Rewind 2010: The good, the bad and the ugly
As curtains ring down on 2010, Indian Weekender takes a look back in anger, wonder and pride of an India that hit the limelight for reasons good, bad and midling.
Politics: The Bihar magic
The political landcsape of the world's largest democracy went through a roller-coaster ride in 2010.
Bihar elections -Buoyed by a landslide victory that saw the decimation of the Opposition, Nitish Kumar began his second successive innings as the Chief Minister of Bihar after he was sworn in on Nov 26 to head a 30-member ministry. He thus became the CM for the third time after the clean sweep. The winning alliance bagged 206 seats of the total 243 seats, while the Rashritya Janata Dal (RJD)-Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) could manage 25 between them. The Congress fared even worse, picking up merely four seats.
Modi wins municipal polls- In Gujarat the magic of Narendra Modi remained intact. The BJP routed the Congress in the polls to six municipal bodies held in the backdrop of the arrest of Modi’s close aide Amit Shah by CBI in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.
New Jharkhand CM: On Sep 11, 2010, Arjun Munda was sworn in as Jharkhand chief minister heading a BJP-JMM coalition at a ceremony skipped by top BJP leaders, including L K Advani, amid intra-party differences over forming a government again with its erstwhile partner.
West Bengal: Three leaders and a controversy: Ever since the electoral debacles of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) started with the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and continued through the other defeats in 2010, the state had been witnessing a bitter fight between the two rival political camps. The districts had also been witnessing an increased spate of political violence. There were campus violence too with one student dying and another losing an eye. Of late, the Opposition Trinamool Congress had been accusing the CPI-M of using the combined forces meant for Maoist operation for unleashing torture on the 'innocent villagers'. Mamata could coax Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to shoot a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the violence. The political blame game reached a crescendo recently with Bhattacharjee expressing strong objection to Chidambaram using the word ‘harmad bahini’ (hired attackers) to imply CPI-M workers in his letter addressing the chief minister expressing concern over the situation. Bhattacharjee, in his reply to Chidambaram’s letter asking the WB CM to disarm CPI-M workers, pointed the accusing finger back on UPA ally Trinamool Congress (TMC) for having contacts with the Maoists.
Telangana issue: There was no major violence over Telangana in 2010, but the year ended with the fear of it in 2011 as panel submitted its report on the feasibility of statehood. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has appealed for calm in Andhra Pradesh after the five-member government appointed panel submitted the report. The Home Minister in a media briefing immediately said the Srikrishna Committee report on Telangana would be made public on Jan 6 after consultation with eight recognized political parties.
Tharoor, Sunanda get hitched: La Dolce Vita. Well no one lives up to the Italian expression of the sweet life in politics with as much vigour as perhaps the erudite and intellectually handsome politician Shashi Tharoor. In the midst of a raging controversy generated over the Indian Premier League lobbying, former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor married the glamourous Dubai-based entrepreneur Susanda Pukhkar at his ancestral home in Elavanchery village in Kerala's Palakkad district on Aug 22. Tharoor, an MP from Thiruvananthapuram, had to quit as Minister of State for External Affairs on April 18 following a controversy over his association with the bid for the Kochi IPL team in which Sunanda had stakes.
He was an unconventional politician who broke many unwritten rules of politics and raised many an eyebrow by 'tweeting' on matters -- both personal and not so personal.
Scams, thy name is India
India was mired in scams and controversies in 2010.
Commonwealth Games scam- The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, one of the most celebrated event of the year, was criticized by several prominent Indian politicians and social activists. One of the outspoken critics of the Games is the self-styled Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Indian Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports.
In April 2007, Aiyar commented that the Games are "irrelevant to the common man" and criticized the Indian government for sanctioning billions of dollars for the Games even though India requires massive investment in social development programmes. In July, he remarked that he would be "unhappy if the Commonwealth Games are successful". Miloon Kothari, leading Indian expert on socio-economic development, questioned the justification of spending billions of dollars on a 12-day sports event "when 46% of India's children and 55% of women are malnourished".
