2023 was a remarkable year that presented Indians with several milestones that will be cherished forever. From setting new records to showcasing global leadership, here is a look back at India’s major achievements this year.
1. 'RRR' and 'The Elephant Whisperers' bag Oscars: This year has been marvellous for the Indian entertainment industry that brought home Oscars in two categories—Best Documentary Short and Best Original Song for The Elephant Whisperers and 'Naatu Naatu' respectively. The Elephant Whisperers, a 41-minute documentary, is the directorial debut of Kartiki Gonsalves that portrays the love story of a mahout couple, Bomman and Bellie, and an orphaned elephant, Raghu. Produced by Guneet Monga, this heart-touching story centered around the Kattunayakam community of Mudumalai, delineates the themes of love, co-existence and wildlife conservation. It was the first Indian production to win an Academy Award in this category.
The song 'Naatu Naatu' from S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR became the first song from an Asian film to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Composed by M.M. Keeravani and sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, this song won the hearts of audiences globally.
2. Over the moon with Chandrayaan-3: Scripting a remarkable story of perseverance, India joined the elite space club with its successful Chandrayaan-3 mission. India became the first country to land a spacecraft on the moon’s south pole. Chandrayaan-3 comprised three main components: a propulsion module, Vikram lander which helped in the soft landing on the moon and the Pragyaan rover which aided in taking measurements on the lunar surface. Not just ISRO's scientists, but households across the country carried the mission in their hearts, right from its launch on July 14, till touchdown on August 23 on Shiv Shakti Point.
3. India's highest-ever medal tally at Asian games: At the 19th Asian Games in China’s Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, India came fourth with its biggest haul of 107 medals with 28 gold, 38 silver and 41 bronze medals. The country crossed the historic three-figure mark with the Indian Women’s Kabaddi team winning a gold after beating the Chinese Taipei. Becoming only the fourth country after China, Japan and Republic of Korea to win more than 100 medals, Team India set a new benchmark of excellence by improving its 2018 tally of 70 medals.
4. Aditya-L1: India’s maiden solar expedition: Following the successful lunar endeavour, ISRO entered into the realm of solar expedition with its first-ever coronagraphy spacecraft to study the sun, the Aditya-L1. It was launched on September 2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The Aditya-L1 has seven distinct payloads and is known to have commenced collecting data. It is currently on its voyage to L1, a halo orbit from where the spacecraft can study the outer atmosphere of the sun with an uninterrupted view. The High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) payload recently captured the first glimpse of solar flares. The spacecraft is scheduled to reach its destination in January 2024.
5. Bolstering bonds with G20 presidency: The G20 presidency was another feather on India’s cap in 2023. The summit held on September 9 and 10, was the first G20 summit chaired by India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Leaders from different parts of the world, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, participated in the summit. Leaders of different organisations like the UN, IMF, World Bank and WHO also participated in the summit. The major outcomes of the summit included bringing in the African Union as a permanent member of G20 and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor deal among others.
6. Scripting history at inaugural Under-19 Women’s T-20 World Championship: Team India secured the first-ever ICC Under-19 Women’s T-20 Championship title. Organised by the ICC, the matches were played in the Twenty20 format with 16 teams competing. The talented and passionate young women of the team made the country proud with their momentous seven-wicket victory over England in the finals. Led by Shafali Varma, the team triumphed over the newest crown available in women’s cricket. The city of Potchefstroom of South Africa witnessed a clinical display of the ball with Titas Sadhu setting the pace, complemented by the spinners and the fielders that set up this thumping win. Sadhu being named as the Player of the Match was another proud moment for the country.
7. Indian airline companies sign record plane deals: In June this year, Indian carrier IndiGo set a record for the world’s largest single purchase agreement with an order of 500 aircraft from Airbus. Outstripping Air India’s order of 470 aircraft, IndiGo created history in the field of aviation. While Air India had split its order between Airbus and Boeing, IndiGo signed a purchase agreement with only Airbus marking the biggest ever single purchase agreement by any airline with Airbus. Air India’s order was a mix of wide-body and narrow-body Airbus and the Boeing aircraft while IndiGo has opted for Airbus A320 Family Aircraft. With two of the country’s airlines placing the world’s largest and second-largest aircraft orders within a few month’s stretch, India sent the industry records tumbling while earning a place for itself.
8. Kozhikode: From 'City of Spices' to ‘City of Literature’: Kozhikode, the city which gifted many wordsmiths to Malayalam literature, was conferred the title of UNESCO's ‘City of Literature'—the first in India. According to Mayor Dr Beena Philip, the journey was extensive and strenuous. The efforts to achieve this honour started in 2022. The official announcement by UNESCO on November 1, the auspicious ‘Kerala Piravi’ day, made it sweeter. With its rich literary heritage tracing back to Manorama Thampuratti, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, S.K. Pottekkat and P. Vatsala, Kozhikode will turn into a global hub of literature in January next year as it hosts the ‘Kerala Literature Festival’.
9. Global spotlight on Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: On November 12, reports emerged that 41 miners who were employed to connect National Highway 134, in Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel, were confined within the under-construction structure in Uttarkashi. The Uttarakhand government initiated ‘Operation Zindagi’ to save the workers. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Nodal Officer Neeraj Khaliwal contacted various groups including the unit which saved the students from 2018 Tham Luang cave disaster, Thailand. The rescue team included big names like Australian tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, Chris Cooper and even ‘rat-hole’ miners who pulled off the last leg of the arduous mission. On November 28, all the workers were saved and transferred to hospitals in 41 ambulances. The operations got widespread reactions from various parts of the world. All acknowledged the efforts by various agencies and personnel who were part of the evacuation.
10. Asia’s largest helicopter factory in Karnataka: Another remarkable landmark this year was the inauguration of Asia’s largest helicopter factory in Tumkur in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) manufacturing facility will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters and will be extended to produce other helicopters too. As trumpeted by the PMO, the factory would serve as a ‘one-step solution’ for the nation’s helicopter requirements. The production unit would employ at least 6,000 people from the nearby regions. The PMO also pointed out that, over the next 20 years, HAL is planning to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in the class of 3-15 tonnes from Tumkur.
