In the spirit of having lists, 2011 was among the most interesting year in this decade.
Ze List is my take on what was interesting, on what made the cut, what didn't and what mattered this year. (In order of importance, of course)
Though
an unusual entry at Ze List, I think it is important to understand that
everything that happens in our life happens for a distinct reason.
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| Arab Springs |
Stumbling
through critical policy matters, fumbling with crisis our politicians have
managed to sleep walk through 2011. Yet again.
The sheer volume of money that was siphoned off
this year boggled the mind’s arithmetic. There was an average of new scandal a
month.
In 140
characters, much of the world spoke to each other this year. Against injustice,
discontent, joy, sorrow and everything in between.
Lending
itself to the lexicon, the Arab world erupted against autocratic rulers and ruthless
democracies with a vengeance that does not seem to die.
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| Julian Assange |
Offering
a glimmer of hope, what started out as a promise is threatening to fizzle out. Anna
needs to strategize and stabilize.
Japan is not new to natural calamities or man-made
disasters. As if a devastating earthquake, a huge tsunami in its aftermath was
not enough, the nation reeled under the familiar threat of a nuclear holocaust.
The
City of Dreams had another nightmare. While any other city in the world would
have learned their lesson from 26/11, Mumbai appears to forget. Snooze.
A
little known whistle-blower site founded by
Julian Assange became the nemesis
of much of the world’s corrupt, by leaking top secret diplomatic cables and
documents. Embarrassed, the West scrambled to muzzle the whistle, Assange has
always managed to stay one step ahead every single time.
Meanwhile,
he’s promised to reveal the account holders of all that money that has been
siphoned off India into tax havens abroad in 2012. Now, that should be
interesting!
As the world continued its love story with fossil
fuels, Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) will continue to call the
shots. Here’s to another year that went to fluctuating crude prices.
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| Conrad Murray |
In an
attempt to show the world and an embarrassment to the government, a government planning commission declares that anyone who earns more than Rs 32/- a day is over the
poverty line and cannot be entitled to schemes for individuals below poverty
level.
Well, Mr Planning Commissioner 1987 called and they wanted your 32 rupees
back.
Against
a disease that still kills millions of individuals across the world, a vaccine
against the disease is just what the doctor prescribed.
Progress.
For a
nation that has the largest and cheapest workforce and the fastest growing infrastructure in the world, China is
perhaps one of those nations you can’t afford (pun intended) to ignore.
It
appears like we finally managed to get our sneakers all nice and ready.
Starting with a really good show at the CWG last year, the winning streak
continued with good shows at tennis and…
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| Pope Benedict |
… yes,
Cricket too. We won the World Cup. Finally, some justification to all the millions that we pay to our
over-rated and over dramatic cricket players.
The
physician who lived his dream of that one famous client as he walked into the
sunset, was finally convicted to a four year prison sentence for administering
the fatal dose of surgical anesthetic that killed the king of Pop- Michael
Jackson.
It’s
all about the Oil, honey.
With
Iraq finally within Uncle Sam’s kitty, it was time to move on to Iran.
After
the fiasco called CWG, much drama and many investigations, Mr Kalmadi finally
got the axe. Well, maybe he was just the most convenient scapegoat but was soon united with many of his colleagues for company.
Starting
off as a politician with a squeaky clean image, the chief minister of the
southern state of Karnataka showed how he was like any of the other jerks
around him – Corrupt and Power hungry.
Along
went his compatriots in corruption, the Reddy brothers who stripped entire
mountains in the mineral rich region of Bellery for it’s iron ore. Billions
looted.
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| Britney Spears |
With an economy that has been feverish for a very
long time, its cousin from across the Atlantic sent stock exchanges around the
world into a tizzy when crisis hit. Credit ratings fell and so did the CEO of
the credit agency that downgraded the rating.
When
you’re bailed out by money that really belongs to the people, you normally
wouldn’t think of taxing them anymore. A decision by Bank of America (BOFA) to
charge 5% monthly was perhaps one of the many ill informed decisions that the
bank regretted. Victory lap, anyone?
Paid
for the sins; who as Cardinal Ratzinger oversaw pedophile
priests.
Was
supposed to the Facebook killer.
Didn’t
happen.
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| Muammar Gaddafi |
If it was Saddam earlier, this year we had
Gaddafi.
For all the bodyguards that surrounded him during
his hay days, the utterly miserable he died at the hands of his citizens was a
lesson that we wish autocratic rulers and despotic dictators would learn.
For
much of the beginning of the year, all the empire really spoke about was The
Wedding. *Yawn*
After
almost crashing and burning, Britney reinvented herself. She’s back!
Overseeing
the last bastion of communist rule, Kim Jong 2 held a tight grip over North
Korea and managed to taunt the West until his death at 69.
