Starting from the launch of the ‘Europa Clipper’ probe to Jupiter’s moon to the Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra winning a silver medal at the Summer Olympics in Paris— 2024 has been an eventful year filled with lots of ups and downs and interspersed lessons. According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, 2024 was predicted to be the year of the ‘dragon’— a representation of bravery, strength and luck being the themes of this particular period.
The new year began with 3 countries from the middle east, namely Egypt, Iran and United Arab Emirates joining BRICS along with Ethiopia to contribute and increase economic and geopolitical cooperation among its members. 2024 also saw further ongoing developments and tragedies in the Israel–Hamas war. On February 29, soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces open fired on a crowd of civilians in Gaza City killing more than 100 people, as the Palestinian casualties of the war exceeded 30,000.
The following few months observed great changes and political buildout worldwide with major countries like USA, India, Mexico, Algeria, Venezuela and many others conducting elections. On March 7th, Sweden became the final Nordic country to officially join NATO. Furthermore, the G7 counties also agreed to phase out sustainable coal power by the year 2030 to 2035.
The eighteenth general elections of India to determine the members of the Lok Sabha took place from 19th of April to the 1st of June in seven phases. This election saw the highest participation by women voters as of yet and the largest election to ever be conducted with around 642 million voters participating. On 4th June, the results marked Narendra Modi’s third term as the prime minister of India and his first time heading a coalition government with the Telegu Desam Party and Janata Dal. The 4th of June also saw the announcement of results of India’s nationwide pre-medical entrance test: NEET. Paper leaks and discrepancies in results of the particular exam led to controversies surrounding the integrity of the examination.
Amidst all the chaos, team India brought home the T20 Men’s World Cup trophy after 17 long years. The nation burst into celebration on 29th June as the Indian cricket team delivered the joyous news to its citizens with their triumph by 7 runs against South Africa. Following this victory, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from T20 internationals after securing the title.
Diving into one of the biggest wedding events in pop culture history— the lavish marriage of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant observed some big household names like Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Boris Johnson and Mike Tyson grace the occasion. Starting from the stunning embroidered outfits designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee to the exciting events portrayed in media— the couple’s wedding received all the buzz from the general public worldwide in 2024. The end of July was welcomed with great enthusiasm as the Summer Olympics began after 4 years in Paris. India won six medals including a silver and five bronze, and ranked 71st amongst the 206 countries that participated in the event. Additionally, Manu Bhaker made history as she became the first Indian athlete to win two medals at the same Olympics since India’s independence.
August brought in political turmoil with the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh. Mass student-led protests that started in July 2024 against a quota system for public sector jobs led to the disintegration of the country’s parliament and violence— ultimately leading the ex- prime minister of Bangladesh to flee from her home country. Later into the month, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared ‘Mpox’ a public health emergency of international concern following the spread of the virus in African countries.
On September, heavy rainfall in Central Europe triggered massive flooding in the region. 2024 was recorded to be the warmest year on record with developing countries suffering extreme weather. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida with a whopping death toll of 236 victims. Earth reportedly also observed a temporary ‘second moon’ called 2024 PT5, a small asteroid, which was present in space from September to November. The temporary moon helped scientists study and prepare for potential asteroid threats.
As the year reached its concluding months, many notable events came into play. Claudia Sheinbaum set the record as she became the Mexico’s first ever woman president. Furthermore, some of the highly anticipated movies and shows like ‘Arcane’ and ‘Wicked’ released worldwide resulting in reviews from fans and critics alike. On 12th December, Gukesh Dommaraju, made history as he became the youngest World Chess Champion and second youngest chess grandmaster in history.
The year of 2024 was a rollercoaster of emotions for many, in light of various events. As one grows through the different phases of their lives, they may come across experiences and emotions both old and new. Obstacles or fortune, failure or success — all of these are part and parcel of life only existing to shape yesterday’s self to a better individual for tomorrow.
Sometimes, it is necessary to look back so that on looking ahead, the view forward is even clearer. With the fresh year of 2025 ahead, letting go of past regrets and working on things to improve oneself should be the top priorities of many for a peaceful and joyous new year. As individuals, reflecting and assessing oneself by refining will not only help in the long run but also bring a sense of peace and fulfillment. Ultimately, the new year symbolizes not just the passage of time, but a renewed commitment to goals and other objectives, encouraging everyone to strive for a brighter future.
By: Sayani Ghosh
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