History of India in Pictures - 1947 to 2020

India in Pictures.

I have tried to represent each year using an image reflecting the most important event from that year. However, in few cases, there have been more than one important event.

Note: Long post, kindly have patience.

1947: India gains independence from British rule.

1947: Partition of India.

1948: First India Pakistan War over Kashmir. (Kashmir accedes to India)

1948: Mahatma Gandhi assassinated.

1950: India adopts the Constitution and becomes a democratic republic.

1951: First Asian Games (Delhi).

1951–52: First general elections.

1952: Nehru and Rajendra Prasad take oath as India’s first Prime Minister and President of free India.

1951: First IIT (IIT-KGP) established, followed by other IITs across the nation.

1956: Asia’s first nuclear reactor - Apsara - installed.

1956: State’s re-organised on linguistic lines based on State Reorganization Act.

1958: First movie nominated for Oscars - Mother India.

1959: The Dalai Lama escapes to India (Tibet problem and trigger to Indo-Sino conflicts)

1960–68: Green Revolution targeted for increase in food grain production.

1961: Indian Army liberates Goa from the Portuguese rule.

1962 - First Indo-Sino War.

1962: French-ruled Pondicherry becomes part of India.

1964: Nehru Dies.

1964: Shastri elected as 2nd Prime Minister of India.

1965: India’s second war with Pakistan over Kashmir.

1966: Shastri dies in Tashkent under mysterious circumstances.

1966: Homi J Bhabha dead.

1967: Armed peasant revolt in Naxalbari gathers momentum. (Start of naxal movement in India).

1969: Bank Nationalization

1969: ISRO established - Start of India’s ambitious space program.

1970: White Revolution - world’s biggest dairy development program initiated.

1971: Third India-Pakistan War (Bangladesh Liberation War)

1972: India and Pakistan sign the Simla Pact to settle their differences by peaceful means.

1974: India conducts its first nuclear test, codenamed “Smiling Buddha”

1975: The Congress government imposes Emergency.

1975: First Indian satellite, Aryabhatta, successfully put in orbit.

1976: Mass Sterilization program initiated by Sanjay Gandhi.

1977: Emergency ends, first non-Congress government elected at the Center.

1979: Mandal Commission formed to identify the socially and educationally backward classes.

1980: The BJP is formed after internal differences in the Janata Party.

1983: India wins the Cricket World Cup (Kapil Dev)

1984: India sends man into space (Rakesh Sharma)

1984: Operation Blue Star launched for military action to remove militant leaders from the Golden Temple complex.

1984: Prime minister Indira Gandhi assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

1984: Anti-Sikh riots.

1984: Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

1985: Shah Bano case and the over-turning of the SC verdict by Rajiv Gandhi government.

1986: Bofors scandal.

1987: Tensions rises between majority Sinhala and minority Tamils. India-Sri Lanka sign pact and India deploys troops in Sri Lanka.

1989: Outbreak of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

1990: Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir.

1991: Rajiv Gandhi assassinated.

1991: Globalization of Economy. Indian economy opened the doors for free trade by foreign investors.

1992: Babri Masjid demolition.

1992: Stock Market Scam (Harshad Mehta).

1993: Mumbai riots followed by serial bomb blasts across the city.

1998: First BJP Govt formed at the Center.

1998: Second Pokhran Nuclear Test.

1999: Delhi-Lahore Bus Service.

1999: Lahore Declaration.

1999: Kargil War.

1999: IC-814 hijack.

2000: Golden Quadrilateral project.

2001: Attack on Parliament.

2002: Sabarmati Express set on fire at Godhra railway station.

2002: Communal violence breaks out in Gujarat

2004: Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami.

2005: Right to Information Act passed

2005: MGNREGA Act enacted (largest work guarantee program in the world)

2008: India successfully launches Chandrayaan I

2008: First individual gold medal in Olympics (Abhinav Bindra)

2008: Mumbai attacks

2009: Right to Education Act

2009: First indigenous nuclear submarine launched (INS Arihant)

2010: Unique Identification Authority of India issues the first Aadhaar card (Nandan Nilekani).

2010: Commonwealth Games 2010.

2011: Anna Hazare and Lokpal agitation

2011: India wins cricket world cup for the 2nd time.

2011: World’s longest running democratic Left rule comes to an end as Mamata Banerjee defeats communists in West Bengal.

2013: National Food Security Act passed.

2013: India launches Mars Orbiter Mission.

2014: The BJP wins a parliamentary majority for the first time.

2014: Kailash Satyarthi receives the Nobel Prize for Peace.

2014: Polio eradication (India becomes Polio free).

2015: India launches own GPS system (IRNSS NAVIC).

2015: India and Bangladesh swap more than 160 enclaves.

2016: Demonetisation.

2017: The Goods and Services Tax introduced.

2017: General and railway budgets presented together for the first time.

2018: SC strikes down triple talaq.

2018: SC decriminalises homosexuality.

2019: Chnadrayaan 2 launched.

2019: India successfully conducted Mission Shakti – an anti-satellite missile test.

2019: Indigenous built Tejas gets nod clearance to be inducted in IAF.

2019: J&K bifurcation and end of special status.

Thanks for your patience. !!!