Farewell 2024: That Was the Year That Was

Narendra Modi returns for third straight term

History was created in Indian general polls when PM Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) returned to power for the third straight term despite facing a surprisingly spirited performance by the opposition INDIA alliance in June, following a staggering seven-phase elections.

PIB India

Writing a new chapter in the Indian political journey, Narendra Modi created history when he became the first non-Congress PM who returned to power for the rare third straight term though to lead a coalition government.

Donald Trump comes to power for second term

Meanwhile in another part of the world Donald Trump created a ripple with a spectacular comeback. After a whirlwind campaigning session, which saw him escaping two assassination attempts, Donald Trump defeated his opponent Kamala Harris in the high-voltage US general polls to return to power for the second non-consecutive term.

Donald Trump Instagram page

The US elections saw dramatic moments when President Joe Biden left his re-election bid after an unimpressive run in a nationally televised debate against Republican candidate Trump, paving the way for Kamala Harris to compete in the polls. Trump's victory dashed the hopes of a large number of Democrats who were expecting to see the country run by its first female president. Trump is the first President since Grover Cleveland who returned to the White House after a gap of four years since his eviction following his defeat in the previous election.

Donald Trump will assume his office early next year.

Rishi Sunak exits, Keir Starmer storms to power

In the UK, Rishi Sunak, the country's first Indian-origin PM, failed to deliver big in the elections and power swung towards the Labour Party which won to end the 14-year-old regime Conservative regime.

Rishi Sunak Instagram page

In the July 4 polls, the Labours Party won over 400 out of the 650 parliamentary seats, marking the largest mandate in decades. Keir Starmer became the country's new PM, replacing Sunak.

Power shifts in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, the nation which made it to the headlines for its cash struggle and economic woes a few years ago, saw a major political shift on September 21 when Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance defeated his rivals to win the Presidential polls. Dissanayake defeated prominent politician Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was then the incumbent president, in the elections.

The Left leader's victory assumes significance since it clearly showed people's willingness to remove the incumbent from power two years after they ousted Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022 by protesting against his regime.

In November, Sri Lanka hosted the parliamentary polls where the National People’s Power (NPP) secured 159 out of the 225 seats, marking a landslide victory in the Island Nation's elections.

Pakistan Coalition

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) joined hands to form a coalition government in Pakistan, under the leadership of PM Shehbaz Sharif, following the February 8 elections which saw Imran Khan's PTI putting up a strong show, despite being banned from fighting the polls. The election was held with former PM Imran Khan languishing in jail and his PTI being prevented from fighting the polls.

Despite being banned, several PTI candidates fought the polls as independent candidates and emerged victorious in the polls.

Sheikh Hasina returns, Sheikh Hasina flees

The year began with Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League returning to power for the fourth consecutive term after winning 224 seats in the Jatiyo Sangsad. The polling was held with questions over its fairness and the major alliance BNP boycotted the results of it, charging the government of suppressing the opposition voices.

PID Bangladesh

Within months, Bangladesh saw a massive protest against the Hasina regime over a job quota issue soon spiralling into a mass uprising against her government, leading to the collapse on August 5. Sheikh Hasina escaped to India, ending the tenure of the longest-serving PM of the Muslim-majority nation that was formed in 1971.

Following her ouster, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of an interim government on August 8, promising to fill up the vacuum caused by Hasina's escape to the neighbouring nation. However, Yunus has so far failed to restore harmony in the nation especially with the rise in attacks on minorities, mostly Hindus, drawing the ire of neighbouring India. Moreover, several hardcore Islamists and criminals were freed from prisons, along with those unfairly locked up activists, plunging the country into uncertainty and anarchy.

The minorities held protests over the arrest of a Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das over sedition charges and demanded the interim government to ensure their rights are protected. The death of a Muslim lawyer further sparked tension in the already jeopardised state. The repeated attacks on Hindu temples and properties and the burning down of Christian houses in a village on Christmas Eve clearly showed the inefficiency of the Yunus regime in restoring peace and harmony in the post-Hasina era.

