STARS ’N’ STRIPES

Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born NASA astronaut died on February 1, when space shuttle Columbia, carrying a crew of seven astronauts, disintegrated upon re-entry in the Earth’s atmosphere. Chawla, as she attained immortality in sudden death, had clocked over 10 million km and 760 hours in space. Born in Karnal, a small town in Haryana, she did her graduation in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College at Chandigarh and went on to become the second person of Indian origin after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma to fly in space in 1996. An avid maker of aero-models even as a child, she considered it her birthright to be “a resident of the Milky Way”. For her scores of admirers in India, a number swollen by the tragedy of her death, her life was an epigraph of small-town, middle-class success. More so for her as she wore her Indianness on her sleeve, proudly saying at a NASA press briefing, “I am from Karnal, India”.

MUMBAI MADNESS

Terror returned to Mumbai when twin bomb blasts rocked the city on August 25. The blasts took place at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar, killing 52 and injuring 149. The two bombs, which were suspected to have been planted by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba, were placed in taxis and went off during the peak time.

FIRST CUT

Welcomed by the tune of “Saare jahaan se achcha” and the raving Mumbai crowd, the first stealth warship, Shivalik, was launched on April 18.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made the first-ever visit by an Israeli PM to India even as neighbour Pakistan raised its eyebrows and other Islamic countries watched silently.

DID YOU KNOW

The Rolling Stones performed for the first time in India in Bangalore, rocking the crowd with their all-time classics like Satisfaction, Street fighting man and Sympathy for the devil.

"I'LL WORK TO HEAR THE ANTHEM ON THE PODIUM.

With that singular thought, Anju Bobby George pushed herself and entered the history books, winning a bronze medal in long jump at the Paris World Athletics Championships. She was the first Indian to win a medal at the event. Aishwarya Rai scored a win of sorts too, on an altogether different turf. Domestic fashionistas notwithstanding, the French loved her when she went to the Cannes Film Festival as the first Indian actor on the jury. Rai rubbed shoulders with international celebrities and for a time threatened to take Bollywood global.

POWER PLAY
Atal Bihari Vajpayee

The Gujarat riots, though they shook the foundation of India’s deep-rooted secularism, couldn’t come in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s way in restoring peace within the BJP. His visit to China in June led to the establishment of a Joint Study Group for economic cooperation. Vajpayee was able to facilitate ceasefire in Kashmir, free prisoners, resume bus and rail travel and break down barriers on trade between India and Pakistan. And at home, he gave the economy the booster shot it needed to step up into the world.

ELSEWHERE...

On December 12, Saddam Hussein’s reign came to an end after he was captured at a farmhouse near his hometown, Tikrit. Hussein, as he emerged from his underground hiding-place, was bearded and dishevelled, a shadow of his fearsome former self. After capture, Hussein was put on a speedy trial on charges of crimes against humanity. With his conviction US President George Bush hoped to gain support for his War Against Terror, both at home and abroad.

1,560 is the number of kilometers that was marked to be added to the National Highway network, taking the total kilometers to 3,477 since the year 2000. The World Bank decided to invest $1 billion (Rs 4,500 crore) in the country’s transport sector in the same year.

2004: INDIA AT 60

THE NEW GUARD

REWIND

It was hope against hope, when the Congress-led coalition went past the BJP-led NDA in the May general elections. Leaving behind a shell-shocked BJP, the Congress emerged as the single largest party, their efforts to reach the grassroots with the aam aadmi campaign, as against the BJP’s lofty India Shining sloganeering, paying off. Sonia Gandhi pulled off a coup when she renounced the prime ministership, saying, “I am not attached to any particular post.

DELUGE OF DOOM

What should I do—mourn the loss of my loved ones or worry about an uncertain future?” This dilemma of a victim of the devastating December 26 tsunami was shared by the whole world. The deadly waves, caused by an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude under the Indian Ocean, killed over 85,000 around the world and at least 10,000 people in India. Waves, as high as 100 feet, caused deaths as far as on the east coast of Africa. In India, the islands of Car Nicobar were virtually wiped off the map and Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, along the coast of Tamil Nadu, suffered the worst on the mainland. While relief operations began swiftly, the sheer geographical spread of the tragedy stretched all resources. Within 24 hours of the disaster, nearly 35,000 people had been provided shelter in 67 camps. But many still are homeless.

FIRST CUT

India launched the $20 million, 2-tonne EDUSAT from Sriharikota on September 20. This was the world’s first dedicated educational satellite. It was also the heaviest satellite that was ever launched by an Indian rocket.

