On the Political side the first general election was held and Kashmir became the major problem between India and Pakistan.
I am bringing from India-Today a clipping of the events in 1952 to enable you to understand the atmosphere in those days.
REWIND
Agriculture was the highest priority for the first Five Year Plan that was expected to “bring the whole of India—agricultural, industrial, social and economic—into one framework of thinking”. With a total expenditure of Rs 2,069 crore, the Plan allotted 44.6 per cent of it to agriculture, including irrigation and power projects.
It was during this Plan—from 1951-1956—that the mega dam projects of Bhakra-Nangal, Hirakud and Mettur dam were initiated. The Plan allocated Rs 173 crore to industry. A little over four-fifths of the Rs 497 crore earmarked for the development of transport and communications was set aside for railways. By the end of the Plan, in 1956, five Indian Institutes of Technology were also started.
DID YOU KNOW
Japan was barred from the 1948 Olympic Games but was allowed to compete in the inaugural Asian Games held in Delhi.
FIRST CUT
The first Indian Institute of Technology was built on the site of a former British prison camp in Kharagpur, West Bengal.
The villagers of Chini in Himachal Pradesh became the first Indians to cast votes in India’s first general elections that began in 1951.
A MATTER OF RELIGION
When President Rajendra Prasad inaugurated the newly restored Somnath Temple in Gujarat, Jawaharlal Nehru was horrified and asked him to reconsider. When he did not, it added to the growing belief among critics that the Congress under P.D. Tandon had become deeply conservative.
COUPLE SIZZLE
Elaborate sets and memorable songs 
made Awara an instant hit. Nargis’ bathing suit caused a stir. Starring Raj Kapoor and Nargis, the film was released in Russia as Brodigaya two years later where orchestras played tunes from the film for the actors visiting the country.
ETERNAL PADAYATRI
Vinobha Bhave
He covered over 50,000 miles and collected more than 36 lakh acres from landlords all over India. But the birth of the voluntary land gift movement popularly known as Bhoodan began while Gandhian leader Vinoba Bhave was on a walking tour of Telangana. In Pochempelli village, landless peasants told him they needed 100 acres of land. Bhave asked the landlord Ramchandra Reddi to donate 100 acres and met with success.
“IT HITS YOU ON THE HEAD AND MAKES YOU THINK.”
Swiss-born architect Le Corbusier (left) goes over the design for Chandigarh in 1950, which Nehru asked him to construct as a new city “symbolic of the freedom of India, unfettered by traditions of the past... an expression of the nation’s faith in the future.” Later, he said, “It hits you on the head, and makes you think.”
ELSEWHERE...
Chinese Communists forced the Dalai Lama to surrender his army to Beijing.
Jack Kerouac (below)wrote On the Road on a 120-foot-long scroll.
J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, published.
Liaquat Ali Khan, prime minister of Pakistan, was shot dead.
Shah Ali Razmara of Iran was assassinated.
Jordan's King Abdullah Ibn Hussein was assassinated.
2 million tonnes was the amount of food grain India received to tackle the drought crisis.
200 the number of aircraft movements handled in a single day at Dum Dum airport in Calcutta.
1952: INDIA AT 60
THE FIRST COUNT
REWIND
There were 18,000 candidates for 4,500 seats, 497 of which were in the Lok Sabha, during the first general elections. One-hundred-and-seventy-six million Indians, 85 per cent of whom couldn’t read or write, formed the electorate. There were 2,24,000 polling booths and as many policemen pressed into service. Symbols were used on ballot papers for voters who couldn’t read. When the results came in, the Congress led by Jawaharlal Nehru had swept into power winning 364 of the 489 seats in Parliament.
VOTING FOR INDIA
Sukumar Sen
Appointed Chief Election Commissioner, the ICS officer had the unenviable task of conducting the first two general elections in independent India. He supervised voter registration, design of party symbols and recruitment of honest polling officers. Add to that an electorate spread over more than million square miles. The second election in 1957 cost India Rs 45 million less. Reason: The prudent Sen had safely stored the 3.5 million ballot boxes used the first time round.
DMK’S ICON
With a famous courtroom scene that lasted five minutes, Parashakti starring the legendary Sivaji Ganesan, had its dialogues crafted by future Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi. The film was also considered a DMK-vehicle as it dispersed the party’s ideals and made Ganesan a DMK icon.
FIRST CUT
India launched a family planning programme, the first in the world.
The first International Film Festival was inaugurated at Bombay.
The first radio telescope was installed at Calcutta.
The first general budget was presented in Parliament.
India won its first ever cricket Test match, defeating England in Madras.
OLYMPIAN FEATS
In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, India won a gold in hockey defeating Holland 6-1. Balbir Singh Sr. scored five of India’s six goals. Wrestler K.D. Jadhav won a bronze medal, the only time the country won more than one medal.
