on 2010

dear 2010,

You're old, and let's face it, one irritating little wimp, dwindling at the fag end of your lifetime. But, let's face it again, that you've been one heck of a thing for all of us. You've been a year full of oil leaks. A year riddled by money laundering scams. A year of strange obsessions with gadgets that begin with i's. Most importantly, you were the year of Wikileaks. Which suffices had there been a lack anywhere. A comprehensive research from various sources on and off the internet (the 'on' portions overwhelmingly outnumbering the 'off' ones) makes for an interesting compilation.

Ten things that you shouldn't have missed in 2010

(from an Indian perspective, in no particular order. A self composed list, in case you are skeptical.)

the FIFA world cup

the one with all the noise

the one with the tentacles

I am far from the football fanatic, and I mean very far. But this had me enthralled because it was a football world cup where an octopus stole the show and took centre stage. This was a football world cup which heralded the emergence of the vuvuzela. The average black-skinned South African blowing the vuvuzela became the new icon of a ground breaking musician. Much like Jimi Hendrix wielding a Fender Stratocaster in the 1960s.

the Gulf Oil leak

the one with an oily affair

The next big leak after Wikileaks, the BP oil leak (which it is often affectionately addressed as) added to the increasing worries of the environmentalists, and also gave Barack Obama yet another chance to get up on the pulpit and, yes, do something good.

the one with the blown minds

Inception

Referred to by many as the best movie in the history of cinema, by me as a *very good* sci fi movie, it couldn't really be the highest-grosser, or come even close for that matter. It blew a few million minds worldwide nevertheless, including mine. If you haven't seen it yet, then I would suggest a running leap into the nearest well.

the Common Wealth Games

the one who hit the jackpot

India tried hard. Really hard to pull off a world class event. She almost succeeded, but for the Kalmadi fund embezzling scam (which furrowed many brows) and the Asiad at Guangzhou (which made the CWG look like a rusted lock). An A for Attempt though. 

the one without the caption, oh sorry

and more scams

The year saw the shooting-to-fame of people like Suresh Kalmadi, for all the wrong reasons. It saw or rather heard, or yet rather tapped, into telephonic conversations between a lobbyist and a journalist. A lot of ministers exchanged looks. A lot of brows creased.  A lot of black money flew in all directions.

the Mobile Wars

begun truly have. If Apple was the Empire, Google became the Jedi. And if the Empire struck back, then Android was the New Hope. The launch, or should I say, the leak of the much hyped iPhone 4 and the path breaking iPad tablet, set new trends in mobile technology. Android wasn't far behind and soon had ripped apart the sales charts sending Jobs scurrying for cover and etching that big smile upon my face. Blackberry and Nokia fought hard, but for them, luck was harder.

the one with the dishoom-dishoom

the fall of Lalu

the one with the white hair

Nitish Kumar's definitive victory over Lalu in the Bihar polls was perhaps as significant to the country as the fall of London Bridge is in nursery rhymes. Amongst many things, which included lighting up many faces, this victory even made people contemplate upon a new recipe for the samosa.

Cricketing Glory

the one with the God

Hockey might be India's official national sport but Cricket is the de facto one, and the most loved sport in the country. 2010 brought, but only smiles and tears of joy to the face of the Indian cricket fan, as the team became the number one in Tests and number two in ODIs. A journey fraught with an Australian whitewash in October and a Kiwi-mincing in December. Not to forget, Sachin Tendulkar breaking two of the most coveted cricketing records by becoming the first person to score a double century in an ODI and the first person to score fifty centuries in Test cricket.

Onionism

The meek onion had its share of the limelight as well. Peaking at ₹80 a kilogram, it cast a shade of gloom over the faces of the majority of the Indian junta. The impact was so huge that it sparked off a new faith which became a trending topic on Twitter : Onionsim.

the one with the teary eyes

Wikileaks

The thing that makes all the aforementioned nine points look Cretazoic. And with reason. One man and his refusal to keep mum, kept the US government stuttering in the rain, and gave cold feet to many other governments around the world. There was no dearth of revelations as document after document fell prey to the public. A lot transpired, including fake charges and a hefty amount of covering-up. But it was Julian Assagne himself who the light burned brightly upon.

the one with all the leak

So that was that. Ten things that made twenty-ten one heck of a year. 

Have I missed anything? What do you say?

PS : a very Happy New Year to all of you.

If you, (like me) suffer from this massively irritating problem of ear-phones falling off your ears, here's wishing that they do not fall off any more. If they don't, then I wish they do, so that you get to feel how we feel.

Signing off on this ominous note. See you all next year ;-)