Syria Assad's ouster

War-torn Syria witnessed a seismic political shift when former President Bashar al-Assad's government toppled suddenly after rebel groups captured Damascus and other major cities of the nation.

Assad's 24-year struggle to hold onto power ended dramatically despite surviving civil wars in the past. He escaped to Russia following the collapse of his government. His escape also rang down the curtains on his family's rule over the Gulf nation for decades.

Israel and Middle East crisis

2024 marked a year since the crisis in the Middle East began with the Hamas attacking Israel on October 7, 2023. There seems to be no end to the conflict with Israel continuing to pound Gaza and killing several major Hamas leaders including Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh.

Tensions escalated further after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon’s Beirut. Iran retaliated by firing 180 missiles. Israel countered with their airstrikes, leading to the ongoing proxy conflict in the region. Israel, however, launched a full-blown ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The group had been attacking Israel as a show of solidarity with Hamas. Ending weeks of major escalation, Israel and Lebanon announced a 60-day ceasefire agreement on November 27.

Till Dec 10, 2024, over 46,000 people – 44,786 Palestinian and 1,706 Israeli – have been reported killed in the Israel–Hamas war besides 141–156 journalists and media workers, 120 academics, and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, a number that includes 179 employees of UNRWA. In the remaining days of 2024, the toll only rose with more men, women, children and media professionals losing their lives.

Ukraine continues to burn

Russia's continuous strikes on Ukraine left the country in ruins. With no sign of an end to the war, the world looks forward to a solution in the upcoming year.

Civilians continue to face the brunt of Russian attacks that left a large portion of the country's energy infrastructure destroyed. Despite Russian aggression, Ukraine tried to counter after receiving air defence support from Western defence allies.

Ebrahim Raisi dies in helicopter crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died on January 12 after his helicopter crashed when he was returning from an official trip to the country's northern region. The country faced severe political uncertainty following his death.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny dies

Under mysterious circumstances, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison in August. A prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he had earlier survived a poisoning attack in 2020. He was imprisoned on charges which many believe were politically motivated.

His sudden death sparked protests across Russia. The global community, especially several Western nations, described it as an assassination orchestrated by the Russian government to eliminate opponents.

Civil aviation tragedies in Dec break hearts

Aviation mishaps occurred in different locations across the globe in December within a span of few days with the deadliest taking place in South Korea where Jeju Air's Boeing 737-800 aircraft belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway to erupt in flames when it slammed a wall at Muan International Airport. At least 179 people died on December 28-December 29. The plane was carrying 181 passengers, including six crew members, when the mishap occurred at the airport, marking one of the deadliest aviation crashes in the country.

Ahead of the South Korea tragedy, an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Flight J2-8243 crashed in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from an area of southern Russia where Moscow. According to reports not denied by Moscow, it is likely that the Russian air defence system warding off against Ukrainian drone strikes downed the plane by mistake.

Ram Mandir consecration

India stood still for a day on January 22 when PM Narendra Modi led the country for the successful consecration of Ram Lalla's idol in the landmark Ayodhya Temple during the much-awaited 'Pran Prathistha' ceremony in the holy north Indian city.

Capturing the emotions and devotional faith of hundreds of Indians, the statue, designed by Mysore-based artist Arun Yogiraj, stood still in the temple which was opened to the public in a successful culmination of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's poll promise.

Wayanad landslides

A major tragedy hit the Wayanad region in Kerala when a massive landslide left at least 230 people dead. The landslide was a result of a cloudburst which mainly affected lives in Meppadi, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala. Monsoon caused widespread devastation in the region, a natural disaster which highlighted the growing risk of climate change in the world. 

Lady doctor's death in Kolkata triggers unprecedented protest

The issue of sexual violence against women once again took centre stage following the rape and murder of a lady on-duty doctor in Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August.

The incident led to massive protests across West Bengal with the doctor fraternity across the state and India showing solidarity with the victim and demanding swift justice for her.