India made history when it won its first Test series on Pakistani soil. The Men in Blue defeated Pakistan 2-1.

“your performance is an image of yourself.”

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

Bull’s eye. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore redefined the meaning of the term for Indians when he won the silver at the Athens Olympics, India’s best individual performance at the games. But for the Army officer, the medal was just another victory, and the silver only weighed with the missed opportunities that separated him from gold-medallist Sheikh Ahmed Al-Maktoum of the UAE.

Ode to Life

After having sung 50,000 songs in over 20 languages, the nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, turned 75 on September 28. And as if to prove her eternal youth, she belted out another superhit soundtrack for Yash Chopra’s Veer Zaara that year.

100 CRORE, 125 PAINTINGS

It was raining moolah for painter M.F. Husain. Known for inciting controversy, this time he made news when he signed a deal with industrialist Guru Swarup Srivastava for 125 oil paintings from his “Our Planet Called Earth” series for Rs 100 crore—the questions would come later. Days before the sale of Tyeb Mehta’s Mahishasura, Husain could grab headlines without having to run for cover.

ELSEWHERE...

The Return of the King proved to be a fitting end to the Lord of the Rings fantasy trilogy as it bagged an Oscar in every category in which it was nominated with 11 wins in total.

Four blasts (above) in rush-hour local trains killed 190 persons and injured over 2,000 in Madrid on March 11.

In its largest expansion ever, European Union extended its sphere of influence over 10 states on May 1.

Russian forces put an end to a siege at a school in Beslan on September 3. At least 335 people were killed.

309 was the number of runs that Virender Sehwag scored in the first match against Pakistan at Multan during the Friendship Series. Anil Kumble too shone bright in the series as he broke Kapil Dev's record of 434 test wickets.

2005: INDIA AT 60

TERRA INFIRMA

PICTURE SPEAK

ACROSS BORDER: A man with daughter amidst the debris at Balakot, Pakistan

REWIND

DARK DIWALI

Diwali in Delhi saw the macabre victory of evil over good as three bombs went off on October 29 in Sarojini Nagar, Paharganj and on a bus near Govindpuri, killing 63 people and injuring 200. The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba was a prime suspect in the attack.

FIRST CUT

Stitching up the ties, the first Indo-Pak bus service across the LoC was started on April 7 between Srinagar and Muzzaffarpur.

The era of Lalu Prasad Yadav came to an end in Bihar as he was ousted by Nitish Kumar. It was corruption, lawlessness and lack of development that brought an end to his 15-year rule as chief minister.

“I HAVE BEEN GIVEN NO CHANCE TO EXPLAIN.”

Natwar Singh

The expose on former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh’s involvement in helping his son Jagat get contracts under the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq published in INDIA TODAY led to his resignation from the Cabinet, and the Congress. His role had first been mentioned in the Volcker Report which revealed those who had made illegal payments to the Saddam Hussein regime. While Singh continues to protest his innocence, the INDIA TODAY revelations showed otherwise.

PARTING WAYS

“There are ownership issues”. With that remark to a TV channel, Mukesh Ambani, elder son of the founder of Reliance Industries, Dhirubhai Ambani, confirmed talk about the Rs 90,000-crore Reliance empire being headed for a split. With matriarch Kokilaben as referee, the group was divided between Mukesh and brother Anil, but not before dirty linen was washed in public.

MASTERLY KNOCK

Master Blaster, The Little Master; the accolades and titles that came Sachin Tendulkar’s way were well deserved. No other contemporary batsman has electrified the cricket stadium like the Indian superstar. The statistics speak for themselves. In December 2005, he set the record for the highest number of Test centuries (35), overtaking compatriot Sunil Gavaskar and West Indian rival Brian Lara. He currently has 37 test centuries to his name. He also holds the record for most one-day centuries (28) and was the first batsman in the world to go past 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, in March 2001, against world champions Australia.

ELSEWHERE...

January 30 saw the first 'free' Parliamentary elections in Iraq since 1958.

Suspected masterminds behind Air India’s Flight 182 Kanishka bombing, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted of all charges on March 16.

Four explosions rocked London on July 7, injuring 700 and killing 56. Three of the bombs were placed in the underground train network, while a fourth exploded on a bus.

Three explosions in Bali on October 1, killed 26 people and injured more than 100.

$10 billion (Rs 400 crore) was the foreign institutional investment inflows compared to $8.51 billion (Rs 345 crore) in 2004. In the same year, the Sensex also hit a record high of 9,394.27.

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