2013: a quick review

Following is the list of significant events (in my opinion) that happened in the year 2013. These events have made me happy, sad, angry, surprised, pleased and amused throughout the year. So I have decided to build up this list.  Already I am a bit late in winding up the last year. However, the order is not the order of significance; it is the order in which I remember the events.

1.      I would like to keep the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or Mangalyaan, as popularly known, at the top. Although I have no idea about spaceships and rocket science, but I was really feeling happy and proud during the launch of the spacecraft last November. We have made a mark in the world arena through this mission. I would like to thank all the individuals involved in this mission.

2.       The retirement of Sachin Tendulkar has been sad for me.  After serving the country for 24 long years, the God of Cricket rested his equipments. Although 40 years old and not in his best form, but I thought that Sachin would quit after the South Africa tour in December. However, this was his decision and I would like to wish him all the very best for his future endeavors.

3.       The natural calamity at Uttarakhand has been the worst of its kind in 2013. Many people died- most of them were devotees, many people got homeless and lots of properties were destroyed. Although we cannot fight against the whims of Mother Nature, but the loss could have been reduced, if the Uttarakhand state government would have listened to the forecasts of the Meteorological department and postpone the religious visits to Kedarnath. I was very sad and angry at the same time.

4.       The deaths of Manna De, Pran, Farooque Shaikh and Rituparno Ghosh have rendered a great vacuum in the cultural domain of India. Especially the untimely demise of Rituparno Ghosh is irreperable for Indian cinema in general and Bengali cinema in particular.

5.       Eleanor Catton received the Man Booker prize in 2013 for her second novel The Luminaries. This is significant for two reasons: One, she is the youngest recipient (28 years) of the prestigious award and second, the book is the longest so far (832 pages) to win the Man Booker. I am waiting to get hold of the book soon.  

6.       The meteoric rise of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) has surprised me, maybe all of us. The emergence of Mr. Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi is the most unexpected of all the events of 2013. The national political scenario of our country has suddenly got very interesting and it would be a treat to watch what happens next.

7.        In spite of many efforts, crime and violence against women have not reduced. In 2013, numerous cases of violence, rape and molestation have been reported throughout the country, the accused ranging from Self-proclaimed Godman to renowned journalists. This is a major concern for all of us. The image of our country is getting tarnished worldwide and something must be done to stop crime against women.

8.       The Bengali film industry has produced some excellent films in 2013. Among them, Meghe Dhaka Tara, Shobdo, Chander Pahar and Apur Panchali deserve special mention. Overall, this has been a very pleasing year for film lovers like me.

9.        The fights between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi have been amusing throughout the year. Almost every day, they have occupied the front page of the newspapers. The speeches they make against each other is thoroughly entertaining. However, it is unfortunate that one of them will probably be the PM of our country in 2014.

10.   The IPL-6 corruption is a shame for all of us. We should be ashamed that in spite of everything, N. Srinivasan is still the president of BCCI. In India, the more corrupt you are, the more invincible you become. The list of corrupted leaders gets longer each year, but nothing is done against them. This is one disease which will be in my list each year, no matter how hard I try not to write about it.