42 years later, an ‘Emergency’ booklist

It has been 42 years since the Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975. But not too many dispassionate accounts appear to be available in the public domain.

The key question that would baffle the present generation is why Mrs Indira Gandhi had to declare a state of Emergency when her party had won a war in 1971, a comprehensive electoral victory the same year, won elections for several states assemblies in 1972 and conducted the first nuclear test in 1974.

The period did provide fodder for writers and filmmakers besides personal memories recorded in journals and newspapers. Here is a shortlist of books that you should get your hands on for a comprehensive idea of the Emergency.

We could begin the list with the Indira Gandhi, the ‘Emergency’, and Indian Democracy by PN Dhar. An economist, he was the head of Indira Gandhi's secretariat during the turbulent years. He details out political events, decisions and personalities who shaped up policies during those years. Dhar recollects his time at the PMS (now PMO) with historic knowledge and insight. The book came out in 2000, a quarter century after the event.

Then there’s President Pranab Mukherjee’s book around the Emergency titled The Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi Years. One of the keenest participants and observers, Pranab Mukherjee has given a ringside view of Indira Gandhi. The story begins with India-Pakistan war of 1971, moves through the Emergency, Indira Gandhi being voted out of power and her coming back to power in 1980. He attempts to answer the question ‘Why the Emergency?’

Another one is Delhi Calm by Vishwajyoti Ghosh. This graphic novel is more a journalistic account of the times. It chronicles the journeys of a few oddball characters including the protagonist, a few poets and a Naya Savera Band, which hoped to stoke rebellion through music.

The Case that shook India by Prashant Bhushan was first released in 1978, immediately after the Emergency was lifted in 1977. It has now been re-released in 2017. It details the Indira Gandhi vs Raj Narain case, which set aside a Prime Minister’s election. The hearing of the case took place during the Emergency and the case had it bearing on the politics of the nation.

Coomi Kapoor’s The Emergency: A Personal History is as the title details it, a personal history. Being a young journalist at The Indian Express during the time, she writes engagingly about personalities, events and analyses the period. Her personal accounts, a look into the media and the Opposition makes the book a must read.

What should be on this list, but is not non-fiction is Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance. A book which was on the summer reading list of most in 1995, the year it was released. The events of around 1975-76, form the backdrop of his novel as it weaves an intricate tale of four people struggling to survive during the period.