National Emergency
By 1974, there was corruption everywhere in the country. Those belonging to government service were earning huge amounts of money by unfair means. Common people were suffering. Jayaprakash Narayan voiced his displeasure and opposition to this sort of corruption which had entered the body politic. He appealed to the young people to fight against this. This was too much to be swallowed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She declared National Emergency in the country in 1975.
During the Emergency days Nabababu, Malati Devi and other leaders were imprisoned. Nabababu was sent to Baripada Jail and Malati Devi to Cuttack Jail. Nabababu became sick in Baripada Jail. He was not able to tolerate the solitary confinement. He developed partial paralysis. At his age, this was too much for him. Even then, he was enquiring about the people and their condition. His family members were very much disturbed and asked him to keep out of politics. He told them by a meaningful smile, “ People are my life.” When he was slightly better, he was released on parole. The doctors put some restrictions on his movements. Malati Devi was also released from Cuttack Jail. Both of them came to Angul.
All over the country there was expression of resistance to Emergency. This was a sub-surface activity.
Nabababu’s life was a living example of breaking meaningless and superstitious rituals and conventions. His actions in these areas did not exclude his family circles. He had lifelong interest in children and the youth.
Read more about this topic: Nabakrushna Choudhuri
Famous quotes containing the words national and/or emergency:
“It is to be lamented that the principle of national has had very little nourishment in our country, and, instead, has given place to sectional or state partialities. What more promising method for remedying this defect than by uniting American women of every state and every section in a common effort for our whole country.”
—Catherine E. Beecher (1800–1878)
“War-making is one of the few activities that people are not supposed to view “realistically”; that is, with an eye to expense and practical outcome. In all-out war, expenditure is all-out, unprudent—war being defined as an emergency in which no sacrifice is excessive.”
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)