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU on Potti Sriramalu’s hunger strike for an Andhra state
“I’m unmoved by this and propose to ignore it completely”
The New Temples
Jawaharlal Nehru at the Tungabhadra dam, the largest in Karnataka. Situated north of Bangalore, it is spread over 400 sq km with 33 gates. On the Independence Day all 33 gates are opened.
ELSEWHERE...
The Diaries of Anne Frank was published in English.
Elizabeth was formally proclaimed Queen of England following the death of her father, King George VI.
A revolution in Egypt occurred after Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser overthrew the monarchy and ended 2,300 years of foreign domination.
3,89,816 phials of indelible ink were used in the first election.
76 ‘A’ certificates and 6,492 ‘U’ certificates were issued by the Central Board of Film Censors till October 31, 1952.
133 Vijay Manjrekar’s score in the first Test against England at Leeds.
1953: INDIA AT 60
STRAINS SHOW
PICTURE SPEAK
END OF MONARCHY: Jawaharlal Nehru with the Nizam of Hyderabad
REWIND
Nearly a year after Potti Sriramulu died while fasting for the creation of Andhra Pradesh, the state came into existence. The inauguration at the capital Kurnool was attended by C. Rajagopalachari and Jawaharlal Nehru—the two people who opposed the creation of the state in the first place. T. Prakasam became the first chief minister and Kurnool remained the capital until November 1, 1956 when it shifted to Hyderabad. It was the creation of this southern state that spurred the movement for the reorganisation of states.
“HOW I WISHED I HAD MADE IT...”
That’s what Raj Kapoor said on watching Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen, which won a special mention at Cannes and the Social Progress Award at Karlovy Vary. The deeply neo-realist film of a poor farmer during the Bengal famine had Balraj Sahni playing rickshaw-puller, who worked day and night to pay off a loan. Roy created unforgettable scenes in this film—a memorable one being that of a rickshaw race. While preparing for the role, Sahni pulled rickshaws barefoot through the streets of Calcutta for a fortnight.
FIRST CUT
Sangeet Natak Akademi was opened for the survey of and research into the different art forms of the country.
Archbishop Valerian Gracias of Bombay was made the first Indian cardinal.
Marathi film Shyamchi Aai (right) won the first best feature film award after the National Film Awards were instituted.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Vijayalakshmi Pandit became the first woman and first Asian to be elected President of the United Nations General Assembly.
“NEHRU BOWS BEFORE FORCE, BUT NOT BEFORE REASON.”
Shyama Prasad Mookerjee
Founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and one-time member of the Union Cabinet, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was a staunch supporter of the Praja Parishad, a party formed to support Jammu Hindus. He organised protest marches while trying to force Jawaharlal Nehru into coming to a solution for the Jammu-Kashmir issue on communal lines. He died in Srinagar jail on June 22 of a heart attack and his death sparked off anger in Delhi and Jammu. Nehru wrote to a friend in Madras that “we are having a great deal of trouble as a result of Dr Mookherjee’s death. The atmosphere in Delhi is bad. It is worse in Calcutta.” The popular movement led by him planted the seed of independence in Sheikh Abdullah’s mind, says historian Ramachandra Guha.
D.F. KARAKA Journalist on Jawaharlal Nehru
“He wants to be a Picasso hung up in the Royal Academy, looking upon classical forms with a supercilious air.”
£5 million was the amount World Bank offered for the Damodar Valley Corporation and steel projects.
Stars Trek in Venice
Actor Kirk Douglas and the Indian actor Mehtab rest at the Lido beach during the Venice Film Festival. Wife of director Sohrab Modi, Mehtab acted in Jhansi ki Rani, India’s first technicolour film, which released that year.
ELSEWHERE...
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, on the 1692 Salem witch trials, opened on Broadway.
Egypt was declared a republic, and monarchy abolished.
An armistice ended the three-year Korean War and was signed by representatives of the United Nations, Korea and China in Panmunjom.
Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norgay (above), a Nepalese sherpa. scaled Mount Everest, becoming the first climbers to reach the summit.
DID YOU KNOW
Eight airlines were merged to form Indian Airlines that inherited 99 aircraft. The airlines, along with Air India, was set up after the Air Corporation Act was passed.
1954: INDIA AT 60
UNLIKELY ALLIES
PICTURE SPEAK
MISPLACED FAITH: Jawaharlal Nehru with Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai (extreme left) and 14th Dalai Lama (third from left)
REWIND
During a June visit to India, Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai and Jawaharlal Nehru signed a treaty popularly known as Panchsheel that outlined Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. In October, the prime minister visited Beijing where he attended a banquet in his honour with Chairman Mao. On his return, Nehru addressed a mammoth public meeting in Calcutta where he affirmed: “The people of China do not want war.”
