India in 2023

India is a diverse country and largest democracy in the world. As the sun sets on 2023, we reflect on a year that has been full of extraordinary events with a fair mix of triumphs and challenges for India’s economy. In this article I will mention all the achievements and intriguing events that took place in 2023 with which India made its presence felt on the global stage.

REPUBLIC DAY EVENT

India celebrated its 74^th Republic day on 26^th January with full zeal and enthusiasm braving the cold weather and multiple security checks. The event took place after a two year pause due to the pandemic and was attended by many dignitaries. Egyptian president Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was invited as a chief guest for the parade. Our first tribal president Mrs. Draupadi Murmu led the nation in celebrating the day at Kartavya path, New Delhi. Four military helicopters showered flower petals on the audience. An all-female contingent from the CRPF was one of the highlights at the parade. India’s first passenger drone named ‘‘Varuna’’ was also unveiled. About 400 gallantry awards were also given. Vibrant floats or tableaux from different states on various themes such as spiritualism, the empowerment of women and tribal culture showcased the diversity and history of the country that grabbed audience attention.  

INDIA AT GRAMMY

The 65^th Annual Grammy awards were held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on 5^th February,2023. These awards are the most prestigious and significant in the music industry worldwide. The Bangalore based Indian music composer and producer Ricky Kej won the award for the album ‘Divine Tides ’which he co-wrote with rock legend Stewart Copeland. He was nominated in the Best Immersive Audio Album category. It was his third Grammy and indeed a proud moment for India.

DOUBLE WIN AT THE OSCARS

Another unforgettable international event was the Oscars ceremony which was held on 13^th March in Hollywood at Los Angeles where Indians made everyone drop their jaws by winning in two categories. ‘Naatu Naatu’ song from the movie RRR won the Best original song Oscar. ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga won the Best Documentary short Film Oscar. Indian women are shining everywhere and telling the world that they are way more talented than men. Also Indian Actress Deepika Padukone was a presenter at the awards ceremony.

SOUR TOMATOES

We witnessed the high rise of tomato prices in 2023. The prices shot up, driven by supply shortages and erratic weather patterns. Prices skyrocketed upto Rs 300 per kg after which effective steps were taken by the government to tackle inflation. Not just tomatoes but other staple items like Rice and Pulses witnessed a steep rise in rice prices in 2023, forcing India to take difficult steps that included export bans.

CHANDRAYAAN LANDED ON MOON

Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed on the south pole of the moon on 23^rd August. It was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 14^th July. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 5^th August and the lander touched down near the south pole of the moon on 23^rd august, making India the fourth country to land on the moon and the first one to land on the lunar south pole. It was the most awaited mission after the failure of Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. Indians were overjoyed after this news and the whole world was in awe of India. According to a revelation made by ISRO it was women scientists who chose the Chandrayaan-3 moon landing spot stressing on the fact that women were also a crucial part of this mission.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIP

On 28^th August India’s Neeraj Chopra hauled himself into the history books by becoming the first ever Indian to win the gold medal in men’s javelin throw at World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary. By this he also qualified for Paris Olympics 2024 and was a gold medalist in the same category at Tokyo Olympics 2021.

HOSTING G20 SUMMIT

India hosted the 18^th meeting of G20 at Bharat Mandapam Exhibition Centre, New Delhi on 9-10 September. This was the first G20 meeting to be held in India .It was chaired by respected Prime minister Narendra Modi. The theme was ‘ Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ or ‘One Earth one family one future’. It was inspired from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. The world’s global leaders from 19 countries came for the meeting. The rich Indian culture and heritage was showcased to the guests.

 CRICKET WORLD CUP

India also hosted the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup which started on 5^th October and concluded on 19^th November. Australia was the winner of the tournament after defeating India in the finals. It was a proud moment for team India as they entered in finals after a long wait of 11 years. The tournament took place in ten different stadiums, in ten cities across the country. The final took place between India and Australia at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

JIO WORLD PLAZA

The India’s largest luxe mall located at Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai was inaugurated on 1^st November which will house nearly 20 international brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and many more offering an unparalleled shopping experience like never before. It is owned by India’s one of richest families, the Ambani family.

GRAMMY NOMINATION

The list of nominations for Grammy Awards was announced on 11^th November 2023 and India added another feather in its cap. ‘Abundance in Millets’, a song featuring Prime Minister Modi has been nominated in the best global music performance category at the 2024 Grammy awards. Indian American singer Falguni Shah and her husband Gaurav Shah collaborated with the honourable prime minister on this special song. It features a speech written and delivered by PM Modi. This song was created to promote Millets, help farmers grow it and end world hunger.

These were the milestone achievements in 2023 with which our nation got recognition on a global scale.