In his Republic Day message to the nation, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed appealed to all people to observe self discipline. He the national scene over the past year and listed the important gains of the Emergency. He concluded his speech with the appeal for the practice of what Acharya Vinoba Bhave calls “atmanushasan” (self-imposed discipline) and said, “Once all parties accept this need for self-discipline and the obligations which are essential for the smooth working of our democratic system, the country, I am sure, will enter a new era of all round progress”. Ahmed said the most significant gains of the Emergency were in the economic front and in the vital sphere of national discipline at all levels. No less important was the atmosphere of peace and orderliness in universities and colleges. The general level of prices had come down, steps were being taken to implement land reforms and the industry was poised for higher growth in production and exports.
Padma Awards
K. Kamaraj was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna. Among those honoured with Padma Vibhushan were film director Satyajit Ray, cartoonist Shankar and ornithologist Salim Ali. Padma Bhushan recipients included Hindustani musician Mallikarjun Mansoor, Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, economist Malcolm Adiseshiah, space scientists U.R. Rao and Yashpal, and physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan. Writer A.K. Ramanujan, Ustad Fayyaz Khan, Carnatic singer Madurai Somu and Shyam Benegal were among those awarded Padma Shri.
Captain’s Knock
Sunil Gavaskar, captaining India for the first time, and debutant Surinder Amarnath scored centuries in the first cricket Test against New Zealand at Auckland as India finished the opening day at 279 for the loss of six wickets.
