Making us witness some unforgettable episodes of political settlements, some promising and some contentious, the year 2019 has finally come to fruition. 2019 was one major year. Why? The biggest and most satisfying of all reasons for us is that we saw the publication of the 34th Edition of the Institute Magazine, Sarjana. The signature, yet subtle “reader’s charm” once missing is now back in the hand to savour!
There are several other rationales that made 2019 year a rememberable one. Shri Narendra Modi took oath as the 14th Prime Minister of India for a second term. Several bills were approved to laws. Triple Talaq was banned. Article 370 and Article 35A which gave special status to J&K got revoked. The highly anticipated decision regarding the Ayodhya verdict was unveiled. The most disputed and equivocal citizenship amendment bill was passed as recently as earlier the last month.
Apart from these, the launch of Chandrayaan 2 made us proud despite the Vikram lander giving up during the final crucial moments. Hima Das created history by winning 5 successive gold medals for India miraculously under 19 days in the athletics championships. All cricket-heads were heartbroken when India lost the opportunity to enter the WC finals after losing against New Zealand. The most loved and garnered “Captain Cool” and his expressions after the wicket fell were symbolic enough of the billions of dreams collapsing with him as he walked towards the pavilion.
The Indian Defence Forces, our symbol of pride and ever-lasting glory faced its darkest day of the decade on February 14, 2019, when a suicide bomber attacked a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, thus ending the lives of 40 CRPF personnel. We pay our humblest respects to the martyrs.
BIT Sindri, our very own second home witnessed numerous upgrades in 2019. With the admin and department buildings donning a fresh coat of paint, the hostels with new big-screens in the common rooms (although you don’t watch them!) and the students zealous as ever, we can safely say that the institute shall see a similar trajectory of progress in the upcoming year as well!
2019 took a leap in technology that was unprecedented. From foldable phones to Artificial Intelligence knocking at each door, we saw marvels being designed throughout the year. In the gaming community, Google stadia introduced a Cloud gaming service capable of streaming games in 4k. Tesla too wasn’t far behind and launched it’s very own Cybertruck. Although it made the ‘Breaking‘ news quite literally.
Coming to the fun facts of 2019, it sure was a memorable year for all the movies and TV series fans out there. We got to witness all the Otakus (Anime/Manga fans) assemble to give boost to the Anime Revolution in India which led to the screening of the movie ‘Weathering with you’ across the country. The animators went beyond art with Demon Slayer, Vinland Saga, JoJo and a long list of fan-favorites. Speaking of assembling, fans across the globe witnessed their dream come true on-screen, both with the Grand Avengers Endgame and with the dark yet so true to reality, Joker. Well, we surely cannot stop debating on which is ‘worthy’ to be called the best movie. One left us teary, while the other traumatised. They surely were unreal experiences. Unlike anime fans, some also might remember this as a disappointing year as they were confused whether it were dragons burning castles or directors burning down a legacy of a show. The Sacred Game of Thrones left quite a few scars. Gonna tell the kids 2019 proved to be a golden year for the meme community with a hilarious Chronology of Baby Yoda, Storm Area 51 doing the Naruto run, 10 Year challenges and what not! So, to put it in brief it was a bitter-sweet experience which spanned over 365 days and yet felt like it ended in just ‘A snap’.
Hope you have had a quick glimpse of the year 2019. Let us now heartily welcome 2020 hoping that it brings us more exciting happenings, victories and most importantly peace and love. 2020 is here with its 366 day (yeah it’s a leap year!) vacuous pages, waiting eagerly to be replenished with all-new chapters of your feats! What else apart from an extra day? ISRO‘s leaps into the unknown, Tokyo Summer Olympics, Marvel Phase 4 marvels and the to-do list of 2020 seems endless. Oh! 2020 will also be gifting y’all the 35th edition of Sarjana – the Institute Magazine. We wish that your fate supplemented with your efforts takes you through a euphoric ride and makes you pull off all your dreams set for the next year or more precisely, the new decade.
“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”
– RAINER MARIA RILKE
Hoping that this coming year you get to love darkness and light equally and make room for them in your endless universe of existence. May you be full of the joys of spring while you run into your new journey. Here’s wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!
SARJANA 