seen of these two movies, all I can say is “Tera kya hoga re kalia?” 

The 70s were the Big B’s decade as he churned out one hit after the other in Kabhie Kabhie (1976), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Don (78) etc. His angry young man persona and star status persist to this day. Not far behind was India’s first “action hero” Dharamendra. Then there was Rajesh Khanna with his lover boy image. Shashi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Rishi Kapoor all gave numerous hits in this decade. It was also the time of directors like Hrushikesha Mujherji and Manmohan Desai and of course Raj Kapoor. 

The story of the 70s has almost reached its climax but it would be incomplete without talking about the leading ladies of our movies. While dream girl Hema Malini and the ever graceful Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh and Jaya Bachchan enchanted Indian public and inspired women to be more fashionable, a new breed of actresses like Dimple Kapadia, Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman finally made Indian women a sex symbol. Their boldness on screen helped changed the way Indian women all around perceived themselves. It is truly unfortunate that the boldness of these women has now given way to vulgarity among present day actresses.

Only one final ingredient remains for our story. The song and dance sequence. Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle all lent their voices to the music of composers like RD Burman, Anandji Kalyanji during this decade. So just pick any legend and “Dum Maaro Dum” to their tunes. 

The 70s were not path breaking in terms of genre. They were mostly rom-coms and later a few action movies. But by Jove, they had it all; the comedy, the drama, the music, the panache, the action, the big mustached villain and the happy ending (mostly :P ). The plots were similar but atleast they knew how to make movies then and not just rip ‘em off like they do now. There was originality in expression and a poetic feel to the dialogues. It’s no wonder then that our present day directors keep going back to the 70s in search for a hit formula or just remake some film :P

That 70s Show Review

By Vijay Narayan



The moment that we( team LTGTR) decided we were going to do a retro issue, I knew I simply HAD to write a review on That 70's Show. Call it absolute boredom , or the fact that the actors are so freaking brilliant ( Mila Kunis .... *sighs*) or perhaps the fact that for the past week, I'd done nothing except watch episodes of this very sitcom, but I doubt the reasons for writing it are as important as the review itself, so here goes nothing. 

Created by ...... All right, I'll admit. I've no clue who really created it. Once again, it hardly matters! On the surface, That '70s Show appears to be a straightforward sitcom with a penchant for the occasional dream sequence or other bits of high concept fluff. But if you truly pay attention, you'll find a rather established cultural outlook to it. The show essentially parodies the 1970's, probably one of the most controversial times in the United States-- energy crises, the resignation of Nixon, the end of the Vietnam war, Star wars and of course, the disastrous perms, bell bottomed jeans and disco balls ( which are actually kind of cool, I’ll admit).

However, what truly brought the show alive was the brilliant acting by the main cast members . The show is set in the fictional Point Place, located in the state of Wisconsin. It revolves around Eric Foreman (Topher Grace-the guy who played Venom in Spiderman 3!), who is 17 and obsessing about the same things that all boys that age think about: beer, cars, and girls(not necessarily in that order), and who better to dampen his mood than a Communist-hating Vietnam veteran for a father, and a well-meaning alcoholic nurse for a mother! Throw in his promiscuous sister( who 'got around' with pretty much every guy in town) and you have a perfectly dysfunctional family.

Of course..ONE crazy family just isn't enough. Enter Eric's next door neighbor/ best friend/ girlfriend Donna , a feisty redhead feminist, who ,by all indications, can kick pretty much anyone's ass. Oddly enough, she's saddled with a couple of parents who are trying WAY too hard to be ‘hip’. Bob and Midge are the butt of most jokes, including a running gag about Bob's afro, which destroys the credibly of the very look that Hendrix popularized( a fact made clear to Bob repeatedly!)

Also included in the show are the characters of Hyde, Michael Kelso, Jackie and Fez. Hyde is a smart-alecky, Led- Zeppelin loving, wannabe hippie who sees government conspiracies in everything. This is probably due to the fact that he supplies most of the weed to the group and is almost permanently high. Michael Kelso ( played by Ashton Kutcher) is a rather dim, though well meaning playboy who eventually becomes a cop( and gets thrown into jail himself half the time). Jackie( yes, finally, Mila Kunis!), is a spoiled and snobby little rich kid who believes the world revolves around her. Where would any show be without the stereotyped foreigner! Fez fill this spot on the show; he’s a foreign exchange student with a strong Hispanic accent, a hair fetish, and a rather voyeuristic nature.