A RAJKUMAR IS BORN
Bedara Kanappa was the launchpad for Karnataka’s John Wayne and superstar Rajkumar. Directed by H.L.N. Simha, who gave the actor his present name, the film also saw the debut of G.V. Iyer, a leading Kannada filmmaker known for his Sanskrit films, who wrote the story for the film. A partly mythological melodrama folk tale based on the legend of hunter Kanappa, the film ran for 100 days.
FIRST CUT
Air Commodore P.C. Lal, group captain H. Moolgaonkar and wing commander Roshan Suri became the first Indians to break the supersonic speed barrier.
Air Marshal S. Mukherji became the first Indian chief of air staff.
The first high-rise in India—a 14-storeyed New Secretariat building in Calcutta came up.
DID YOU KNOW
13,000 housewives signed a petition claiming that films threatened the moral health of a country. The matter was then taken up by minister K.M. Munshi’s wife Lilavati Munshi in the Rajya Sabha.
LOTHAL DOCKED
Lothal dock, built during the Harappan civilisation, was discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India at the head of the Gulf of Cambay on Gujarat coast. A mound and a township was also found.
“STATISTICS IS THE KEY TO ANALYSIS”
P.C. Mahalanobis
Founder of the Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta, statistician and physicist Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis made the Planning Commission the “exclusive theatre where economic policy was formulated”, says Sunil Khilnani. The second Five Year Plan, with its devotion to industry, was his creation. The thought behind the Plan: “Unemployment is chronic because of the unavailability of capital goods. It occurs only when means of production become idle.”
ELSEWHERE...
Austria's worst avalanche killed 200. Nine hours later a second one killed 115.
Over 22,000 anti-Communist prisoners were turned over to the UN forces in Korea.
The US signed a mutual defence pact with Japan, offering them $100 million in aid within the next three months.
Egypt and Britain signed a pact on Suez Canal, as the latter agreed to withdraw its 80,000-man force within 20 months.
Wild Thing
(
Ramu, seven, known as Wolf Boy, gnaws on raw meat shortly after his discovery in Lucknow. He was apparently raised by wolves after disappearing six years earlier. He couldn’t speak but made animal noises instead.
(Thanks to India-Today for the clippings and the Fast Forward events in 1952 )
This period in all our lives was the formative one for our future. Many events took place like GR-Iyengar family shifting to Madras, Cheenu taking over as Manager of Ravichandran activities, my Elder Brother transferred to Trichy etc.
Notable events during the place was the marriage of my brother and my uncle Babi Mama took interest in our family and guiding through the tough period.
My Uncle moved to ThillaiNagar to his own house and Sampath’s Father posted at Karur as ACTO.
My Elder Uncle was very much attached to my mother and during this period he used to visit our house very often and help us by supplying provisions, vegetables etc.
My Grand Father helped us a lot during this period.
Supply Corporation of India-Cheenu’s breadwinner was closed down due to heavy loss and he moved over to employment in Sheshasayee Electric Company.
After my completion of Textile Course I joined as Fitter in Kothari Textiles Coimbatore.
I stayed at Singanallur agraharam at the backyard of an house. It was a very hard life. I have to be at the gate at 6.45. The shift would be over at 3.00 PM. As Fitter trainee my job was to assist in Ring Frame Erection and I learnt the mechanism of machines.
After 6- month stint I was selected by the Well-known Textile Magnate G.V. Doraiswamy for his mill at Singanallur. His Father-in-law Mr Krishnaswamy Naidu was the owner of the mill and he was elderly and very nice person.
He asked the office to send my salary which was Rs.75/- to be sent to family directly and paid my boarding and lodging expenses. I worked here for one year and thereafter moving to Cauvery Mills-Pudukottai as Spinning Supervisor on Rs.250- per month.
Events- 1945-54:
From 1954 to 56 I was working at Cauvery Mills and shared the running of our family at Trichy-thus reducing the strain of my mother.
The Manager and the Director liked my work so much they asked me to take my food at the guest house and charged me Rs.1/- per day only for breakfast, Lunch and Dinner thuse out of Rs.250/- PM salary I was able to spare Rs. 150-200 to my house.
I will not deal my official side in this blog since this is a social and cultural blog and a biography.
During this period my marriage was discussed. Efforts were made by my chithi and brainwashed my mother to marry my uncle’s daughter Mythili.
They searched varan for her for more than an year but was not successful because of her star.
Though we respected my uncle and family we never thought of this. My brothers and sister and Myself totally opposed this proposal for various reasons. We also went on hunger strike.
Finally I wrote a letter to my Uncle Babi Mama in which I explained the reasons and that letter put an end to the move.
Within 6-months she got married to a very good soft spoken man from Mannargudi-
R.Jagannathan.
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