The CWG scam, exposed by various news channels, caused several heads to roll. Post Games, Suresh Kalmadi was sacked as the Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary party. Central Bureau of Investigation officials are currently probing the CWG officials in relation to various financial irregularities.
While Suresh Kalmadi became the fall guy and the face of the CWG scandal, the rot goes deeper as skeletons keep tumbling out.
The Games was spectacular and Indian sports persons shone, but ahead of the event India was shamed before the world for bad preparations, poor hygiene standards and every other conceivable malfunctioning, including a bridge collapse in the Games village.
2G Spectrum: The 2G spectrum scam, which senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani dubbed as the country's biggest scandal since Independence, had been making headlines for the past several months. The CAG report that triggered the hue and cry estimates it to be a scam of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Well, if you are trying to figure out how many zeros are needed to write that in numerical, a simpler version is around 40 billion USD.
A Raja, the Telecom Minister who resigned over the scam, is now facing the CBI interrogation heat, but he remained defensive for “revolutionizing the telecom sector” and making mobile phone charges cheaper.
The problem started in 2008 when nine telecom companies were issued scarce airwaves and licences for second generation (2G) mobile phone services at Rs 1,658 crore (less that $350 million) for a pan-India operation. As many as 122 circle-wise licences were issued.
The licenses were issued in a controversial manner of first-cum-first-served basis, costing the exchequer billions of dollars. The cut-off date for applications was also arbitrarily advanced.
Subsequently, succumbing to the stormy protest from Parliament DMK chief M Karunanidhi forced a reluctant Telecom Minister A Raja to resign on Nov 15.
Adarsh scam: Another scam which made headlines was the Adarsh scam, revealed by RTI activists in Maharashtra, exposing how the towering Adarsh Society highrise built for Kargil War widows and their families were illegally occupied by army top brass, bureaucrats and kins of politicians. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan lost his job over the building that was constructed in the posh Colaba locality of Mumbai, which is considered a sensitive coastal area by the Indian Defence forces and houses various Indian Defense establishments. The society is also alleged to have violated the Indian environment ministry rules.
Crime and Punishment
India screamed for justice in 2010 with Aarushi murder case closure at the fag end of the year and the fight for justice in the Ruchika case hogging the maximum limelight. New Delhi remained the unsafe city for women with more sexual assaults on women.
Aarushi case: The CBI closure of the Aarushi Talwar murder case evoked anger of the victim's family and friends. The teenager's parents, however, feel that the 'Touch DNA' testing could have solved the mystery. The CBI has said in a Ghaziabad court on Wednesday that despite two years of investigation, it cannot solve the murder of 14-year-old Aarushi Talwar, and her family's domestic help, Hemraj.
The touch DNA method, which analyses skin cells left behind when assailants touch victims, weapons or something else at a crime scene, has been around for the last five years.
Ruchika episode: In an apparent setback to the family and friends of late molest victim Ruchika Girhotra, the Supreme Court on November 11 granted bail to former Haryana top cop SPS Rathore who had challenged his enhanced sentence in the case. The Supreme Court, however, said Rathore cannot leave the country.
The Central Bureau of Investigating (CBI) had earlier closed two cases against Rathore in the Ruchika case, one relating to the harassment of the late victim's brother.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court had on Sept 1 refused to release Rathore from jail on parole.
Earlier, on June 4, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected Rathore’s bail plea.
Rathore had filed a bail petition in the high court on May 26, a day after the Chandigarh district and sessions court enhanced his jail term from six months to 18 months in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case of 1990. Rathore’s bail was forfeited and he was sent to jail, ending the first round of fight by the family and friends of Ruchika for the last 20 years.
Budding tennis player Ruchika committed suicide in 1993, allegedly driven to desperation by the former cop who terrorised her family after molesting her.
