A for Abortion rights, B for Bharat Jodo, C for…: A complete guide to 2022

The worst year ever. That’s what we often say as December ends. It might be accurate for 2022, a year defined a largely by war and protests. Rights were abused and many lives were lost, among them a monarch who reigned for 70 years. (Queen Elizabeth II has left a void.) Amid defeats, there were a few victories. There rose a leader who became the face of the courage. Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the world stunned and inspired. As we put the year behind us, here’s an A to Z of all that transpired. A for abortion laws It was one of the biggest shockers of the year. In April, the American news website Politico published a leaked draft of a United States Supreme Court majority opinion which revealed that it was set to overturn Roe v Wade , the historic decision that legalised abortion in the country in 1973. The bombshell report triggered a political storm in Washington. Months later, this became America’s reality. On 24 June, the US top court officially overturned Roe vs Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion did not exist anymore. This meant that abortion rights are rolled back in several states. Also read: As US Supreme Court scraps Roe vs Wade, a look at how abortion laws have evolved in India The issue became one of the main points in the US mid-terms with President Joe Biden making a promise to push abortion rights into law. It is now expected to define the 2024 presidential race. B for Bharat Jodo It’s now or never for Congress in India. Its rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seems invincible as it captures one state after another. The 2024 elections are a big test for the Grand Old Party, which now has power in only three states. Congress needed to do something different; it needed to connect with the people. With that in mind, Rahul Gandhi embarked on the Bharat Jodo Yatra , a nationwide foot march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to ensure that the concerns and demands of the common man reach Delhi. The yatra which kicked off on 7 September at the Sriperumbudur memorial near Chennai, the site of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, has completed more than 100 days. The Gandhi scion has been walking on foot from village to village, city to city. The foot march is being endorsed by activists, actors, intellectuals and India’s real-life heroes alike. And of course, political allies. But has Bharat Jodo benefitted the party? Political science expert Suhas Palshikar wrote in The Indian Express that Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra “seems to be underperforming in comparison to its own stated ambition”. C for Cyrus Mistry It was an untimely and unfortunate end. Former Tata sons chairman and the scion of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Cyrus Mistry , died on 4 September in a car crash in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. Mistry was in a luxury car along with three of his family friends – Dr Anahita Pandole, her husband Darius Pandole and Jehangir Pandole, the brother of Darius – when it hit a road divider. They were returning from a religious function in Gujarat’s Udvada, a Parsi pilgrim town. Dr Anahita Pandole, a renowned gynaecologist and obstetrician from Mumbai, was behind the wheels and reportedly overspeeding when the Mercedes crashed. While she and her husband suffered serious injuries, the passengers in the rear seat, Mistry and Jehangir Pandole died on the spot. Also read: Cyrus Mistry’s death: How the rules on seat belts, airbags will be amended? Mistry was reportedly not wearing a seat belt. The shocking mishap was a grim minder of how road safety rules are taken lightly in the country. The death prompted the government to enforce the mandatory seat belt rule for all passengers in a car. D for Donald Trump If there is one politician who is consistently in the news for all the wrong reasons, it’s Donald Trump. In August, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Mar-a-Lago, his home in Flordia’s Palm Beach. The search was part of a probe into the potential mishandling of presidential documents that Trump carried to his residence after leaving office in January 2021. The former US president faced more investigations this year into his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential elections results, his role in the 6 January Capitol attack, and tax fraud. Amid all this, he announced his bid to run for president in 2024 . That seems far off as of now. Trouble mounts for Trump and the coming year might not bring happy news. E for English politics It’s been a tumultuous year for the United Kingdom. Politics has been chaotic. The country saw three prime ministers in a year. In fact, three in less than two months. Boris Johnson was already in trouble because of ‘ Partygate ’. However, it was a scandal involving Chris Pincher, a lawmaker accused of sexual misconduct, that forced him to step down. Replacing him was Liz Truss but she wilted faster than lettuce, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. This made way for Rishi Sunak , the country’s first prime minister of colour and the first Hindu at No 10. However, the going has not been easy for the Indian-origin leader. Britain is struggling with an economic crisis and a warring Conservative Party. The fight is far from over. F for FIFA World Cup 2022 It was one of the most controversial