The Hindu Cartoonscope and Amul butter cartoons continue to be a great way to capture news in India with humor and satire. This Year in Review presents a montage of cartoons from the two sources to present highlights of what happened in India in 2011.
Reports of political scams and corruption continued to surface throughout 2011. 2G allocation, hoarding of black money and illegal mining at Bellary were some prominent ones.
The media and public focus on corruption had two important fall-outs:
1) Some prominent leaders involved in corruption scandals were arrested
A.Raja, Suresh Kalmadi, M. Kanimzohi, J. Reddy, K.S. Naidu, Amar Singh have graced Tihar Jail with their presence in 2011
2) Anna Hazare, the Gandhian leader proposed and continues to wage agitation for anti corruption JanLok Pal Bill
At the regional level, West Bengal, Telangana and Gujarat captured headlines. Assembly elections in 5 states resulted in some interesting surprises
Legislative Assembly elections took place in April- May 2011 to elect legislatures in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Pondicherry.
Trinamool Congress Party leader Mamata Banerjee made history by toppling the 34-year-old Left Front rule in West Bengal.
Public verdict vs. judicial process: Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi's role in 2002 riots remains undecided.
UPA Government’s populist announcements coupled with halfhearted policy changes were widely criticized. The seems to be focusing on short-term political gains by avoiding difficult decisions and long-term planning.
Freedom of speech, expression and personal choice were curtailed or threatened in numerous ways during 2011
Traditional councils in villages continue exerting social control through edicts that govern everything from marriage to property disputes.
The high-points of 2011 for Indians were:
1) The World Cup victory by India’s men in blue
2) Civil society outrage against political corruption
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
