WHERE ON EARTH IS THE NEW YEAR rung in first? The Line Islands of Kiribati, they say. Followed by the Chatham Islands of New Zealand.
I would say that THE WEEK’s newsroom does it first. A few hours after this letter goes to press, artists in the newsroom will change the issue date on all templates to January 8, 2026. And the New Year would have arrived in our systems a full 14 days before January 1. I think I have mentioned here before that it is because we put the ‘pull date’ on cover, and not the publishing date.
This anniversary special is a twin issue, powered by two women—Principal Correspondent Pooja Biraia and Senior Correspondent Shubhangi Shah.
Pooja brings you the story of Harmanpreet Kaur, the first Indian captain to bring home the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup. Kaur comes from Moga in Punjab, which was not on India’s cricketing map.
On November 2, when South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk lofted that shot off a Deepti Sharma delivery, Kaur sprinted and then leapt to collect not just a ball, but also the World Cup, with both hands. One line from the interview stayed with me: “I don’t want perfection. I want progress.” But that catch was perfect, Harman, I have to say.
Shubhangi’s journey across the Thar was more of a surprise to me, both visually and factually. The desert has seen a 38 per cent increase in greening over the past two decades, driven by irrigation from underground aquifers, canals, and rainfall. She explains why greening is not great for the Thar. She also travelled to the Little Rann of Kutch for the article.
THE WEEK had a Kutchi touch at the start, and for almost 40 years that followed. Our former chief layout artist Jayant Pithadia was from that sun-blasted slice of India, bringing with him desert lore, bright colours and slow-cooked Kutchi undhiyu, among other things. Even after retirement, he stays put in Kochi and remains part of THE WEEK’s extended family.
While Pooja was supported by Photographer Kritajna Naik, Photo Editor Sanjay Ahlawat was with Shubhangi in the Thar. Do check out both videos on THE WEEK’s YouTube channel; Video Editor Vishnudas K.S. shot both video stories in the field.
The twin issues are packed with a trove of interesting articles like Senior Assistant Editor K. Sunil Thomas’s take on the internet in India turning 30 this year. Senior Assistant Editor Pratul Sharma delves into the two significant changes expected in India’s political landscape in 2026—the special intensive revision of the voters list and the census.
Chief of Bureau (Delhi) Namrata Biji Ahuja highlights how cryptocurrency is powering hawala transactions and money laundering. Photo Editor Bhanu Prakash Chandra brings you a visual buffet of cars from the Payana automobile museum near Mysuru. And, Principal Correspondent Abhinav Singh writes about the next frontier for India—exploring the deep seas, beginning with the Carlsberg Ridge, an underwater mountain chain in the Indian Ocean.
Eminent external writers have also written for this issue, like Lt Gen Philip Campose, former Vice Chief of the Indian Army; Auroville Foundation secretary Jayanti Ravi; Bhaskar J. Mahanta, former DGP of Assam; Shiju Mazhuvanchery, dean at Sai University’s school of law; and Kazim Rizvi and Raunaq Sharma from The Dialogue, a public policy think tank.
As we go into the New Year, let me leave you with one line from Senior Assistant News Editor Maijo Abraham’s interview with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales: “I think a lot of the noise we hear comes from social media. The rest of the world is not as polluted as some might think.”
That is a comforting thought to take into 2026, isn’t it?