football World Cup tournaments. FIFA and Qatar were slammed for corruption, human rights abuses, and holding an outdoor event in a country with a hot and humid climate. Nevertheless, the sporting extravaganza saw more than 1.4 million visitors throng the Arab nation. It was month full of upsets and surprises. Many big footballing Goliaths were slain. The biggest and most surprising story was the rise of Morocco. It created history and the world was euphoric, as it became the only Arab nation to make it this far. Then came the final, the greatest ever played. It was a nail-biting 120 minutes followed by penalties. In the end, Lionel Messi’s Argentina beat France which looked invincible with Kylian Mbappé by their side. [caption id=“attachment_11886411” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A supporter poses with a replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy before a match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium, north of Doha. File image/AFP[/caption] G for Gujarat polls He moved to Delhi in 2014. But it continues to be Narendra Modi’s Gujarat. The 2022 Assembly elections results are proof. The BJP not only swept Gujarat but set a record, winning 156 of the 182 Assembly seats; the majority mark is 92. It bested its previous record from 2002 when it won 127 seats in the elections, which were held months after the Godhra riots. Back then, the state showed it had faith in Modi. Twenty years on, the Modi magic continues to grow. H for hijab row It started last December after a group of six Muslim girls in a college in Karnataka’s Udupi were denied entry into classrooms. The reason? They were wearing the hijab. On 1 January 2022, the students of Udupi Women’s PU College held a presser criticising the ban. They protested outside the classroom for three days and later approached the court. As the news spread, other education institutions in Karnataka imposed similar curbs. The courts had to step in. On 15 March, the Karnataka high court upheld the ban. But the students decided to fight on. On 13 October, the Supreme Court delivered a split verdict. For now, the ban continues. But the students from Udupi have decided not to give up yet. I for Iran protests The death of Mahsa Amini , a 22-year-old woman arrested by Iran’s mortality police for wearing the “hijab inappropriately”, led to an unexpected stir. The first protest took place after Amini’s funeral, where women were seen taking off their headscarves. This was just the beginning. Soon the demonstrations spread across the country with some women burning the veil; others cutting their hair in public. There have been arrests, deaths of protesters, and public execution. But the people of Iran are continuing to raise their voices against the regime. K for Kantara It’s the year when Bollywood was forced to take a backseat. It’s the films from the south that reigned multiplexes across India and the three biggest hits were RRR, KGF2, and Kantara. Amid, these Kantara stands out. Director Rishab Shetty’s retelling of a folk tale is engrossing. At the centre of the plot, is the man vs nature conflict. The Kannada film is beautifully written, shot to perfection, and the performances are mind-blowing with Rishab Shetty leading from the front. Loved by critics and audiences alike, the sleeper hit made at a budget of Rs 16 crore crossed Rs 400 crore worldwide by November. The period action thriller has been sent for consideration for the 2023 Academy Awards. It’s moment in the sun in far from over. [caption id=“attachment_11886441” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Nasibe Samsaei, an Iranian woman living in Turkey, cuts her ponytail off during a protest outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul following the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman after her arrest by the country’s morality police in Tehran. File image/AFP[/caption] L for Lionel Messi He came, he kicked, he conquered. If he wasn’t scoring the goals, he was making the perfect passes. Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory in FIFA World Cup 2022. And he scored in every World Cup game. The finals against France is dubbed as the “best ever” as Argentina beat the European team, in the penalty shootout. Messi did his bit and some more. He lifted the trophy and went on to become the only player to win two Golden Balls; he broke many records and scripted history. And he settled the debate around GOAT… well almost. M for Morbi Bridge It was a Sunday outing in Gujarat’s Morbi. People visited the famous suspension bridge with families and that is when tragedy struck. The bridge over the Machchhu River gave way and hundreds fell into the waters below, drowning. At least 135 people died, many among the children, women and the aged. The 100-year-old structure, which was closed for repairs, had been thrown open to the public five days before the accident. Some say the bridge was overcrowded, others say a cable snapped. N for Nancy Pelosi The 82-year-old American politician has been a constant in the US House. She made headlines in 2022, pushing Chinese-American relationships to the edge when she visited Taiwan in mid-August . She became the first senior US official in 25 years to visit Taiwan, in what was deemed as a break from the ‘One China’ policy. China didn’t take Pelosi’s visit too well and Beijing warned of grave consequences and also deployed military jets and tanks as the US House speaker landed in