Seventy years since India became independent, there are million of ways in which it has transformed.
From a film ticket for 25 paise in 1947, which still managed to push a relatively new Dilip Kumar’s movie collection to 50 lakh rupees then, we’ve come a long way. We are happy to pay Rs 250 for a Salman Khan film which takes less than a month to join the coveted 300 crore club.
Here’s the story of how India has changed through the years.
Value of Rupee v/s Dollar
Famously, and allegedly erroneously, a lot of ‘facts’ maintain that the Indian Rupee equalled an American dollar at the time of Indian independence. But there’s more to the story. Till 1966, Indian rupee was pegged to the British Pound. After 1966, it was pegged to the US Dollar, with a devaluation. A Pound was equal to 13.33 Indian Rupees, and its exchange rate in US Dollars was $4.03. Effectively, the Dollar–Rupee exchange rate would be somewhere around Rs 4.
A Movie Ticket, Then and Now
Box Office Collections
Old Was Gold, Indeed
How India Took to the Skies
Four Wheels of Change
Time, and Turning Pages
On the Right Track
For a Lux-urious Bath
India, as a developing nation, is forever in flux; a functional example of how change remains the only constant.
What changes have you seen? Join the conversation in the comments below with #IAmIndia.
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