The plot itself is fairly lightweight, but certainly gets the job done. The show describes the daily lives of these kids- hanging out in a basement, smoking up every chance they get, stealing beers, and, if time ever permits, attending school. I could go on praising this show forever, but some things are better left unsaid, so I will end it on this note

What makes this show really appealing? Strip the show of its crazy jokes, the marijuana sessions, it’s rather caustic view of the government, and you're left with a show about teens trying to find some meaning in their lives-a sentiment shared by almost everybody our age. Definitely a must watch for... well, everybody.

| articles | bio | email |  

---

Vijay Narayan

---

A Lasting Legacy

By Sahil Mehta 


The 70s will go down as the most epochal decade in the history of independent India. India’s intervention in Bangladesh liberation war and the subsequent 1971 Indo-Pak has already been mentioned. The victory in the war and the maturity showed by India in the Simla pact with Pakistan was lauded in the world and gave immense popularity to the leadership of Indira Gandhi. But more tragic than the war it was India’s failure to successfully deal with the problems of illegal migration and refugees and with the conflict with Pakistan. In retrospect, maybe India paid too heavy a price in exchange for global goodwill.

Then there is the curious case of Sanjay Gandhi. Many, like his elder brother Rajiv, would put all the excesses and corruption during the Indira Gandhi squarely on his shoulders. Undoubtedly Sanjay Gandhi committed many atrocities on the people of India but none deserve more attention than the family planning measures he took. Forced vasectomies and sterilization and what not stain the decade of the 1970s and still cause an aversion to much need family planning measures. The end of the decade also saw the formation of the infamous Mandal Commission which while set up with good intentions continues to cause widespread discontent among students.

But perhaps the most significant socio-political movement was the Jai Prakash Narayan led struggle which eventually led to the declaration of emergency. An ordinary man, freedom fighter with Gandhian ideologies, struggling against a corrupt government with the support of the people and the government panicking and using force to evict and arrest them; Ring any bells? Do the names Hazare and Ramdev seem familiar?

There are so many more parallels to be drawn from the 70s. In the 70s Indira Gandhi wanted a people’s car. And so Maruti Udyog was formed. Today the Tata’s have taken the meaning the people car’s to a next level with Nano. In 1973 we faced an oil crisis. Now it’s a perpetual problem. In the 70s there was a food crisis and agriculture needed a boost… enter Green Revolution. Today again, food security is a major problem. Family planning was needed then, they screwed it up big time. But now looking at the population, those same methods don’t seem so horrifying. There were good things too. Gavaskar made India take notice of cricket as a 5 feet 6 inch boy from Mumbai dominated the most fearsome and much taller pace attack in the world. Today Dhoni and the gen-X of Indian cricket have dominated the world again by winning the World Cup. 

A female Gandhi led then, another leads now in all but name. A son of hers took the reign from her then, a son is ready today. The opposition was weak then, and the BJP of today lacks leadership as well. Corruption plagues the government now like it did then.

But perhaps the greatest parallel to be drawn arises from the people’s struggle against government influence in their daily lives. The economy may have been liberalized but the government still influences people’s lives and choices far too much just as it did in the totalitarian and dictoral times of Indira Gandhi. Much has changed and much remains the same. India has come a long way from the decades of old. No longer do we wait for hours for phone calls to connect, nor are there 7 year waiting lines for scooters.  Democracy cannot be suppressed at the whims and fancy of any ruler. The judiciary plays an important role in controlling the government. And the world no longer ignores us; rather it sits up and takes notice every single time India takes the podium.

 But everything said and done, some of the same fundamental problems still face the country and it is important to go back to the 70s and learn from our mistakes then so that we can truly move forward into the future and deal with the challenge that arise from being a major player in a global economy.

The Land Of Golden Reminiscences

By Kartheik Iyer

The seventies were a glorious period. Any coherent person you ask will affirm that. Even the sickliest, most weather-beaten, cynical old codger will tell you that, with the wrinkles on his face tightening with concentration as he makes an effort to remember. ‘Woh bhi kya din the, kya zamaana tha’

Of course, from the land of golden reminiscences, there is a lot to be remembered, when the west had come to meet the east and had gotten incredibly screwed up in the process, the result of which brought change and a reinvention of the modern Indian household, along with black and white television (and the occasional colour one, admired possession and source of envy of all the neighbours), of listening to cricket matches on transistor radios while commuting to work, of bellbottoms and maxis and ray-bans, of the Phantom (who, I have it from very good sources, never sleeps), and Mandrake (and towels as makeshift capes) and Chacha Chaudhary (and Sabu, big giant ‘Jupitar’ guy), of Raspberry dollies, and Hawa Mahal and Doordarshan, of fridge covers and tinted glasses and fiats and ambassadors. 

