On 25 June this year, India marks 50 years since former prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in India. This was the third time that the emergency had been declared in India, but unlike the first two times which were in case of external threats due to wars with India’s neighbours, the 1975 Emergency was due to internal threats and resulted in the suspension of many constitutional rights and a crackdown on freedom of the press.

In his comprehensive history and analysis of the Emergency, political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot calls the Emergency “India’s first experiment with authoritarianism”. In this episode of State of Southasia with Nayantara Narayanan, Jaffrelot delves into the complexity and contradictions of the Emergency, examines its legacy – how it changed the Congress party and India’s politics, and draws out the parallels and differences with India under Narendra Modi.

This episode is also available on:

🎧 YouTube: https://youtu.be/a5JpKO_yfls

🎧 Apple podcasts: https://bit.ly/3T38jMs

🎧 Himal website: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/christophe-jaffrelot-india-emergency-modi

Episode notes:

Christophe Jaffrelot’s recommendations:

The Judgement: Inside story of the Emergency in India - Kuldip Nayar (non-fiction)

Shah Commission of Inquiry report

A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry (fiction)

Unsettling Memories: Narratives of the Emergency in Delhi - Emma Tarlo (non-fiction)

Further reading from Himal’s archives:

Prabir Purkayastha’s fight against two Emergencies in India – under Modi and Indira Gandhi
Why the legendary cartoonist Abu Abraham still matters
Politics and the Hindi press
The enduring personality cult of Narendra Modi

Himal Southasian is Southasia’s first and only regional news and analysis magazine. Stretching from Afghanistan to Burma, from Tibet to the Maldives, this region of more than 1.4 billion people shares great swathes of interlocking geography, culture and history. Yet today neighbouring countries can barely talk to one another, much less speak in a common voice. For three decades, Himal Southasian has strived to define, nurture, and amplify that voice.

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