1974 in India

Events in the year 1974 in the Republic of India.

Incumbents

3 January - A protest against 20% canteen fee hike in Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering, Ahmedabad turns into clashes with Police and later transformed to Navnirman Andolan.
5 January – Worli riots occurred in the chawl in the Worli neighborhood of Mumbai. The tensions prevailed till April.
January – May smallpox epidemic in East India.
19 February - Drillship Sagar Samrat struck oil at Bombay High, 160 km off the shore.
16 March – Navnirman Andolan a socio-political movement started in 1973 December in Gujarat by students and middle-class against economic crisis and corruption in public life. The movement ended with the dissolution of the elected government of Chimanbhai Patel.
18 March – Bihar Movement started as a movement by students in Bihar led by the veteran Gandhian socialist Jayaprakash Narayan, against misrule and corruption in the Government of Bihar.
25 March – Gaura Devi and 27 women confronted loggers in Chamoli district in connection with Chipko movement.
28 March - Minister of Food and Agriculture Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed announced that Government of India has decided to scrap take over of wholesale wheat distribution.

8 May – A railway strike started by 1.7 million workers of Indian Railways. The strike lasted for 20 days till 27 May 1974 and was the largest recorded industrial action in the world.
18 May – Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon in the Thar Desert, and becomes the sixth nation to do so.
28 June - Sirima–Gandhi Pact signed to solve the statelessness of Sri Lankan Tamils.
5 July - Colaba area of Bombay registers intense rainfall of 57.5 cms in 24 hours.
11–17 November - 1974 Indian Open held at Bombay.

1 January – Abha Dawesar, novelist.
9 January – Farhan Akhtar, actor.
7 January – Varun Badola, actor.
10 January – Hrithik Roshan, actor.
25 February – Divya Bharti, actress.
28 February – Sunil (actor), actor and comedian.
8 March – Fardeen Khan, actor.
14 March Rohit Shetty, film director.
22 April – Chetan Bhagat, novelist.
23 April – Shwetha Menon, actor.
20 May – Shiboprosad Mukherjee, film director, writer and actor.
28 May – Mayur Puri, screenwriter, lyricist, actor, filmmaker.
30 May Mohan Raja, film director.
7 June – Mahesh Bhupathi, tennis player.
22 June – Joseph Vijay, actor and playback singer.
22 June Devayani, actress.
25 June – Karisma Kapoor, actress.
15 July – Neikezhakuo Kengurüse, kargil hero..
5 August – Kajol, actress.
9 September – Vikram Batra, Indian Army-KARGIL HERO..
25 September AR Murugadoss, film director.
4 October- Subeer Sakssena- IT leader
23 October – Aravind Adiga, journalist and author, 2008 Man Booker Prize winner.
1 November – V. V. S. Laxman, cricketer.
9 November – Manav Gohil, television actor
19 December – MVP, Writer & Author.
21 December – Sanjiv Chaturvedi, Indian Forest Service officer.
25 December Nagma, actress and politician.

2 January – Prabhas Chandra Lahiri, revolutionary, politician and writer.
4 February – Satyendra Nath Bose, physicist.
11 February – Ghantasala, Telugu Play Back Singer.
23 September – Jayachamaraja Wodeyar Bahadur, last Maharaja of Mysore, philosopher, musicologist, political thinker and philanthropist.
6 October – V. K. Krishna Menon, nationalist and politician.
16 October – Chembai, Carnatic music singer.
16 October – Edasseri Govindan Nair, poet, playwright and essayist.
J. P. Chandrababu, comedian-actor, singer and dancer.
Kshetresa Chandra Chattopadhyaya, scholar of Sanskrit.
Sucheta Kriplani, freedom fighter, politician and in Uttar Pradesh, became first woman to be elected Chief Minister of a state.
Matthew Pothen Thekaekara, scientist.