1956 in India

Events in the year 1956

in the Republic of India.

Incumbents

 * President of India – Rajendra Prasad
 * Prime Minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru
 * Vice President of India – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
 * Chief Justice of India – Bijan Kumar Mukherjea (until 31 Jan.), Sudhi Ranjan Das (starting 1 Feb.)

Governors

 * Andhra Pradesh – Chandulal Madhavlal Trivedi
 * Assam – Jairamdas Daulatram (until 15 May), Saiyid Fazal Ali (starting 15 May)
 * Bihar – R. R. Diwakar (until 5 July), Zakir Hussain (starting 5 July)
 * Karnataka – Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (starting 1 November)
 * Kerala – Burgula Ramakrishna Rao (starting 22 November)
 * Madhya Pradesh – Pattabhi Sitaramayya
 * Maharashtra – Harekrushna Mahatab (until 14 October), Sri Prakasa (starting 10 December)
 * Odisha – P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja (until 11 September), Bhim Sen Sachar (starting 11 September)
 * Punjab – Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh
 * Rajasthan – Maharaj Man Singh II (until 31 October), Gurumukh Nihal Singh (starting 31 October)
 * Uttar Pradesh – Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi
 * West Bengal –
 * until 8 August: Harendra Coomar Mookerjee
 * 8 August-3 November: Phani Bhusan Chakravartti
 * starting 3 November: Padmaja Naidu

Events

 * National income - ₹133,139 million
 * 20 February - Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh (1956) signed.
 * 8 March – M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar handles the charge as Lok Sabha Speaker.
 * 20 March – Sardar Hukam Singh handles the charge as Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker.
 * 21 July – The 6.1 Anjar earthquake shook Gujarat with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing 115 and injuring 254.
 * 4 August - Asia's first Nuclear reactor, Apsara was built in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
 * 1 September – LIC of India formed
 * 14 October – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian Untouchable leader, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 followers. See Neo-Buddhism.
 * 17 December - Jawaharlal Nehru meets Dwight D. Eisenhower as part of his visit to United States.

Law

 * 1 November – The States Reorganisation Act of India reformed the boundaries and names of Indian states. (enacted on 31 August)

Arts and literature

 * 15 October – Kerala Sahithya Academy, Academy for Malayalam literature, is inaugurated by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the former king of Travancore.
 * List of Bollywood films of 1956

January to June

 * 1 February – Brahmanandam, comedian-actor.
 * 6 April – Dilip Vengsarkar, cricketer.
 * 4 May – Kunal Basu, novelist.
 * 6 May – Sujata Bhatt, poet.
 * 13 May – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual and humanitarian leader.
 * 31 May _ Manohara Rso Kodavoor.
 * 2 June – Mani Ratnam, film director.

July to December

 * 19 July – Rajendra Prasad, actor.
 * 29 July – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author and poet.
 * 17 August – Anil Aggrawal, professor of forensic medicine.
 * 21 September - Prabuddah Dasgupta, photographer.
 * 19 October – Sunny Deol, actor.
 * 25 November – Kristappa Nimmala, politician and member of parliament from Hindupur.
 * 24 December – Anil Kapoor, actor and producer.
 * 25 December – Prabhu, actor.

Deaths

 * 6 December – B. R. Ambedkar, nationalist, jurist, Dalit political leader and a Buddhist revivalist (born 1891).