Taipei, after it accused Washington of “playing with fire”. But Pelosi remain unfazed. Later in November, she made headlines again when she announced that she would not seek reelection to the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership after Republicans narrowly regained control of the chamber. She had then said that she would continue to serve in Congress to represent her constituents in California, but she was ready to pass the leadership torch to the younger generation. Incidentally, her decision came less than a month after an intruder assaulted her husband at the couple’s home in San Francisco in what US authorities said was a politically-motivated attack. O for Omicron Subvariants of Omicron, which kept cropping up every few months, served as a reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic was far from over. In October, the recombinant XBB , which some experts say is the “most contagious” of COVID-19 variants put India on its toes. However, the cases remained in control. Now the BF.7, an Omicron spawn, has triggered a surge of cases in China, bringing the country to its knees. The wave in the neighbouring nation has put India on high alert. Masks are making a comeback and states are bringing back curbs. It’s starting to feel a lot like 2020. P for Pakistan floods Pakistan turned into a watery hell as it witnessed one of the worst floods this summer. Torrential rains submerged one-third of the country leaving at least 1,700 dead and 12,867 injured. Bridges and rail networks were washed away with the government estimating the total damage of more than $30 billion, reports Al Jazeera. The country is still reeling under the aftereffects of the deluge as many face shortages of food and medicine. As the year ends, Pakistan struggles to pick up the pieces. [caption id=“attachment_11886511” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A flood-affected man uses a makeshift raft to cross s stream of flood waters near his damaged house in Jaffarabad, Balochistan province. File image/AFP[/caption] Q for Queen Elizabeth II It has not been Britain’s year. There was political upheaval, and it’s facing its worst economic crisis in decades. Amid all this, the UK lost its favourite monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen breathed her last died on 8 September at her Scottish estate Balmoral at the age of 96 after reigning for 70 years. What followed was 10 days of national mourning, leading up to the funeral, a poignant moment that had millions across the world in tears. After a touching tribute by Britain and world leaders, the monarch was laid to rest at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, next to her husband Prince Philip. R for Rajiv Gandhi killers In May, Supreme Court ordered the release of AG Perarivalan , a convict in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. He was 19 when he allegedly purchased the two nine-volt batteries used in the bomb used to kill the former prime minister. It paved the way for the release of the other six convicts in the case, including Nalini Sriharan and her husband V Sriharan alias Murugan, who were found guilty of facilitating the assassination. Arrested when she was 24, Nalini went on to become the longest-serving woman prisoner in the country. Her death sentence was commuted to life term in 2000. In November, she walked out of jail. S for Sri Lanka crisis The tiny island nation has seen the worst of times this year. The economic crisis left Sri Lanka struggling for fuel, food, and medicines. The country erupted in protests leading to the ouster of the powerful Rajapaksa clan. First Mahinda was forced to step down as prime minister. But that was not enough. Sri Lankans wanted his younger brother Gotabaya gone too. In July, the masses laid siege to the presidential palace. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to feel the country and make way for a new leader. Since the heady days in July, the situation is calm and inflation which touched 70 per cent has dipped marginally. But the road to recovery is a slow and long one. T for Twitter takeover The future of one of the most popular social media platforms remains uncertain. After months of back and forth, U-turns, and lawsuits, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, took over Twitter on 27 October. A lot has changed for the company since then – the top management was fired, there were mass layoffs with a warning for the remaining employees to be “hardcore”, and a big brouhaha over the blue tick. The chaos at Twitter has driven its users to other platforms. What’s worse? It has lost 50 of its top 100 advertisers since Musk took over. Also read: Mass layoffs, not paying office rent, auctioning items: How Elon Musk is cutting costs at Twitter A poll conducted by the eccentric billionaire voted him out ; they want him to step down as Twitter chief. It’s unclear who would become the next boss. It could be anyone from Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to rapper Snoop Dogg. Your guess is as good as mine. [caption id=“attachment_11886541” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A phone screen displays a photo of Elon Musk with the Twitter logo shown in the background in Washington, DC. - Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has been chaotic to say the least.