1997: Key Events

• The former film star and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalitha, is arrested on corruption charges.

• The liberalisation drive now includes consumer goods. Bill Gates visits India, as does Greek musician Yanni who performs outside the Taj Mahal.

• The BJP and Bahujan Samaj Party announce a coalition government in U.P. with a plan of rotating the Chief Ministership every six months, but this coalition comes to grief in the first six months.

• India joins the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of the World Trade Organisation, paving the way for a phased reduction in import tariffs on IT products.

• Caste violence sweeps through many parts of North and South India, as 10 Dalits are killed by the pro-landlord Ranvir Sena in Bihar, and violence escalates between Dalit and Thevar communities in Tamil Nadu.

• Gulshan Kumar, owner of the T-Series label and pioneer of the audio-cassette revolution of the 1990s, is assassinated. Leading Hindi composer Nadeem is accused of the murder, and also accused of acting in collusion with a Dubai-based mafia. Continuing accusations of the ‘criminalisation’ of the Hindi film industry lead to its being declared an ‘industry’ the following year.

• Doordarshan drops its plans to introduce a STAR-TV-led project of Direct-to- Home satellite TV.

• Amitabh Bachchan returns to film with the commercial disaster Mrityudaata.