1956 in India

← 1955 1954 1953 1956 in India → 1957 1958 1959
Millennia:	1st 2nd 3rd
Centuries:	18th 19th 20th 21st
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in India Timeline of Indian history

Events in the year 1956 in the Republic of India.

Incumbents

• President of India – Rajendra Prasad
• Prime Minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru

Events

• 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.
• 14 October – Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Indian Untouchable leader, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 followers. See Neo-Buddhism.
• 1 November – The States Reorganisation Act of India reformed the boundaries and names of Indian states.

Exact date unknown

• Gentlemen's agreement of Andhra Pradesh (1956) signed

Arts and literature

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

Births

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

July to December

• 14 July – Tanikella Bharani, playwright, script writer and actor.
• 19 July – Rajendra Prasad, actor.
• 17 August – Anil Aggrawal, professor of forensic medicine.
• 19 October – Sunny Deol, actor.

Full date unknown

• Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author and poet.

Deaths

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

See also

• Bollywood films of 1956