The last year of this decade passes by and gives way to 2010. I tried to put together a small mélange of stirring events that occurred in 2009.
It was the year that a certain Mr. Barack Obama became President Barack Obama, who then became President Barack Obama N.L (Nobel Laureate); the year that one man dared to hope in change and dared to share his hope with millions of other people; the year that he tore down the shabby veil of political bigotry and apartheid that allowed a nation to send men to the moon, but restricted it from raising a man of colored origin to its highest seat. It was the year of change. Change brought about by vision and hard work; change that made Obama a household name and a hero of multitudes internationally.
Speaking of heroes, this past year gave us quite a few to remember. Heroes ranging from former president of the United States Bill Clinton, who single-handedly rescued American journalists from North Korea in an almost James-Bondesque fashion, to the doctors in India, who perform miracles almost every day of their lives. Unsung heroes like your neighborhood fireman and your mother who works 3 shifts so that you can eat better.
This was a year of losses. What greater loss than that of the greatest performer ever – Michael Jackson. People in my generation will remember that he uplifted us every day of our life. He gave us his music and he gave us his moves so that we may forget our sorrows and celebrate our joys. Among the more significant losses to USA, and specifically to the state of Massachusetts, was that of Senator Ted Kennedy, one of the greatest politicians and humanitarians of his time, who left behind a political and social void.
Death hunted in various forms – The Sri Lankan civil war was just one of those forms. Thousands of ethnic Sinhalese and Tamils lost their lives. This war eventually led to the military defeat of the LTTE and the demise of their chief Prabhakaran.
The H1N1 influenza strain, more commonly known as Swine Flu, became a true global pandemic and claimed hundreds of lives worldwide. Hundreds of Indians died because of this disease, and hundreds more are still susceptible to infection.
This was the year of Twitter. Thousands of people around the world chose to express themselves in the stipulated 140 characters or less. The most significant use of the Twitter network was in the organization of the anti-Ahmadinejad protests in Iran. Many celebrities used Twitter to log their lives for their followers. India’s own MoS (External Affairs) Shashi Tharoor got into more than a few spots of bother because of his Twittering ways.
It was the year that terror struck out at Cricket. Sports was hitherto relatively untouched by terrorism, but this time they crossed the line. Gunmen attacked Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, Pakistan and injured several cricketers. Speaking of cricket, it was also the year that the Indian cricket team finished at the top of the Test cricket list.
