Yearender 2023: The year 2023 is set to say 'goodbye' leaving us with some sweet and sour memories. The new year 2024 is approaching giving us hope that the coming year will fulfil our expectations and strengthen us to achieve our set of goals. The year 2023 has been a mixed bag of memories. In the first quarter of the year, the world witnessed one of the first modern warfares between Russia and Ukraine and at the end of the year, we are seeing a sorrowful story of the war between Hamas and Israel. However, the world also saw good things for which the year 2023 will be remembered. India's Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed a rover (Pragyan) on the Moon's South Pole. It was the first landing of any rover on the south part of the Moon. Indian women get 33 per cent reservation in the Parliament this year. The list is long. Here, we attempted to shortlist ten pictures that left a mark in the calendar year 2023.
The story of the great rescue efforts to save the lives of 41 workers will be remembered by the generations to come. It's a story of resilience and undying hope that kept trapped workers alive for 17 days inside a collapsed tunnel. A section of the Silkyara Bend–Barkot tunnel, planned to connect National Highway 134 in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand caved in on 12 November 2023. Rescue operations were immediately launched but failed several times despite the usage of all state-of-art technologies. The rescuers got the first breakthrough after ten days when they get success to connect with trapped workers through a pipe. The 'American auger' drill machine failed and stuck inside the tunnel. In the last attempt, the government brought in "rat-hole" miners who successfully made hole to reach the workers.
Indian space science reached new heights with the successful completion of the Chandrayaan-3 project in which ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) landed Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander on the unexplored south pole of the Moon. With this success, India became the first country to land a craft on the south pole, and just the fourth nation to land on the moon. Chandrayaan-w was a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
A picture of a seven-year-old girl shielding her little brother's head under the quake rubble in Syria won the internet as it drew reactions from all the sections. The photo was shared by hundreds of people, including, a United Nations representative on X. A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake tore through Turkey and Syria on February 6, leaving thousands of people dead. The death count reached above 7,700.
India achieved a milestone by successfully organising the G20 summit in New Delhi. Top world leaders congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the "historic success" of India after the New Delhi Declaration was adopted by all members. The leaders at the meeting underscored PM Modi's "decisive leadership" in championing the voice of the Global South after the inclusion of the African Union in the bloc. During the meeting, India's message of 'one earth, one family, one future' resonated strongly with all the delegates. The summit was formally started on December 1, 2022. In the end, the top G20 leaders including US President Joe Biden gathered at Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition-Convention Centre, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 9–10 September 2023.
The year 2023 left an indelible mark in the parliamentary history of the country as India got its new building of Parliament vacating the British-built House this year. As part of India's Central Vista Redevelopment Project, a new parliament building was constructed in New Delhi which was inaugurated on May 28, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The holy stick 'Sengol' drew attention after the government decided to adopt the Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal. Adheenam (Priests) installed the Sengol near the chair of the Speaker in the House while performing Hindu rituals.
Bahubali-fame SS Rajamouli's flick action “RRR” shattered all records and it drew applause not only from domestic critics but also from International. It also resonated during the Oscar event. Its “Naatu Naatu” the rollicking dance hit bagged the Oscar for best original song which displayed the 1920s colonial India. MM Keeravani, the song’s composer, and the lyricist Chandrabose were awarded at the Oscar scripting history for Indian Cinema.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, everyone thought the war would not last more than weeks as the former's military power was multiple times more powerful than that of the latter's. But, the US' indirect entry into the war changed the narrative. US President Joe Biden's surprise visit to the war zone emerged as one of the turning points of the war. Despite inevitable threats, Biden reached the war-embattled nation on February 20. He met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv amid a bombing in the capital city.
Bharat Jodo Yatra has been one of the landmark events of the year. The padyatra was considered the biggest political initiative by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in an attempt to revive the lost electoral fortune of the grand old party. Gandhi walked from Kanyakumari at the southern tip of India to Jammu and Kashmir, a journey of 4,080 kilometres over almost 150 days. The event was a talking point as the rival Bharatiya Janata Party termed it an event to relaunch Gandhi.
The year 2023 has been an eventful year for the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. Khan not only lost his Pakistan Prime Minister post but also landed himself in jail. His outrageous remarks caused violent protests in the neighbouring country. Subsequently, Khan, along with his Cabinet colleagues was jailed. A dramatic picture of Khan in which he was seen wearing a makeshift black box-like bulletproof helmet at an anti-terror court for seeking his bail extension on April 5 was widely shared on social media.
The year 2023 has been historic in terms of women's empowerment as a bill (Women's Reservation Bill, Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam) that seeks 33 per cent reservation in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies was passed by the Parliament. PM Modi met women MPs following the passage of the historic Women's Reservation Bill on September 21. The PM also posed for a photograph with women lawmakers.
Also read: Yearender 2021: Top 10 Indian Cricketing Moments
