Remembering Emergency

Remembering Emergency

Mrinal Chatterjee

I was in Class XI when emergency was promulgated. In the small mofussil town called Charampa in Bhadrak district where I lived then it had a mixed reaction. People were scared as there were more police vehicles movement. People were also happy as the trains and buses started running on time and prices of grocery items like oil and daal came down. In my family my father was unhappy as newspapers we used to subscribe suddenly became insipid. But my mother was happy as the prices came down.
Next year I went to college- 4 kms from my place. Buses were always on time. No election was held. We heard some students were arrested as they protested against the government and emergency. Next year 1977- the emergency was lifted. The arrested students came back to the college with a hero's welcome. Some of them were arrested under MISA. Some students shouted slogans like: Misa-phenrata chartra neta zindabad. General Elections were held. I remember my father listening to the results late into the night on radio. When the news came that Indira Gandhi was defeated in Raibareli my father smiled and ordered my mother who was sleeping then- to prepare a cup of tea. Radio was playing the song: Bareilly ke bazar mein jhumka gira re... I was awake then. So was half of the town. there were bursting of crackers. After finishing tea my father said: mark my words, she will again come back.
Years later I wrote a novel titled Abhimanyu with the backdrop of emergency times at a small town.

Samaja , Odia daily

Indian Express left its editorial blank as a mark of protest.