On the 50th anniversary of Emergency, here’s a look at songs & verses that capture the spirit of the darkest era in Indian history

What do you do when you can’t speak freely? If you’re a poet, you speak in riddles. If you’re a singer, you let your voice carry things you dare not say aloud. And, if you’re living through one of the most politically stifling periods in Indian history — the Emergency (1975–77) — then art becomes more than just entertainment. It becomes resistance.

Between midnight arrests and newspaper blackouts, music quietly held its ground. It hummed in the background like an anxious heartbeat. It couldn’t shout — but it could still speak. Let’s rewind the tape and listen closely.

The poet who whispered loud

There’s something about Gulzar’s writing that feels like looking at a foggy mirror — you know there’s something behind it, but you need to lean in to really see. That’s exactly what made his work so quietly defiant during the Emergency.

Take the film Aandhi (1975). On the surface, it was a love story. But scratch just beneath and you’d find echoes of then–Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the character of Aarti Devi. The film was banned mid-run — officially for being ‘too political’.

Voice they failed to silence

Now picture this: the country is tense, radios are tightly regulated and someone suggests Kishore Kumar perform at a government rally. He says no. Just… no.

That one-word rebellion had consequences. Kishore’s songs were blacklisted on All-India Radio and Doordarshan for months. But let’s be honest — did it actually stop people from humming his tunes?

He didn’t sing protest anthems. He didn’t have to. Listen to Zindagi ka safar… or Kuch to log kahenge… his voice carried something more potent than slogans: it carried emotional truth. He sounded like how people felt. Confused. Restless. Longing for something they couldn’t name. And that emotional honesty was, in a strange way, more dangerous than any fiery speech.

A slogan reborn

Fast-forward to 2024, the film Emergency, centred on Indira Gandhi’s decision to impose the Emergency, resurrected the powerful and iconic slogan “Singhasan khali karo, ke Janata aati hai!” (Vacate the throne — the people are coming!). Originally penned by poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar in his poem Janatantra Ka Janm, during the early years of India’s democracy, this line became a rallying cry against authoritarianism, famously invoked by leader Jayaprakash Narayan during his call for a total revolution against the Emergency regime.

The film’s title song doesn’t just pay homage to this historic defiance — with pounding drums, sharp lyrics and a theatrical fervour, it reignites that spirit of resistance for a generation that didn’t live through those turbulent times but still feels their enduring echoes.

Why it still hits home

So, why does this matter to young listeners today?

Because history doesn’t just live in textbooks. It lives in what we hum under our breath. It lives in Gulzar’s metaphors, in Kishore’s tremble, in the theatrical rage of Singhasan khali karo. These aren’t just songs — they’re time capsules. They remember when people were afraid to speak — and found a way anyway.

So, next time a Gulzar line gives you goosebumps or a Kishore tune makes your throat tighten a little, pause. Ask yourself — what were they really saying?

Because sometimes, the loudest truths are the ones whispered in tune.