[/caption] U for Uddhav Thackeray When 2022 started Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister of Maharashtra and one of the state’s most influential politicians. Now he is fighting for the legacy of the party started by his father Bal Thackeray. A rebellion by Eknath Shinde left the Shiv Sena divided. It also cost Uddhav the chief minister’s post. Now he is knocking on the doors of the country’s courts hoping to reclaim the party name and the symbol. The Shiv Sena, as Maharashtra knew it, is lost. As the two Sena sides continue to squabble, the BJP might prove to be the ultimate winner. V for visa delays Travel restrictions eased as countries lifted COVID-19-related curbs. But for Indians travelling overseas, especially to the US and the UK there was plenty to worry about. In August, many were forced to cancel or alter their travel plans to Europe, the US, and Australia because of delays in procuring visas. The UK visas, which usually take four weeks, took up to 10. But the worst was the wait time for the US visa. As of early December, it neared 1,000 days. A lso read: Why Indians are facing long visa delays for US, UK, Europe The matter became so grave that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had to intervene and raise the issue with his counterparts in the US, the UK and Germany, adding that the foreign nations were giving an assurance every week of improving the situation. W for Will Smith It was meant to be the biggest day of his career. But it became the most controversial one. At the 94th Academy Awards, actors Will Smith and Chris Rock had an altercation – unfortunately, an unscripted one. Smith slapped the comedian who made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness. Jada had earlier opened up about being diagnosed with alopecia , a condition that causes hair loss. The joke was in poor taste but it led to a whole debate about the assault later. That day, Smith won his first Oscar – the Best Actor award for King Richard. He apologised to the Academy during his speech but that did not save him from a 10-year ban from the Oscars gala and other events. It’s the slap that hit headlines, the award was reduced to a footnote. X for Xinjiang China has its dark secrets; its human rights record is dismal. Xinjiang has been under the radar of activists, journalists and the West. There have been reports of the exploitation of Uyghurs, mostly Muslims, who reside in the country’s northwest region. The US and the UK have accused the nation of large-scale rights abuses. Beijing, of course, has time and again dismissed the allegations. A United Nations report in September said that “crimes against humanity” may have been committed against Uyghur and other Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Citing “serious” rights violations and patterns of torture in recent years, it sought urgent attention from the UN and the world community. But China called the UN human rights office a “thug and accomplice of the US and the West”. Y for Yangtse Ties between India and China have been frosty. In cold December, the two sides once again clashed at the Line of Actual Control in the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh . The 9 December confrontation was the first since the encounter in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. **Also read: The significance of Arunachal Pradesh to Beijing, explained** The face-off took place in Yangtse as at least 100 soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) tried to cross over. India gave them a fitting reply. However, this is not the first time the two nations have clashed at Yangtse. There were similar scuffles in the past, in October 2021 and June 2016. This part of the border is one of the “agreed disputed areas” between India and China, according to a report by The Indian Express. [caption id=“attachment_11886581” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy poses for a selfie with Ukrainian servicemen during his visit to the liberated city of Kherson, following the retreat of Russian forces. File image/AFP[/caption] Z for Zelenskyys He is the man and she is the woman of the year. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska are the epitome of courage. They’ve stood strong in the face of adversity and proved an inspiration to one and all. The war has hardened Zelenskyy, a comic who turned politician. He is not the kind of leader who strategised in a guarded room. He is in the thick of things. From visiting troops on the frontlines to rallying support for his nation, he has done most things right as Ukraine continues to fight Russia. His wife, Olena Zelenska , like her husband is on the Russian hit list. But she refused to leave her husband, her nation behind. A longtime comedy writer, her steely side has come to the fore in the face of tragedy. The fight is far from over for the Zelenskyys. But as the First Lady told BBC, “We will endure.” Here’s hoping that in 2023 we see the war end with more lives saved than lost. A year of living less dangerously. With inputs from agencies

Catch up on all our yearenders

• From Droupadi Murmu to Mahsa Amini: Those who grabbed headlines in 2022
• The Year of Shock: From the Shraddha Walkar murder to Shinzo Abe’s assassination, the news that horrified us
• Are you ‘Quiet Quitting’? Have you revelled in freudenfreude? A look at words and phrases that defined 2022
• A tribal president, indigenous aircraft carrier, and more: How India took some giant leaps in 2022
• Cheetahs, Morocco, and more: Some good news from 2022

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