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| Swami Nithyananda |
After being implicated in an embarrassing tape
that showed him in a compromising position with a regional movie actress and
devotee, he managed to slip into oblivion unable to stand the uncomfortable
glare of the media and society. Did we all say ‘Déjà vu’
The
self styled godman and philanthropist died after multiple organ failure. Alas,
the search for a god that is immortal continues.
One of
handful of people who changed the world this century, he was unceremoniously
killed by highly trained SEALS in a covert operation in the one place where he
shouldn’t have been – Pakistan.
Sheela, Murderous Women and DK Bose
Talk
about going viral. This year was a year of movie songs that went viral and
beyond borders as Indians across the nation asked ‘Why this Kolaveri de?’.
Maybe, this is what we need to ask Pakistan and our government.
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| MF Hussain |
Shorn
by his motherland, MF spent the last few decades of his life with his
eccentricities as a nomad, finally dying in Qatar.
The inventor of C, the computer programming
language, Dennis’s death barely created a ripple as his death was overshadowed
by the death of a more iconic compatriot...
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| Dennis Ritchie |
Enough
has been said of and about one of the most ‘iconic’ CEO’s. Hardly a
philanthropic or as charitable as any of other CEO’s of his time, his death
resulted in worldwide mourning.
From
being a central government Minister, she fought the Communists and won state
elections and became the chief minister of the north eastern Indian state of
West Bengal (aka Paschimbanga). A firebrand and a populist, she is one
politician to watch out for.
Looks
like all kinds of clowns are predicting the end of the world. Harold’s failed doomsday
predictions made him the laughing stock among the believers and non-believers
alike. Harold, start preparing for the 21st Dec, 2012.
Tablet Wars
If Apple
set the cat among the pigeons by launching the iPad, 2011 saw a slew of
companies releasing their versions of the iPad killers. Not much luck there.
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| Harold Camping |
3D everything
3D
movies became all the rage. Even television and mobile phones.
Imagine watching
Freddie vs Jason on 3D.
The Guvornator
and his wife of 25 years; Maria Shriver separated after it was revealed that he
had cheated on his wife and fathered a son with one of the domestic help.
The
iconic and much married Hollywood diva died leaving much of Hollywood grieving
and reminiscing.
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| Rupert Murdoch |
The
news magnate had to apologise for unauthorized phone taps. Reality bytes.
Cheaters,
the TV show earned a right to be on Ze List, sheerly because of the way, you
are reminded of how partners will cheat and when confronted fight back, and
still want to “get the f*&$#W@* cameras out of my face”. Isn’t it
interesting that they all wanted to be asked if they were cheating in private?
Ya right.
The 116
year old masonry gravity Dam has been one of the few bones of contention
between Tamil Nadu (who has a 999 year lease on the dam) and Kerala (in whose
land the dam is situated). Several quakes and an aging Dam have put the two
states at loggerheads.
In the
Red. Both literally and figuratively.
Angry Birds
Caught
the imagination of the kids within us. Was certainly not good for birds though!
Acquired by Microsoft. Finally.
Returned
to the hot seat after a short sabbatical. Back to business.
Tried
to create a sequel to the ‘Arab Springs’. Ended up with a spoof.
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| Rebecca Black |
And
after several months in prison, the investigating agency botched up the one
chance they had to punish the guilty for the biggest accounting fraud in Indian
corporate history.
After
keeping the nation guessing on whether he will be running for presidency or
not, he decided he would rather stick with ‘The Apprentice’ for now.
He would have made for an interesting Prez though!
A hit
solo, '
Friday', with it’s catchy tune went viral within a few weeks since it was
illegally uploaded on online video sharing portals. Well, any publicity is good
publicity for a budding 14 year old.
Crash,
burn, booze, babes. Repeat cycle.
One of
the few very successful female Asian porn performers, her entry into the Indian
version of the Bigg Boss, made headlines across India. Toeing a fine line, she
has managed to stay in the news.
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| Sunny Leone |
Marriages
are no longer made in heaven. 72 days after they proclaimed undying love in a ‘made
for media’ marriage, they completed their marital duties too. I guess marriages
are now made over business lunches and sealed tight with a prenup.
After
a pretty forgettable 2010 and much of the years before that, Beckham bounced back to prove why you must still
bend it like Beckham.
One
word – Cute.
Touched
all the right chords. Spoke all the right words. Poignant.
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| Kim Kardashian |
Another
brutal reminder that the world does not need an Al Qeada or a Saddam Hussein.
Just one pathetic, depressed dude with a meticulous plan to kill.
For proving that movies are only meant to rake in the moolah and not because they must entertain. We could certainly see/hear a lot less of the king
of mediocre movies.
Barely
made it to Ze List. I hear she is happy now.
