Vol. 1999No. 021The nineties edition
The India you were born into
Thursday21 January1999
The texture of 21 January 1999 sits in books and publishing; the surrounding year was shaped by the fact that the Kargil conflict and a national election dominated India's final year of the millennium.
Change dateThe Front Page
India’s economy opens further
Reform and global integration reshape the country
India was living through an era of economic liberalisation, new markets and fast-changing public life.
Renowned playwright Girish Karnad is selected for 1998 Jnanpith Award.
Renowned playwright Girish Karnad is selected for 1998 Jnanpith Award.
India in Numbers
A snapshot of India when you were born.
In january 1999, a litre of petrol cost Loading… and a local phone call cost Loading….
Interpolated placeholder between benchmark years; replace with annual UN WPP estimate before publication. Not a census count. Source: current India population working dataset.
Prices from the month you were born, listed the way the kirana shop would have written them.
- The Hindu archive
- National archival records
- Press and public memory
04 · Sport
India on the field in 1999
Moment of the year · Cricket
India competes at the 1999 Cricket World Cup
India reached the Super Six stage.
199905 · Cinema & music
What India was watching and humming
The film everyone queued for that month, and the song that played from every cassette player that year.
HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM
Year 1999
Film of the year · 1999
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Also in theatresHum Saath-Saath Hain · Biwi No.1 · Taal · Sarfarosh · Vaastav · Baadshah
Song of the year · 1999
"Taal Se Taal Mila"
Also on the radio"Nahin Saamne" · "Chaiyya Chaiyya" · "Humko Humise Chura Lo"
$ cat science-and-technology-1999
Internet, mobile phones and the software boom
What science and technology looked like in India in 1999.
National Telecom Policy 1999
The policy created a framework aimed at expanding telecommunications and industry participation.
Technology moves closer to daily life
Computing, communication and consumer electronics were gradually moving from specialist institutions toward ordinary homes, offices and public life.
Faces of 1999
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Took the Delhi-Lahore bus for peace talks, led India through the Kargil War victory, and won the general election.
Captain Vikram Batra
Posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra for heroism during the Kargil War ('Yeh Dil Maange More!').
General V. P. Malik
Chief of Army Staff who commanded the Indian Army during Operation Vijay in Kargil.
Anil Kumble
Took all 10 wickets in a single Test innings against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.
Sourav Ganguly
Shared a record 318-run ODI partnership with Rahul Dravid against Sri Lanka during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
N. R. Narayana Murthy
Led Infosys to become the first Indian-registered company listed on NASDAQ.
09 · BEYOND INDIA
Beyond India
Before the internet put the world in our pockets, news from abroad arrived through telegrams, radios, television sets and eventually phones.
Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic join NATO
12 MAR
Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic formally join NATO in the alliance's first post-Cold War enlargement.
1999, circled in red
The year India turned 52.