1938 in India

Events in the year 1938 in India. Indian independence – Government of India Act gives Indians a role in governing their provinces.

Incumbents

 * Emperor of India – George VI
 * Viceroy of India – Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow

Events

 * National income - ₹29,799 million
 * Minor engagements on the North West Frontier throughout the year.

Law

 * December – Announcement that the Ottawa trade agreement would not be continued after 31 March 1939.
 * Good Conduct Prisoners' Probational Release Act
 * Insurance Act
 * Manoeuvres, Field Firing and Artillery Practice Act
 * Cutchi Memons Act

Births

 * 7 January – B. Saroja Devi, actress
 * 13 January
 * Shivkumar Sharma, musician. (died 2022)
 * Nabaneeta Dev Sen, novelist, children's author and poet (died 2019)
 * 10 March – Ijaz Butt, Pakistani cricketer (died 2023)
 * 18 March – Shashi Kapoor, Bollywood actor. (died 2017)
 * 31 March – Sheila Dikshit, politician and Chief Minister of Delhi (died 2019)
 * 9 April – Ahmad Kamal, Pakistani diplomat (died 2023)
 * 23 April – S. Janaki, playback singer.
 * 5 May – Chandrama Santha, politician (died 2021)
 * 19 May – Girish Karnad, writer, playwright, actor and director. (died 2019)
 * 10 June – Rahul Bajaj, businessman (died 2022)
 * 12 June – Yesudasan, political cartoonist (died 2021)
 * 1 July
 * Hariprasad Chaurasia, classical flutist
 * Durai Murugan, lawyer and politician
 * 9 July – Sanjeev Kumar, actor (died 1985).
 * 13 July – Thomas Savundaranayagam, Sri Lanka Tamil priest, former Roman Catholic Bishop of Jaffna
 * 15 July – Pilot Baba, Indian Air Force fighter pilot, later guru
 * 18 July – R. K. Krishna Kumar, business executive (died 2023).
 * 19 July
 * Dom Moraes, poet, writer and columnist (died 2004)
 * Jayant Narlikar, astrophysicist
 * 25 July – Sudhir Kakar, psychoanalyst and writer. (died 2024)
 * 8 September – Poornachandra Tejaswi, writer and novelist (died 2007)
 * 24 September – Piloo Reporter, cricket umpire (died 2023)
 * 17 November – Shamim Hanafi, Urdu scholar (died 2021)
 * 11 December – T. S. R. Subramanian, politician (died 2018)

Full date unknown

 * Shashi Deshpande, novelist.
 * Manohar Singh, theatre director and actor. (died 2002)

Deaths

 * 16 January – Sharat Chandra Chatterji, novelist (born 1876).
 * 21 April - Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Poet, politician (born1877)
 * 14 November – Mahatma Hansraj, educationist, Arya Samaj leader (born 1864)