A random A to Z List for 2023. You too can draw up your personal A to Z List for the year that just slipped by.
A: Artificial Intelligence. ChatGPT has still not become this columnist’s personal AI assistant. Have you used DALL.E yet to create artwork from just a descriptive sentence? Deep fakes are a nightmare. For better or for worse, AI is here to stay.
B: Barbie. The only English film this columnist watched this year. Loved it. Innocuous at first glance but the underlying theme of women empowerment endures.
C: Chandrayaan-3. Our scientists at ISRO. Our world champions.
D: Demographic dividend. India surpassed China to become the most populous country in the world. Our demographic dividend is expected to peak around 2041. The next eight years are crucial.
E: Election Commission. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 passed in the recently concluded winter session of parliament effectively gives the Union government unilateral power to appoint the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. Neutrality?
F: Fascism. Noun. A way of organising a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.
G: G20 summit. A rotational presidency of G20 packaged as a gargantuan achievement.
H: Hangzhou Asian Games. Record 107 medals for India, 28 gold, 38 silver, 41 bronze.
I: Inflation. Compared to 2014, the price of rice has gone up by 56 per cent, wheat by 59 per cent, milk by 61 per cent, tomatoes by 115 per cent, and toor dal by 120 per cent. The price of an LPG cylinder crossed ₹ 1,000.
J: Jumla…
K: King Khan. What a year! Pathaan. Jawaan. Dunki. Someone’s come a long way from his appearance in the TV serial Fauji in 1988.
L: LGBTQ. Even though the Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage, thousands took part in South Asia’s oldest pride walk. Where else, but Kolkata! ❤️ you all.
M: Manipur. 180 days. 175 dead. Over 70,000 displaced. HE will still not visit.
N: Naatu Naatu. Unpopular opinion. Not the greatest song to come out of India. However, thrilled it was awarded the best original song at the 95th Academy Awards. The first Indian song to achieve this.
O: Odisha train accident. 296 people died in the crash, the deadliest in over two decades. A CAG report revealed that over 50 per cent of the compulsory track safety inspections were not done. Railway safety has to mean more than megalomaniacal selfie points at stations.
P: Parliament. 2001 attack: the Home Minister LK Advani and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave a statement in the house within three working days. A full discussion happened on the floor of parliament over two days. 2023: 146 MPs suspended for demanding a discussion and statement from the Home Minister. Radio silence from the government on the floor of parliament.
Q: Quiz. There used to be the Bournvita Quiz Contest, Quiz Time and more. Nowadays, you very often see the word ‘quiz’ in the headlines. Guess why? Move over Siddhartha Basu, Amitabh Bachchan and another quizmaster. ED and CBI ‘quiz’ political opponents of this government every day.
R: Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahani. Fun film. Accuse this columnist of parliamentary bias, but the standout performance was that of Jaya Bachchan in the role of Dhanalaxmi Randhawa.
S: Sexual harassment against wrestlers. Champions in tears. Returning their medals. Quitting the sport. Heartbreak. (Someone has come up with the spunky idea that there should be one candidate put up to fight the good fight against the sitting Prime Minister in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Sakshi Malik)
T: Turkey earthquake. Lethal. 7.8 magnitude earthquake resulted in 50,000 lives lost. In a show of global solidarity, citizens from 94 countries joined in the relief and rescue efforts.
U: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse. 41 workers trapped for 17 days before they were rescued with the help of 12 rat-hole miners. Real life heroes: Feroz Qureshi, Munna Quereshi, Rashid, Irshad, Naseem, Monu, Naseer, Ankur, Jatin, Saurabh, Waqeel Hasan, and Devender. (Ironic, since rat-hole mining has been banned in India since 2014).
V: Vacancies. There are 6,000 seats vacant in central universities for SC/ST/OBC students. 5,000 posts of judges vacant in district and subordinate courts. Over 82,000 vacancies in paramilitary forces. 1.5 lakh posts vacant in railways.
W: World Cup. India broke a billion hearts. Shami sprinted to the fastest 50 wickets in World Cup Cricket.
X: No, Elon.
Y: Youth. One in four youth in India is unemployed. 45 per cent of young graduates under the age of 25 do not have jobs.
Z: Zionism. Go google the term.
[This article was also published in NDTV | Tuesday, December 30, 2023]