Biggest, fattest Indian Wedding: Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant tie knot

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's dreamy marriage ceremony remained the talk of the town with national and international celebrities joining their gala event. With Rihanna and Justin Beiber performing in the mega marriage ceremony, the extravagant celebration around the marriage grabbed headlines for weeks.

T20 World Cup returns to India under Rohit Sharma's sensational leadership

India's 17-year wait finally ended with Rohit Sharma and his men winning a thrilling final encounter against South Africa to clinch the T20 World for the second time in the tournament's history.

BCCI X page

India had won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007 under the leadership of Indian cricket icon MS Dhoni.

Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli-Ravindra Jadeja end T20 journey

Virat Kohli Instagram page

Moments after the Indian team won the T20 World Cup in West Indies by beating a spirited South African squad, Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, heroic skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder icon Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game, ending an era in the country's cricketing history.

India's Olympic pride

India sent a strong 117-member contingent to hunt for medals in the ongoing Oscars 2024. Overall, India won one silver and five bronze medals in the iconic sporting event.

Manu Bhankar Instagram

Manu Bhaker won the first bronze medal to begin India's winning race. The Indian shooter returned home with two bronze medals. She became the first Indian female shooter to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics.

In the mixed team 10m air pistol event, Bhaker clinched the bronze medal with fellow Indian shooter Sarabjot Singh.

Shooters shined bright in this edition of the Olympics with Swapnil Kusale adding the third medal of the historic event.

Indian golden boy Neeraj Chopra failed to defend the yellow medal but managed to bring home the silver. He lost the gold medal to Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem.

The Indian hockey team left fans elated with its spirited performance in this edition of the Olympics by clinching the bronze medal.

Aman Sehrawat bagged a bronze medal for India in the 2024 edition, further increasing the country's medal tally.

Heartbreak

Veteran Olympian Vinesh Phogat suffered a heartbreak after she reached the Olympics wrestling final. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she was disqualified for exceeding weight by 100 grams. She later announced her retirement from the game and joined politics with a Congress party ticket.

Paralympians shine

The Paralympics witnessed the tricolour shining brightly with the athletes winning 29 medals. The tally remained 10 more than Tokyo records.

D Gukesh becomes youngest Indian World Chess Champion

Indians ended the year on yet another positive note after grandmaster D Gukesh, 18, became the youngest player to win the World Chess Championship by beating defending champion Ding Liren after competing in a closely fought 14-round encounter.

Humpy rules

Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy defeated Indonesia's Irene Sukandar to clinch the historic second title at the World Rapid Chess Championship in New York.

Those who left us

Indian economy's architect Manmohan Singh dies

Manmohan Singh, two-time former Indian PM and the architect of the country's liberal economy, died on December 26 in New Delhi. He was 92.

Veteran industrialist Ratan Tata dies

Ratan Tata, a face of the Indian business world and the former chairman of the Tata Group, died on October 9. He was 86.

Indian New Wave Cinema Architect Shyam Benegal Dies at Age 90

Shyam Benegal, architect of India's arthouse cinema who won multiple National Awards for his films besides the highest film honour Dadasaheb Phalke, passed away in Mumbai at age 90 on Dec 23.

As long as I have the strength and my mind works, I’d like to make movies, Benegal said in an interview this year. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia Creative Commons

Ustad Rashid Khan leaves a legacy behind

Indian classical music patron Ustad Rashid Khan left a deep void in the hearts of his fans when he died after fighting a battle against cancer at a private hospital in Kolkata on January 9. He was 55.

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Ghazal king Pankaj Udhas leaves fans in mourning

Pankaj Udhas, one of the prominent Ghazal singers in India, died on February 26 and left behind a bunch of evergreen songs for his fans to celebrate forever. He was 72.

Photo Courtesy: Zakir Hussain's Instagram page

Zakir Hussain's tabla stops breathing

Grammy award-winning celebrated Indian tabla maestro Zakir Hussain died at a hospital in the USA on December 15. He was 73. He reportedly died due to complications of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).