As yet another year comes to a close, Aparna Sundaresan takes a look back at the people and their doings that will put 2013 in the history books
10. POPE BENEDICT XVI
The last Pope to have resigned from the post did so in good old 1415, so when Pope Benedict resignedin February this year, it was a bit of a surprise. Popes usually serve in this capacity until death, but Pope Benedict felt compelled to leave the papacy owing to health issues. He stepped down gracefully and was succeeded by Pope Francis.
9. LALU PRASAD YADAV
Former Bihar Chief Minister was finally convicted in March in the Fodder Scam case that has been running since 1996. About time, considering Yadav and his cronies looted the country of Rs. 940 crore! Is this the first step the Supreme Court has taken in eradicating the menace of corruption in India? We hope so.
8. NARENDRA MODI
All questions of “Will he? Won’t he?” were put to rest in September when Narendra Modi was announced as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections. If one were to look at the UPA’s track record in the last eight years and the prevalent dissatisfaction in the country right now, no fortune teller is necessary to predict that Modi will be the next Prime Minister.
7. OSCAR PISTORIUS
The first sports scandal of the year broke with news of Oscar ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorius killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in February. The world followed the developments in stunned silence, hardly daring to believe that an inspiration and role model like Pistorius could have done something so diabolical.
6. THE BOSTON BOMBER
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, still only 19 years old in April, bombed the Boston Marathon along with his older brother Tamerlan, and gave terrorism a whole new face. Two educated, young men engaging in such nefariousness was incomprehensible. Tamerlan was killed in a police encounter, while Dzhokhar surrendered. A leading international magazine later put Dzhokhar on the cover of its August issue and courted much controversy.
5. EDWARD SNOWDEN
One fine day in May 2013, the world awoke to the news that the US and British governments were spying on everyone through the American intelligence outfit NSA. Snowden, an NSA employee, blew the lid off this massive surveillance programme through British newspaper The Guardian. The price for telling the truth? Being a wanted man in the US and having to live in Russia as a political refugee.
4. THE SCIENTISTS WHO LAUNCHED INDIA’S MARS ORBITER
The Mars Orbiter Mission, launched in November, gave us Indians something to be happy and proud of. Finally an ISRO space programme on par with NASA’s! And that the first phase of the mission has been successful has given us extra puffy chests. The scientists behind this project deserve to be known, so here’s an attempt to make them just as famous as the orbiter: the Mission Director is P. Kunhikrishnan, Programme Director is Mylswamy Annadurai and Project Director is S. Arunan.
3. MILEY CYRUS
VMAs. Bears. Skincoloured. Tongue. Scandalous. Weird. Disturbing. Tongue. Twerking. Suggestive. Inappropriate. Tongue. Follow up music video. Wrecking ball. Naked. Tongue. Yes, Miley Cyrus, we get that you’re an adult now, because nothing says ‘adult’ more than spraining your tongue.
2. BASHAR AL-ASSAD
Syria has been suffering a bloody civil war since 2011 for a change of regime – the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad (who remains adamantly in power) and whose family has been ruling over Syria since 1971. The death toll reached a sickening 100,000 in June which then touched 120,000 in September. Further, 281 people died in a gruesome chemical attack outside Damascus in August, for which neither side – the government nor the rebels – are willing to take responsibility. War continues to rage on with neither side realising that there are no victors or losers in disputes of violence.
1. SACHIN TENDULKAR
In November, India had to come to terms with the fact that even gods retire. As Sachin Tendulkar wore his number 10 jersey for the last time, the entire country prepared itself for an emotional goodbye. And emotional it was. In a rare display of garrulity, Tendulkar gave a long farewell speech, thanking numerous people in his life. The following day, the Government of India named Tendulkar as the next Bharat Ratna awardee. He bowed out with class, dignity and poise. Very much god-like.
Volume 3 Issue 6
