AZ India

F E E L A T H O M E www.azindiatimes.com PAGE - 26 Jan 2019 1-844-AZINDIA The Year That Was! By Sneha Ranebennur ranebennursneha@gmail.com The year 2018 in India had been an extraordinary year in many ways. There have been a series of democratic changes involving gender equality and gay rights which were welcomed albeit with a little legal backing. With the InSight landing on Mars it was high time the changes were allowed. Some landmark judgements of top courts have abolished Triple Talaq, decriminalized LGBTQ+ community, gave equal right to daughters to inherit shares from ancestral property, and de- clared the bar on women to enter Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala unconstitution- al. It is not just India, there have been even more gripping occurrences outside her border that caught the world’s fancy. Here is a list of some of the extraordinary events that the world will relate the year 2018 with: 01. Thai Cave Rescue: It all be- gan when 12 boys, aged between 11 to 16, and their 25-year-old coach were exploring the Tham Luang caves on 23 June when they be- came trapped. After a horrendous seventeen days travail and a mas- sive international rescue effort in- cluding two expert cave divers who fought against the challenging ele- ments and were finally successful in rescuing the thirteen unscathed. 02. Blue Whale Suicide game: Many believe the Blue Whale Challenge might be an urban legend which gained attention on social media recently incit- ing hundreds of teens and tweens to commit suicide. The 50-day challenge has many tasks including acts of self harm like cutting themselves in shape of a whale and finally in order to “win” the challenge is to die by suicide. To prevent chil- dren from this self-destructive game, extreme vigilance from parents, monitoring online activities and mental health awareness are the prime requisites. 03. Kiki Challenge: Another challenge that landed scores of people in serious trouble was the Kiki Challenge which involved jumping out of the car and break into a jig. It all began when in- ternet comedian Shiggy posted a video of him dancing on the streets to the lyrics of a Drake track, “ Kiki, do you love me? ” With several insta-celebrities posting their videos, it had an instantaneous effect on the younger generation jumping on the bandwagon. But eventually landing themselves in a hospital bed or behind bars. With warnings and warrants galore, the craze finally seems to die down. 04. Royal Wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married on May 19, 2018. Meghan, a divorced American and a Catholic woman of color to boot, has been unhesitatingly welcomed into the royal family. The people of England are overjoyed with another new information they’ve received, and the Americans surely are as well, and it is about Meghan’s pregnancy. The newest royal family member is expected to arrive this spring. 05. Uber Accident: Uber had to pull all self-driving car testing in March, after one of the company's autonomous vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. After conducting a "top-to-bottom" audit of its safety policies, Uber is resuming road tests in Pittsburgh, and manual testing, with a human driver directing the vehicle, in San Francisco and Toronto. 06. Priya Varrier Wink Vs. Rahul Gandhi Wink: One of the biggest internet sensation the country witnessed in 2018 was the 19 yo Priya Prakash Varrier flooring the nation by her wink making her a celebrity instantly. But this did not end there, because the world saw another jestful celebrity wink by none other than our RaGa which happened immediately following his another unexpected ‘ Munnabhai MBBS’Jhappi ’ moment with none other than the Indian PM. It’s still debatable which was the better wink. 07. Prime Minister Imran Khan: The 66 year old, charismatic former crick- eter, Imran Khan , who formed his political party PTI two decades ago, became the PM of Pakistan after winning in all the five constituencies in the Pakistani general elections held in July this year. It is now for the world to see how Imran Khan who has inherited a country with a mounting economic crisis can fulfil his vow to create a " new Pakistan ". 08. Marriage Plans Down the Drain: On 2 October, Jamal Khashoggi , a well-known journalist and critic of the Saudi government, walked into the coun- try's consulate in Istanbul, got murdered, his body dismembered, allegedly dis- solved in acid and washed down the drain. The kingdom has said Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate on October 2 in a " rogue operation " led by the then deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani, both of whom have been sacked. 09. Adieu Stephen Hawk- ing: Stephen Hawking , the brightest star in the firmament of science, whose insights shaped modern cosmology and inspired global audiences in the millions, died at the age of 76 in the early hours of March 14 . Diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 21, he was expected to live for only two more years. But he survived for more than half a century and went on to make significant contribu- tions to the fields of cosmology, general relativity and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. The writer of his runaway bestseller “ A Brief His- tory of Time ” Hawking has come to be thought of as one of the greatest minds in physics since Albert Einstein . 10. Trump and 'Kim'possible Peace Treaty: On 12 June 2018, the first-ever summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trum p and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un was held at Singapore where they signed a joint statement, agreeing to security guarantees for North Korea, new peaceful relations, the denucleari- zation of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains, and follow-up ne- gotiations between high-level officials. 11. The Last Supper Skipped: When Anthony Bourdain, the star of “ Parts Unknown ” didn’t come down from his room at Le Chambard, a five-star hotel for a rustic French dinner or the breakfast next day, it was a sign something was very wrong. When a receptionist unlocked his ho- tel room door, inside they found, the 61-year-old TV host and top chef had used the belt of his hotel bathrobe to hang himself in his bathroom. 12. Growing like Weed: With California legalizing cannabis, this year’s Christ- mas saw a large number of eager buyers queued up to get the best stocking stuffers for their loved ones. While some gifted a pot to themselves to relax on Christmas eve. The dispensaries witnessed unending lines of their customers who were all 21+ during pre christmas shopping. A few even allowed customers to vape in keeping nurses on site during business hours. And finally, 13. Pappu Pass Ho Gaya: BJP’s loss in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhat- tisgarh in the assembly election held in December 2018 is Rahul Gandhi’s gain. Buoyed by Congress’ resurgence, party president Rahul Gandhi claims to bring change in these three states beginning with the proposed loan waiver followed by other promised changes. It is for us to see who among the two heads (Congress and BJP) brings the ‘Acche Din’ first. One notable mention, Love, Game, Set, Match: Compared to the recent big fat Indian weddings à la Sonam Kapoor-Anand Ahuja, Anushka- Virat Kohli, Deepika-Ranveer, Priyanka-Nick, and Isha Ambani- Anand Piramal, there was this low profile wedding that escaped many eyeballs - ‘twas the wed- ding of Saina Nehwal and Pa- ruppalli Kashyap . The Indian shuttler duo chose social media to announce their wedding with a virtual wedding card (unlike the Ambanis 3L ex- quisite invitation box) and tied the knot in a private ceremony at her residence in Hyderabad (in complete contrast to luxurious destination weddings) with close friends and family gracing the occasion. Hence, not many are talking about it (and no memes either!). No wonder, it is the allure of show business and fantasy world that we are attracted to. Pity, how deeply superficial we have become.