Delhi BPO worker raped: A 30-year-old BPO employee, who is from the Northeast, was abducted by four drunken men near Dhaula Kuan and gangraped in November in New Delhi. While the accused were later nabbed by the police, the national capital lived up to its dubious distinction as the rape capital of India. The incident once again brought to fore the security issue of women working in graveyard shifts, especially in call centres and BPOs.
Accidents: Crashing tragedies
Air and rail tragedies did not spare India in 2010.
At least 158 people were killed after an Air India Express plane crashed while landing at south India's Mangalore airport on May 22.
The Boeing 737 overshot the hilltop runway as it tried to land and burst into flames. Some survived miraculously.
Two major train accidents also unnerved the rail travellers.
The Jnaneshwari Express derailment, caused by an organization backed by Maoist rebels as per investigations, occurred on 28 May in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal, killing 148 people.
More than 60 people were killed in another devastating tragedy on the track on July 19 when a speeding Sealdah-bound Uttar Banga Express rammed into three coaches of the stationary Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express at Sainthia station in West Bengal's Birbhum district.
Verdicts: The year of Bhopal and Ayodhya
Bhopal: Too little, too late, but fight continues
It was a verdict that came decades later and perhaps too little too late for the survivors and victims of the world's worst industrial disaster but nevertheless when a lower court in Bhopal on June 7 convicted eight Indians, including one who is no more, in the 1984 Bhopal tragedy it revived the clamour for justice once again. The nation was rudely reminded of the raw deal that Bhopal got after toxic gas leaked from a factory owned by the Indian subsidiary of the US multinational Union Carbide Corporation, killing thousands and leaving an unspecified number battered with diseases and deformity.
The verdict did not name absconding former chairman of Union Carbide Corporation, USA Warren Anderson.
The predictable judgement was greeted with more anger than enthusiasm by the Bhopal tragedy survivors and activists who said it was too little too late since the maximum punishment of the conviction can go up to two years of imprisonment owing to the dilution of the charges.
"We will fight for justice till end. This is no justice, the compensation was ridiculous and Anderson, prime accused, should be brought to book in India," Rasheeda Bi, an activist and victim, said. The survivors have moved Supreme Court already and Bhopal fight for justice continues.
Ayodhya: Ram or Rahim?
Treading cautiously on the communal minefield, a three-member Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on on Sept 30 passed a verdict that was awaited for over six decades, upholding the Hindu claim that the disputed Ayodhya site is the birthplace of Lord Rama but ruled that the land would be divided into three parts with one third going to the Muslims.
Rejecting the Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara’s title suit, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Thursday said Hindu deity Lord Ram was born indeed on the disputed Ayodhya site, bringing a temporary closure on the 60-year-old dispute since the judgement. But as expected it would now be challenged by the Muslim groups like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in the Supreme Court.
The verdict made the saffron parties happy, the Congress remained non-committal with its stand on going by the law, while the outfits thriving on the minority vote bank were critical. But for once, good sense prevailed and no riot followed the judgement. The country has clearly moved on since the December of 1992 when the Babri structure was demolished.
Binayak: A judicial miscarriage?
Human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen has been found guilty of sedition by Chhattisgarh's Raipur Sessions court for espousing the cause of Maoist rebels and helping them, triggering an international outcry for review of the judgement. The court held him guilty of waging war against India on Friday. Three others were also convicted. He is senior member of the human rights organization People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). "This is completely irrational and this is a judgement that I do not believe in. There was not a single piece of evidence for this kind of conviction. We will take whatever steps available to us," said Ilina Sen, wife of Binayak Sen. The Amnesty International was among the many organizations that demanded a review of the verdict. Dr Sen, who was arrested in May 2007 from Bilaspur. was detained for two years, and released on bail in May 2009. In 2008, he was awarded the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights by the Global Health Council.
