2013 - The year it was

It started with proving the Mayan’s prophecy (of the world ending in 2012) absolutely wrong. If it had been true, then I would have spent, most of my conscious life, either studying or watching movies. (Can’t decide what I must have done more!)

I can’t possibly compare how much I have evolved in 2013 in comparison with the past year- not just because I bagged 2 internships, though that is something I am really proud of, and it has helped me grow a lot, undoubtedly. But also because I could see life with a clearer view. It made me realize that there exists no such thing as “happily ever after”. Right after school ended, all of us – the whole gang, exchanged promises to meet up, call up and basically stay in touch. But over time a lot of us drifted apart. The relations soured, day by day – jealousy, insecurity, all of that. Sometimes we just couldn’t talk. We had come a long, long way. I hate to admit but it was true – we had nothing left in common, anymore. We both were on the phone, but there was an awkward silence. The same silence seemed comforting when we were in school.  We could discuss right about anything under the sun, then. But now, we had nothing left to say.  You know, many people blame things on “time”- how it changes, blah, blah, blah. But in reality, time doesn’t change at all, it’s just us. People change. Mainly because of the choices they make.

2013 was a year of sequels and ‘threequels’ – Dhoom 3, Krrish 3, Murder 3, Race 2, Aashiqui 2, OUATIM 2, YPD 2, Grand Masti and so on.Some unconventional movies which worked well were Ship of Theseus, Lunchbox, and Table No. 21.  The popular ones were Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and YJHD. We also saw Yo Yo Honey Singh gyrating to “Lungi Dance” and “Blue eyes”, and Ranbir showing off his chest hair a la Anil Kapoor style. With SRK’s surrogate son AbRam to Kat’s leaked bikini pictures, Bollywood definite;ly had its own share of wackiness. We also witnessed Sachin’s retirement, finally!

We read about the infamous Pedder Road RIL- owned Aston Martin accident, with Ambani junior being alleged as the driver ramming into a couple of other cars. We mourned the deaths of Manna Dey, Nelson Mandela, Pran and Paul Walker. We bore testimony to “Selfie” being declared as the Oxford Dictionary’s ‘Word the Year’.

As the year draws to a close, we have a look at the top newsmakers of 2013:

  

5. Jiah Khan 

Her suicide letter came as a shock for everyone. With a dream debut opposite Big B in Nishabd, she later went on to work with Aamir in Ghajini, and Akshay in her last movie- Housefull. What was earlier touted as ‘impulsive suicide’ over a spat between Suraj Pancholi and Jiah, turned muddy with evidence later pointing out to her death being a murder case.

4. FYUP

DU - professors and students alike, opposed the dictatorial move by the VC to bring in the Four Year Undergraduate Programme in both a hushed and rushed manner.  They lament that they have no time left for self-study. It is encouraging rote-learning. Most of them want a roll back to the old Annual System. The feedback had comments ranging from “FYUP is a code for Four Year Under Pressure program” to “Humei kya mila FYUP se? Babaji ka thullu.”

3. Sheila Dikshit

Sheila’s triple winning streak ultimately came to an end with 2013’s Delhi elections. This was my first-ever-vote and I felt really proud to have made a difference. Brimming with enthusiasm and jumping with joy on finally being able to vote, I smiled smugly at my dad and bragged “I’m going to research about the candidates and then only cast my vote. We are the next gen voters.” Meanwhile, even when Sheila resigned, she didn’t fail to amuse us with her humor – When asked why she failed to foresee the mood of the voters of Delhi, she replied “ Bevkoof h na!” http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x185yol_bewakoof-hai-na-says-upset-sheila-dikshit-after-losing-delhi_news She has to her credit other statements like : “My own daughter feels unsafe in Delhi.”, “One should not be adventurous being a woman.”

 2. Homosexuality – Sec 377

Karan Johar’s brave attempt to make Bombay Talkies – the story of a homosexual man trying to find love, was soon eclipsed by the Supreme Court judgement recriminalizing homosexuality, both incidents happening in 2013. What was even more surprising was that people welcomed the judgement saying homosexuality is against our culture. They clearly don’t know what they’re talking about. India – the land of Kama Sutra, has witnessed homosexuals even in the era of kings. References can be found in Manu Smriti, the cave paintings, Mahabharat and so on. http://www.littleindia.com/life/1835-homosexuality-and-the-indian.html

http://devdutt.com/blog/did-homosexuality-exist-in-ancient-india.html

For the homophobic people, Imran Khan has found a solution. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/how-to-ungay-a-person-imran-khan-stars-in-aibs-satirical-video/441659-8-66.html

 

1. Arvind Kejriwal

Topping the charts is none other than the new Delhi CM, our very own Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. He has really turned around the way Indian politics is looked at.  From an IIT Kharagpur graduate, to Joint Commissioner of the IRS, he surely has come a long way. His efforts to bring in the RTI Act made him the deserving recipient of the Magsaysay award. He launched the Aam Aadmi Party and defeated Ms. Dikshit by a margin of around 26,000 votes. People may badmouth him, but even BJP and Congress can’t deny his spectacular debut victory.    

BJP and Congress, both are no moral saints. And neither is Mr. Kejriwal. But he’s the best we’ve got. There’s a 0.5 probability that his funding is dubious, and there’s a 0.5 probability that it isn’t. Even if his foreign funding is questionable, it’s just 20 crores. Much lesser than BJP’s and Congress’ funding that extends to some lakhs of crores. He may let us down, or may not. Both BJP and Congress have had enough chances. It’s time to give the new guy a chance. 

So for now, Mr. Kejriwal is here. And he's here to stay.