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
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.