Partibha verdict: Life till death
On October 8, a fast track court in Karnataka pronounced life sentence to a BPO cab driver for raping and murdering call centre employee Pratibha Murthy in 2005. The mother of the victim has demanded death sentence for the convict, but the court awarded a "life until death" for the convict. The judge said the case is rarest of rare and his punishment is "life until death", which apparently means he would not be let out after 14 years in prison. The crime had shocked the country and prompted the BPO sector to formulate safety guidelines.
Terror and Insurgency:
Kashmir, the cauldron boiled again
Kashmir was roiled by anti-India protests in 2010. It became like an uprising and more than 100 people died in mainly street riots and retaliation of the armed forces to stone-pelting crowds, comprising mainly youngsters. The sight of armoured vehicles and soldiers in battle gear on the streets is a grim warning of a storm gathering over the restive valley. The state, cause of three wars with neighbour Pakistan, after a period of relative peace after residents took part in elections in December 2008 was violent again. The government tried to quell the violence with announcement of sops and appointment of interlocutors but despite many criticism. Kashmir will remain India’s prickly military, security and diplomatic concern for the years to come. The year also witnessed infiltration from the Pakistan side and several encounters that ended with the death of the terrorists but claimed the lives of Indian soldiers too.
The Red Rebels rule:
The attacks on security forces as well as civilians in Chhattisgarh, especially in Dantewada region since April in many attacks and the derailment of a train in West Bengal killing 148 civilians raises the question of the Maoists are finally targeting the common people to terrorize.
Security analysts fear that the Maoists are finally targeting the civilians. The experts say the rebels are getting brazen and resorting to audacious terrorism.
There were some key arrests in the year, especially in West Bengal. Sudip Chongdar, more popularly known as Kanchan, who is secretary of the state unit of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), was arrested in a major success of the police. Top leader Kishenji remains on the run though.
Indian diplomacy 2010: A Year to Remember
Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy, Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, Wen Jiabao, you name it, they have it. In the second half of 2010, India hosted Heads of State/Government of all the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, covering visits of Prime Minister of UK (July), President of the USA (November), President of France (December), Premier of China (December), and President of Russia (December).
This is widely seen as a visible acknowledgment of India’s growing regional and global profile. At
the Toronto and Seoul G-20 Summits, Prime Minister deliberated with fellow leaders, on steadying the global financial ship, which had barely emerged from turbulent waters.
India came of age as the fairly tale visit of Obama to shop for US jobs saw India's emergence as a global economic power.
2010 witnessed a qualitative expansion of strategic relations with key partner countries and a robust engagement with India's neighbours. In a year of unprecedented diplomatic engagements, the Government of India hosted 24 Heads of States/Governments and 30 Foreign Minister level visitors. In the same period, the Indian President, Vice President and Prime Minister visited 5, 6 and 11 countries respectively for various multilateral/bilateral engagements. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna visited 18 countries, in which most of India's diplomatic engagement naturally focused on the neighbourhood.
Bollywood: Of Munni and Sheila, and offbeat winners
While Munni became a top grosser, Sheila bit the dust. But both ruled 2010 in the charts. Item numbers continue to dominate Bollywood to the collective appreciation of Indians.
First we catch up with some of the hits and misses of 2010 and those which made great impressions.
The year belonged to Dabangg surely as the story of Chulbul Pandey broke many box office records, with Malaika Arora’s Munni number thrown in for good measure.
Golmaal 3, the sequel, returns and the makers laughed their way to the bank like the audience came out of the theatres after a laugh riot.
Raajneeti is the political thriller of the year and it was fast-paced. The adaptation of the epic Mahabhrata saw the emergence of Ranbir Kapoor the actor.
My Name is Khan is at last a significant film from the Karan Johar stable that got into trouble with the Shiv Sena over SRK’s views on Pakistani players.
Underworld films like Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai created ripples too, while candy floss like I Hate Luv Storys starring Sonam and Imran made good business despite clichéd plots.
The flops of the year are led by Kites from the Roshans. Hrithik Roshan we guess would love to forget the film that had all the hype over Mexican siren Barbara Mori. A rip-off from director Anurag Basu’s own film Gangster, Kites failed to fly high.
