The Hits and Pits of 2017
2017 is gradually fading into the thick folds of history as we kick start 2018 with high spirits on the blank page of a new book. Was 2017 crème de la crème or was it a kick in the gut? In this piece of mine, I have tried to highlight a few.
The Economic Survey 2016-17 projecting a surge of Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to 6.75-7.25% in FY2017-18, Moody's thumbs up for Modinomics and the World Bank's ranking for India where we shifted 30 places to reach a humongous score of 100 in ease of doing business across Delhi and Mumbai did blow off the weight from our shoulders. However, the lingering aftermath of the ill-fated Demonetization and a nadir 6.3% GDP still prevail. Truly, Modi loses his luster as the economy stutters.
Goods and Services Tax(GST) rolled out in July delivered on the promises to unite the innumerable taxes and reduce their cascading effect, but did not strike the right notes as it witnessed a dip in fiscal revenue for the Government by 2538 crore rupees in November after slashing the rates of 200 commodities from an eye watering 28% tax slab to 18%.
Mr.Modi managed to wheedle us with bullet trains, driver-less metro and sea plane- an evident advancement in the techno-savvy and infrastructural space. Unfortunately, if we could make our local trains safer, perhaps 9 commuters would not lose their lives every single day.(report by India Spend)
Coming to the world of entertainment,the big fat Indian wedding that every Indian was holding their breaths for was a star-studded affair and took place in Tuscany, Italy. Bhaijaan rode away on his tiger with 'swag'. Rajkumar Rao made a royal entry into the films with 3 superhits and one going to the Oscars. We retrieved our Miss World after 17 long years with Manushi Chillar,the Haryana girl making our chests swollen with pride. '#MeToo' took the internet by storm and exemplified the magnanimity of an impediment that every working woman deals with. After the arrest of Harvey Weinstein, many such names were given an uncomfortable spotlight and it also unfolded the horrors of B-Town. Even Bieber leaves his beliebers crestfallen after facing multiple allegations of lip-syncing despite bowing down to his bizarre demands.
On one hand, Right to Privacy was confirmed by the apex court as a fundamental right.But on the other end of the spectrum, Freedom of speech which is a fundamental right that every citizen is entitled to, has been openly flouted by infringing the artistic temperament.
Jio was a trigger in the Indian telecom sector, which send alarming waves to the deep-rooted business tycoons in this sector and ultimately facilitated a merger between two renowned companies. Jio definitely bridged the gap between the rural and urban folks by ensuring regional balance as far as communication is concerned. However, the recent acquittal of the arraigned in the doomed 2g scam verdict during the UPA (United Progressive alliance) era was a bolt from the blue for many of us.
Sports has always been the talking point in the Indian households. This year cricket was on its winning spree. The men in blue as usual flaunted their skills on the ground. Even the women's team, under the leadership of their skipper- Mithalli Raj brought laurels to the country. Hockey still remians the pride of India.The badminton brawny Kadambi Srikant and sturdy P.V.Sindhu managed to clinch the top spot in most of the games. 'Aditi Devo Bhava' was somehow given least importance in our priority lists since the Delhi smog seems to be not only blackening our future but is also reducing India's position in the global arena. All thanks to civic and political apathy which is rife even in a 21st century India.
Perhaps, this year Amit Shah, the party president turned out to be the juggernaut in turning BJP into an election winning machine. Indeed, India's map is currently swathe in saffron with the party ruling over 19 states out of the 29 states in the country. If at all they could have thought about the citizens, then maybe we could have witnessed the daily functioning of the Parliament in this winter session.
Journalism traversed a new path after the exit of Barkha Dutt from NDTV, who now is a freelance journalist, the introduction of Faye D' Souza at Mirror Now and Arnab Goswami launched his new channel- Republic. However, several journalists were silenced and taken aback after the death of a veteran- Gauri Lankesh. Even the draconian or the gagging act of the Raje Government in Rajasthan curtails the right of journalists to report on politicians and bureaucrats in the state.
In a nutshell, 2017 was a year where we lived in a parallel universe. Every event had its hits and pits, however its up to you to decide where you stand. Here's wishing you all a very happy new year and lets hope that the upcoming year vanishes away all the hurdles that we face and help us bloom as better human beings who contribute efficiently to the society.
