Like comedian Varun Grover recently riffed, the experience waiting in an ATM queue for money was one of the most enraging experiences of 2016. “My friend hasn’t been this humiliated even on Tinder,” said Grover. From the various demonetisation funnies (like foreigners running out of cash and busking in the streets to black money holders inventing hilarious, desi methods of circumventing the law) to the more serious issues of political balkanisation, we could not wait for the dreadful year to come to a close. On the bright side, there were some silver linings, like the announcement of free data and calls by Reliance Jio and the much talked about Coldplay concert.
Here's a look at some highs and lows of 2016:
HITS
Reliance Jio
As the newcomers in the heavily-contested Indian telecom market, Reliance Communications took things to a whole new level by announcing free voice calls forever and free data services till the end of the year, with the launch of Jio in September. Free data services were later extended to March 2017. Jio's entry triggered a turf war with the existing telcos, with Jio accusing the latter of not providing enough number of Points of Interconnection (PoIs).
On a lighter note, Jio became a point of discussion for conspiracy theorists, who discovered an earth-shattering truth that the mirror image of 'Jio' was 'Oil', which, they postulated, was Ambani's way of paying homage to the gooey natural resource that made him rich.
Military strikes
If there was one thing 2016 should get credit for, it was introducing the word 'surgical strike' into the national lexicon. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, it was a 'surgical strike' on black money and parallel economy. When somebody, somewhere, lied, it suddenly became a 'surgical strike' on truth. True, our daring soldiers, on September 29, entered Pakistani territory and destroyed major terror hubs in the region. It was a bold deviation from the pacifist nature of the Indian governments of the past.
Hope the next jilted lover does not end his life, calling it a 'surgical strike on the desire to live'.
Concerts
Though the ticket pricing came as a bit of a downer, Coldplay performed in India in November, and got a rousing reception. A bit of a background. We, in India, are not usually part of the regular rockstar circuits. So, Chris Martin and his cronies performing in the country was met with chest thumping and sobs of happiness. The lineup was only made more enviable with the presence of Demi Lovato and Jay Z.
Paralympics
India won four medals at the Rio Paralympics—two gold and a silver and bronze apiece. Devendra Jhajharia won his second Olympic gold in men's javelin throw, having won the first 12 years ago in Athens. Mariyappan Thangavelu won the gold in the high jump category with a leap of 1.89 metres, while Varun Singh Bhati won the bronze in the same event. Deepa Malik came second in the women's shotput F53 event at the Paralympics.
MISSES
Demonetisation
On November 8, when Narendra Modi announced the ban on Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, he created history. “This would be cripple the black money holders and the counterfeit currency makers. Give me until December 30, “ he promised. The decision was met with brickbats and bouquets in equal measure. However, slowly, the public sentiment started turning against the decision after the people found themselves unable to get a hold of their hard-earned money due to paucity of notes (thus the significance of that hilarious monkey-trying-to-get-through-the-window of a car meme that went viral of Facebook). Is it a hit? Is it a miss? Nobody knows. But after the government shifted goalposts for the umpteenth time (The government sent out 59 circulars, as media houses reported), it is safe to assume the latter.
Samajwadi Party
Samajwadi Party, one of the most prominent regional parties in India and the ruling party of the Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh, hogged the media limelight—for all the wrong reasons. A feud broke out between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the son of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Shivpal Yadav, the current party state head and brother of Mulayam, which resulted in a lot of dirty linen being washed in the public. Not a good news for the party though, with the elections fast approaching, and the BJP breathing down their necks. Efforts by the people concerned to broker peace between the warring groups went down the drain. The flashpoint was a clash over the candidate list for the polls, with both Akhilesh and Shivpal rapping out separate ones. The rift reached its zenith when SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav booted out both sitting chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his brother Ram Gopal Yadav for anti-party activities.
Arnab Goswami
One of the biggest newsmakers of a 2016 turned out to be news broadcaster. Oh, the irony. Arnab Goswami, the heart and soul of Times Now news channel, who made a name for himself with his pugilistic, confrontational and often over-the-top and in-your-face anchoring, announced his resignation from the channel. Leftists were overjoyed, right wingers were down in the dumps. The avowed nationalist, the scourge of the Gandhi family (remember, memes are still being made about his interview with Rahul Gandhi) left the industry, but not before helping spawn several mini-Arnabs, who popped up all over the media radar (It is another story, though, that none could match his success). What is imitation but the highest form of flattery.
Sunburn Goa
The Sunburn festival, that is a heavenly cornucopia of music, acid and ecstasy—the go-to spot for every meth head for New Year's—is a thing of history. A microcosm of the current political climate in India. Reportedly, their proposal on the same date and venue as last year was not cleared by the Goa government and the event was hence shifted to Maharashtra.