Anjaana Anjaani, a Priyaka Chopra-Ranbir Kapoor starrer, failed, while Veer, the Anil Sharma film starring Salman in armour, was a flop too.
Raavan, another Mani Ratnam film with Avishek Bachcan and Aishwarya, was rejected by the audiences while Action Replayy failed to encash on the the retro looks of its stars.
The notable offbeat release of the year are Peepli Live, a comic take on the serious issue of farmers’ suicide, Tere Bin Laden, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge, Love Sex aur Dhokha,
Karthik Calling Karthik and the very no frills coming of age story of a teenager in Udaan.
The year had its usual share of reality shows and Amitabh Bachchan is back with Kaun Banega Crorepati 4.
The Bigg Boss season 4 also kicked off this year with a motley group of celebs participating in it. The high point of the show was of course when Hollywood’s sizzling actress Pamela Anderson joined the show. Wrestler The Great Khali, Pakistani controversial actress Veena Malik also participated in the fourth edition of the show and romanced Ashmit Patel.
In Khatron Ke Khiladi 3, B-town beauty Priyanka Chopra stepped into the shoes of Akshay Kumar while the original Khiladi himself hosting a culinary reality show- Master Chef India.
Sports: The arrival of India, finally
2010 remained a significant year in the field of sports for India. From Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG) to the world of cricket, India glittered everywhere, pumping new enthusiasm and power for the future of sports in India.
Commonwealth Games and Asian Games: The year was especially significant for the athletes with two mega sporting events occurring. Significantly, the Indian athletes showcased their excellence in both the tourneys. CWG, held in New Delhi this year, India finished second in the medals tally with 38 Gold medals, 27 Silver medals, 36 Bronze medals and with a total medal haul of 101.
The Indians performed exceptionally well in shooting and athletics. Gagan Narang performed brilliantly in the CWG.
In Asiad, which was organised in Guangzhou, Indians gave their best performance of all time, bagging 14 gold medals.
In Rowing event, rower Bajrang Lal Takhar, created sporting history by becoming the first Indian to win gold in the Asian Games' men's singles sculls competition in China.
Indian boxing icon, Vijender Singh won gold in the Asian Games, making up for the loss at the CWG.
Reflecting equivalent success in the filed of Athletics and shooting the Indian athletes performed significantly this time.
Cricket: Indian cricket reached new altar in the passing year with India reaching the number one spot in the Test ranking. Defeating Australia in the home soil, India surely showed the mighty Aussies that their supremacy in the game is nearly over. Dhoni and his men also won the Asia Cup after 15 years. However, all was not good for the ‘men in blue’ as they failed in the T-20 World Championship significantly. The ex-champions performed poorly at this years edition at West Indies like the 2009 edition.
But 2010 will probably remain memorable for Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar as he scored more records on the fields as well as outside it.
Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 50 Test century, this year. He scored his 50th Test century against South Africa in December. Sachin touched another milestone, crossing 14,000 runs in Test match, during the Test series against Australia this year.
Sachin created a significant record in One Day International cricket as he scored the first double century in the limited over format of the game. Sachin had scored 200 against South Africa earlier this year, when the South Africa had toured India.
Sachin not only shone and created records on the field, he also added more feathers to his crowns off the field this year.
He was conferred the honorary rank of Group Captain by the Indian Air Force (IAF), in 2010.
Adding to his lengthy list of accomplishments, Sachin Tendulkar was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
On Nov 11, with exactly 100 days to go, the ICC (International Cricket Council) announced the appointment of Indian batting legend, Sachin Tendulkar, the official event ambassador for cricket’s flagship event, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Indian Premiere League (IPL): IPL remained controversy’s favourite child with ex-chairman Lalit Modi targeted by the Indian cricket board. Lalit Modi was suspended from his position by BCCI after the completion of the third edition of the league on the ground of financial irregularities, early this year and he was also being hounded by the Enforcement Directorate.