And before I move on, I’ll just mention the names. That should be enough to get you started, you who have lived through those times. (And if you haven’t, then you’re just a lowly pipsqueak who knows not what he’s missed.) Shammi Kapoor, Rekha, Zeenat, Amitabh B., Dharmendra, Shatrugan Sinha, Jaya Bhaduri, the Khannas, Rajesh and Vinod, Mumtaz, Hema Malini, Helen... (Please do not lose track, though, and once you’re done smiling abjectly into the middle distance, please acknowledge the rest of this humble article.)

But amidst all these fond memories  lies more, for much occurred in these ten small years, enough to be called an epoch in its own right. Wiki, my hitherto reliable source of information, summarizes it in one sentence, poor thing. It says, ‘... multiple conflicts and crises occur in India and Pakistan during the 1970s including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Bangladesh Liberation War, and the Indian Emergency 1975- 1977...’. But that barely skims the surface, ask anyone from those times, and they’ll tell you. Tens of thousands of different stories, some interwoven, some cut short, some glorified, others vilified, were written in this period. A hurricane in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Orissa in 1971 killed over ten thousand people, and those are just the officially reported number. Politics was reaching new heights, with competing factions causing unrest both within the country and with its neighbours. 

The Soviet inspired communist movement was spreading across Bengal, who saw it as an ideal method of governance. Meanwhile, Indira Gandhi was coming up for a second term as the Prime Minister, and the propaganda was in fool swing, literally. Previously, the Congress, the then ruling party, had split into two, the Socialist and Communist parties, led by Gandhi, and the conservatives, let by Morarji Desai. The amount of internal friction had to be seen to be believed, with some fanatics going as far as to claim that the ‘other party’ was all part of a conspiracy theory that was plotting the downfall of the nation, and even the more sensible of the ranks claiming that they could ‘not see any road to social, economic or financial security, with [the other party’s] approach’   

    

On top of this internal infirmity, India went to war with Pakistan in 1971, after all that the Pakistani army had done to the civilian populations of East Pakistan, and the Kashmir tussle reached epic proportions, with the LoC coming into existence. All throughout, the then American president (he of the tapes) Nixon’s blatant bias against Gandhi didn’t help matters along, and the alliances he formed with Pakistan causing trouble in the decades that followed. Meanwhile, news was being spread like wildfire, (if you were among the politically concerned lot, the rest simply didn’t care), that Mrs. Gandhi had been using government money to fund her election campaigns, and it was once again time to take sides, and there were mass demonstrations outside the Gandhi’s residence, both by ardent followers proclaiming their loyalty and angry demonstrators demanding repair. The skirmish that followed quickly becomes too technical to go into here, but everyone knows the fallout. Mrs. Gandhi declared a state of emergency from 1975-1977, the only instance of that clause to be used to date, which basically meant that useless and obstructive petty things like rights and civil liberties were suspended until further notice. A lot of events followed, which can now be found on Wikipedia, but one thing remains. No matter how much money may have been siphoned off to private bank accounts, and loyal people installed in powerful positions, most people maintain that the Gandhi reign did a world of good for the country. The green revolution, for one kicked off in the seventies. Side by side the government started the white revolution or operation flood which greatly increased India’s milk production. These two together helped produce the potatoes and milk that I and you now so easily find available. The story of Amul began in the 70s, the rest as they is history. 

Technology-wise too, the 70s were a decade of great importance. In 1974, under the project called Smiling Buddha, India demonstrated its military might by successfully testing a nuclear weapon in a small unknown village, which would have otherwise remained unknown, called Pokharan, right near the Pakistan border. Only time will tell whether we curse that day for being the beginning of the end of the world. It was also the decade in which India launched its first satellite Aryabhatta into orbit. Ironically we established ourselves in space before we did on the global platform. But really the greatest achievement of the 70s was Indira Gandhi’s leadership. She took a crawling country by the scruff of the neck and made it stand upright. She ruled with an iron hand so powerful that the world woke up to India again and took notice. She took a stagnant ailing society and changed its psyche. Indeed the India of 1970s can be summarized in this one line “India is Indira, and Indira is India…”.