DEATH// Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa passed away at a hospital in Chennai on December 5, 2016 a night after a heart attack. 68 year old Jayalalithaa had been unwell and in hospital since September last year. She had won the state elections in Tamil Nadu in the month of May to become Chief Minister for a fourth time. Following her death, one of her senior ministers O Panneerselvam has been made the Chief Minister. Her funeral was held on Tuesday, December 6 and she was buried near the memorial of MG Ramachandran, a former Chief Minister of the state and Jayalalithaa’s mentor, in Chennai. The AIDMK Chief suffered the cardiac arrest soon after her party informed the media that she had fully recovered and is due to return home soon.
Born in 1948, Jayalalithaa came into prominence as an actress in Tamil movies and soon became famous as a popular heroine. Given the fame and power that film heroes and heroines have in the state, it was no surprise that she too made her way from the movie world to politics. She served five terms as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for over 14 years from 1991 and 2016.
After Ramachandran’s death, Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK to victory in the 1991 elections and was appointed the youngest Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Soon after she started many programmes for the wellbeing of poor people and brought in rules to reserve seats in colleges for communities that needed help, she lost popularity as people felt that she had become corrupt and had taken huge amounts of money in order to favour certain people. However she returned as Chief Minister thrice more-in 2001, 2011 and 2016.
In 2011, Jayalalithaa started canteens where food was available to the poor at a very low cost. She also launched schemes for low cost drinking water, free laptops for government students and low cost medicines. These were called the ‘Amma’ schemes-named after Jayalalithaa herself who was called ‘Amma’ or ‘mother’ by her supporters who felt that, like a mother, she always put their needs first.
INDIA LIFTS HOCKEY JUNIOR WORLD CUP
HOCKEY// The boys in blue lifted the Hockey Junior World Cup last month after defeating Belgium 2-1 in the final played at Lucknow. Though this win came after a long gap of 15 years, India has now won the Hockey Junior World Cup for the second time. This is the first time that the host nation has won the trophy. Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh scored for India. Belgium tried hard to equalize but could only manage one goal as the final whistle was blown. By then, it was too late. The bronze medal was won by Germany which defeated Australia in the third place play-off. India now joins Germany as the only teams to have won the Junior World Cup twice. This young team came together only in April 2014. The junior team also won the Junior Asia Cup last year and another tournament in Spain recently. The success of this team is a great boost for our national sport which is a lot less popular than cricket. India’s track record in the sport for the past 15 years has not been great either. But this victory by the junior team may be a sign that glorious days may be ahead for Indian hockey.
LT GEN BIPIN RAWAT IS OUR NEW ARMY CHIEF
APPOINTMENT// Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat has been selected as the next Chief of Army Staff. General Rawat will take charge on December 31, 2016 when the current head General Dalbir Singh retires. The appointment has raised a few eyebrows between the government and the Opposition parties because Lt General Rawat has been promoted ahead of two other officers. But the government has made it clear that Lt General Rawat is the best man for the job as he has tremendous hands-on experience of serving in combat areas and at various functional levels in the Indian Army. Being the best man for the job, the government has every right to choose him, officials have said. Along with him, Air Marshal BS Dhanoa will take charge as the head of the Indian Air Force.
ENGLAND BITES THE DUST IN INDIA
CRICKET// After losing three series between 2011 and 2014, India finally set up a series win over England. The first match was drawn but India won the next four. At the final test played in Chennai, India won the final test at Chennai by an innings and 75 runs. Put in to bat in the second innings, England was bowled out by India with Ravindra Jadeja bagging seven wickets. The Indian test team has been on a winning spree in 2016 and has not lost a single match this year. Of the 12 tests played, they have won 9 and drawn 3. This surpasses their previous record of most wins (8) in a calendar year in 2010. In the process, Virat Kohli has become the first Indian captain to win five test rubbers (a rubber refers to a series) in a row. Between 2015 and 2016, India has defeated Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand and now England. The last time, India won so many series in a row, it was under three different captains–Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni and Virender Sehwag.
INDIAN WINS NAT GEO PHOTO CONTEST
WINNER// Varun Aditya, a young photographer from Tamil Nadu, has won the top prize in the ‘Animal Potraits’ category of the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards. The Nat Geo awards are among the most sought after ones by photographers. Varun was inside a forest at Amboli in Maharashtra on a foggy monsoon morning when he spotted a green vine snake. His composition of that shot has now landed him with the most prestigious and sought after award.
THOUSANDS FLEE ALEPPO
WAR// Thousands of people are fleeing their homes in the city of Aleppo in the West Asian nation of Syria. Aleppo is being torn apart by war between those who support the Syrian government and the rebels who don’t. Innocent people have been killed while buildings and entire cities have been bombed in this conflict which has left many in Syria homeless. Families who have been stuck in Aleppo without food and water for days are now trying to leave the city. Children have been troubled by war, hunger and death.
CYCLONE VARDAH DISRUPTS CHENNAI
CALAMITY// On Monday, December 12th, Cyclone Vardah hit the southern city of Chennai with all its might and fury, leaving behind a trail of broken trees and a damaged city. Vardah was the most powerful cyclone to directly hit the city since 1994. After forming over the Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Vardah crossed the coast near Chennai, which is the reason why the city was badly affected by winds blowing at speeds between 110 and 120 kilometers per hour, accompanied by heavy rain. Uprooted trees blocked roads while others fell on top of vehicles, smashing them. Electricity, telephone and internet services were disturbed for several days. Schools and colleges also stayed shut. Chennai airport also stayed closed for a day haltin gall operations. Crops in farms along the coast also saw a lot of damage.
GOODBYE FIDEL!
DEATH// Cuban leader Fidel Castro passed away on November 25, 2016. Leader of a small island in the Caribbean, Castro went on to become a world famous figure, mainly because of his enmity with the United States. Castro came to power in 1959 as the leader of a revolt against the then leaders of Cuba. Castro ruled Cuba much like a king from 1959 until 2008, for almost 50 years. Few world leaders have controlled a country for that long. Due to ill health, Castro handed over his powers to his brother Raul Castro in 2008. Once he came to power in 1959, Fidel Castro set about making Cuba a model Socialist state. A socialist state is one in which the government provides for the needs of the people-food, homes, jobs-equally to all. It is a controlled situation where the government owns most of the companies operating within a country , and free public exchange of ideas is not allowed. This approach brought Cuba into a close friendship with Russia, which was run on similar ideas then.
But this path put it in direct opposition to the US which follows a free market system where individuals are encouraged to create their own businesses and the government has a smaller role in the lives of people. Plus, in those days, the US and Russia were bitter enemies. By siding with Russia against America, Castro almost brought the world to the brink of a third world war, which was avoided at the last minute. Socialism has not fully worked for Cuba. People don’t earn very much and many go hungry as food supplied by the government is not always enough. However, in recent years Cuba and the US have patched up some of their differences, and it looks like Cuba will loosen its controls and change the way it has been run for so many years.