Happy Republic Day!

With just a few hours left to go for our Republic Day, it's time to review the biggest events of last year. There were quite a few highs and lows but the three most influential events which affected us made for breaking news.

Abhinav Bindra's path breaking achievement in the Olympics truly made it a memorable sporting year for us. We finally broke the deadlock in getting an individual gold medal at the biggest international sporting event. Post this, we can look forward to seeing some medals coming our way in future Olympics. We could rank it as the third most impactful event for us in 2008.

However, the signing of the Nuclear agreement stole the limelight from everthing else. This was a phenomenal achievement which put us right up there in the top league of the most powerful nations in the world. Dr Manmohan Singh comprehensively proved his critics and detractors wrong by being resilient on his decision. The Nuke agreement will open the doors of nuclear trade thereby ensuring prosperity for us. This would rank as the second most influential event for India in the year 2008.

However, the biggest event was the one which sends shivers down our spine even today. The Mumbai terror attacks shocked not only us but the entire world. The gory and gruesome scenes are simply unforgettable and whatever we do, we will never be able to erase the dark memories.

There's nothing really left for us to comment on but we can take heart from the fact that our politicians are atleast persisting in keeping the pressure on Pakistan. India looks at people like Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr A K Anthony with optimism. While the damage is simply irreparable, the pain will subside only if action is taken and justice done. Let's hope that Mr Obama converts those words spoken against Pakistan into concrete actions.

Jai Hind!

Oscar glory for India

After the much hyped controversy surrounding the fiasco at Satyam Computers, it's time for we Indians to celebrate. Following his achievement of winning the Golden Globe for Slumdog Millionaire, A R Rehman created history by becoming the first Indian to receive more than one nomination for this year's Oscars.

Rehman has truly demonstrated the power of Indian music by taking it to the international level. He has been setting milestones with his melodies since the mid 90s and finally it's time he got his due.Bhanu Athaiya and Satyajit Ray have been the only Indians to have won at the Academy Awards and we hope to see Rehman making us proud by receiving an Oscar this year.

Rehman's achievement and Vikas Swarup's contribution have been overshadowed by the criticism coming from all quarters for Slumdog's brutal depiction of the poverty ridden and crime infested India. While the world has definitely woken up to recognize A R's talent, it's time we acknowledge Vikas Swarup's efforts in coming up with such a fantastic work of fiction.

Let's hail the genius of A R Rehman!