The two significant IPL franchisees Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab faced severe problems this year as, cracking the whip; the Governing Council of the IPL on Oct 10 terminated their contracts. But later court rulings favoured the franchises. IPL Kochi also escaped the axe of BCCI putting its house in order at the last moment.
Badminton: In the world of Badminton it is only one name that caught the eyeballs and that is of course the new ‘Hyderabadi’ super girl Saina Nehwal. She is also the face of Indian sports in 2010.
Saina won one tournament after another this year which included: Indonesian Open,
Singapore Open super Series, Indian Open Grand Prix, gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the women’s single event.
Saina received the prestigious Khel Ratna Award in 2010 for her wonderful performance in the game for India besides reaching the world number 2 ranking.
Tennis: In the world of Tennis, Somdev Devvarman created history by clinching Single gold medals in both Asian aw well as Commonwealth Games. Truly, the year belonged to Somdev as he ensured that India will have some one to carry forward the national legacy in tennis in the days to come. Sania Mirza, meanwhile, was more in news for her marriage with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.
Business and Economy
Roaring Growth
India's gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 8.8 percent in the first quarter and is inching towards 9 percent growth rate. Despite Pranab Mukherjee's ministry using the year's Budget to roll back some of the fiscal stimulus measures introduced in the wake of the global financial slump in late 2008, overall outlook remained bright with industrial growth set to be in double digits.
Inflation Woes
A robust growth rate was met squarely by an equally firm inflation rate which touched 7.48 percent based on the wholesale price index in November. Pranab Mukherjee has said he expects India's inflation to cool down to 6.5 percent by March 2011, 0.5 percent higher than government's earlier estimate. The year ends on a tense note with food inflation touching 14.4 percent in mid-December thanks to steep prices of vegetables, especially onions.
Rupee Symbol
The country's official currency got its very own sign. Designed by an IIT Guwahati professor, D Udaya Kumar, it was presented to the public by the government of India on July 15, 2010. The new sign is a amalgam of the Devanagari letter 'ra' and the Latin capital letter "R" without its vertical bar. The parallel lines at the top are said to make an allusion to the tricolor Indian flag
Boardroom Battles
The Ambani brothers finally purged the 4-year-long feud this year. The two also dissolved their non-compete agreements allowing Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) to enter in sectors in direct competition with each other. The country's tax department drew blood - worth Rs 11,218 - from Vodafone from its deal with Hutch.
Telecom Tales
Telecom, one of the frontrunners of India Inc., saw volatile highs and lows this year. Former telecom minister A Raja's resignation after his alleged involvement in the Rs 1.76 lakh crore 2G spectrum scam, was definitely the cover story of the industry. In June, India's largest cellular service provider Airtel took over Zain Telecom's businesses in 15 African countries in a USD 10.7 billion deal. The 3G and BWA spectrum auctions too grabbed headlines with the government raking in about 1.02 lakh crore from the deals. 2010 also paved the way for Mobile Number Portability (MNP). With a nationwide launch in January, the scenario is only about to get rosier for the countries 800 million mobile users.
Green Tussles
2010 saw a number of corporates face the music of India's Environment Ministry. India's largest foreign direct investment (FDI) project - Posco's USD 12 billion dollar steel plant in Orissa is still awaiting the environment ministry's green signal. In August, Jairam Ramesh's department revoked earlier clearances granted to a joint venture led by the Vedanta Group company Sterlite Industies for mining bauxite from Niyamgiri hills. The axe hangs the neck of the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) group-backed Lavasa Corporation's USD 31 billion township being developed 60 km from Pune with the final verdict due on Jan 10.
Buoyant Employment
The year saw the Indian job market rev back to life. This year about 11.3 lakh jobs were added in the organised sector, the best figure in four years, according to a survey. Another one says that India actually beats China to be the be top destination in the world for prospects of job creation in the first quarter of 2011 -- a trend affirmed by a pick in campus placements.