The Economic Survey 2016-17 projecting a surge of Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to 6.75-7.25% in FY2017-18, Moody's thumbs up for Modinomics and the World Bank's ranking for India where we shifted 30 places to reach a humongous score of 100 in ease of doing business across Delhi and Mumbai did blow off the weight from our shoulders. However, the lingering aftermath of the ill-fated Demonetization and a nadir 6.3% GDP still prevail. Truly, Modi loses his luster as the economy stutters.
Goods and Services Tax(GST) rolled out in July delivered on the promises to unite the innumerable taxes and reduce their cascading effect, but did not strike the right notes as it witnessed a dip in fiscal revenue for the Government by 2538 crore rupees in November after slashing the rates of 200 commodities from an eye watering 28% tax slab to 18%.
Mr.Modi managed to wheedle us with bullet trains, driver-less metro and sea plane- an evident advancement in the techno-savvy and infrastructural space. Unfortunately, if we could make our local trains safer, perhaps 9 commuters would not lose their lives every single day.(report by India Spend)
Coming to the world of entertainment,the big fat Indian wedding that every Indian was holding their breaths for was a star-studded affair and took place in Tuscany, Italy. Bhaijaan rode away on his tiger with 'swag'. Rajkumar Rao made a royal entry into the films with 3 superhits and one going to the Oscars. We retrieved our Miss World after 17 long years with Manushi Chillar,the Haryana girl making our chests swollen with pride. '#MeToo' took the internet by storm and exemplified the magnanimity of an impediment that every working woman deals with. After the arrest of Harvey Weinstein, many such names were given an uncomfortable spotlight and it also unfolded the horrors of B-Town. Even Bieber leaves his beliebers crestfallen after facing multiple allegations of lip-syncing despite bowing down to his bizarre demands.
On one hand, Right to Privacy was confirmed by the apex court as a fundamental right.But on the other end of the spectrum, Freedom of speech which is a fundamental right that every citizen is entitled to, has been openly flouted by infringing the artistic temperament.
Jio was a trigger in the Indian telecom sector, which send alarming waves to the deep-rooted business tycoons in this sector and ultimately facilitated a merger between two renowned companies. Jio definitely bridged the gap between the rural and urban folks by ensuring regional balance as far as communication is concerned. However, the recent acquittal of the arraigned in the doomed 2g scam verdict during the UPA (United Progressive alliance) era was a bolt from the blue for many of us.
Sports has always been the talking point in the Indian households. This year cricket was on its winning spree. The men in blue as usual flaunted their skills on the ground. Even the women's team, under the leadership of their skipper- Mithalli Raj brought laurels to the country. Hockey still remians the pride of India.The badminton brawny Kadambi Srikant and sturdy P.V.Sindhu managed to clinch the top spot in most of the games. 'Aditi Devo Bhava' was somehow given least importance in our priority lists since the Delhi smog seems to be not only blackening our future but is also reducing India's position in the global arena. All thanks to civic and political apathy which is rife even in a 21st century India.
Perhaps, this year Amit Shah, the party president turned out to be the juggernaut in turning BJP into an election winning machine. Indeed, India's map is currently swathe in saffron with the party ruling over 19 states out of the 29 states in the country. If at all they could have thought about the citizens, then maybe we could have witnessed the daily functioning of the Parliament in this winter session.
Journalism traversed a new path after the exit of Barkha Dutt from NDTV, who now is a freelance journalist, the introduction of Faye D' Souza at Mirror Now and Arnab Goswami launched his new channel- Republic. However, several journalists were silenced and taken aback after the death of a veteran- Gauri Lankesh. Even the draconian or the gagging act of the Raje Government in Rajasthan curtails the right of journalists to report on politicians and bureaucrats in the state.
In a nutshell, 2017 was a year where we lived in a parallel universe. Every event had its hits and pits, however its up to you to decide where you stand. Here's wishing you all a very happy new year and lets hope that the upcoming year vanishes away all the hurdles that we face and help us bloom as better human beings who contribute efficiently to the society.
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