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Things that kept the internet ticking this year were an eclectic mix of serious and not-so-serious things, with some being even more downright hilarious. Nevertheless, people love their share of humour when mixed with a generous amount of responsibility that comes with voicing their opinions on the social media. What kept the internet abuzz these 12 months in 2015? Read on! 
 
Modi’s Suit: 
 
This was something that was somewhere between funny and serious. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sartorial choice for a meeting with US President Barack Obama, who was in India as chief guest for Republic Day parade, was something that was widely shared, spoken about and scrutinized. The pin striped suit with Modi’s name embroidered for the stripes was really something that Indians will discuss for years to come. The suit was later auctioned. 
 
<keyword id="3089868" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dadri-lynching-incident">Dadri lynching incident</keyword>: 
 
Mohammed Akhlaq in Uttar Pradesh was lynched to death over rumours that he had stored the banned beef in his refrigerator. This was something that shocked the secular nation. The alleged murder sent shockwaves across the country and social media went abuzz discussing the ghastly crime that occurred over the rumours that were instigated by a section of people. 
 
Lass behind the loss: 
 
Why did India lose the world cup? A volley of abusive tweets and opinions went back and forth over the presence of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s girlfriend and actor Anushka Sharma’s presence among the audience at the final match. She was cited as the reason why India didn’t play well enough to bring the cup of glory home. Really, this one took the cake. 
 
International Yoga Day: 
 
With yoga being given the international status with a day being dedicated to this ancient art of well being of mind and body, International Yoga Day observed in January this year saw thousands of participants including Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Social media went all thrilled with the news and widely shared the images with pride. 
 
Call me Caitlyn: 
 
Former Athlete Bruce Jenner’s gender transformation into Catilyn Jenner with a super sexy cover on Vogue had the news being discussed both for its seriousness and the underlying dark humour which some saw. Catilyn emerging from the closet was bold, and of course, equally beautiful. Some welcomed it and some derided the decision of sex change. Caitlyn was loved and hated, in equal measure. 
 
Bieber’s butt: 
 
#TurnAroundJustin trended on twitter when pop star (or poop star, as some would insist) Justin Bieber posted a picture of his nude backside against the backdrop of a breathtaking ocean while he stood on a yacht. Bieber fans, and haters went into full fan mode and generously used the hashtag to get his attention. Nothing sold like this booty this year! 
 
Maggi Ban: 
 
The re-entry of India’s favourite instant noodles Maggi, which had seen generations growing up on this comfort food was not as much a news as its ban was. When Maggi was banned over high presence of lead, the country went berserk and constant denial mode. Students and street hawkers who depended on Maggi went into a brooding mode. 
 
Cecil’s death: 
 
Killing of a lion by hunter Walter Palmer in Africa had environmentalists and social activists furiously typing out their anger against this inhuman end to the life of this animal. The killing was described, and redescribed till the internet bayed for Palmer’s blood. Cecil was dearly missed. 
 
The blue-gold dress: 
 
This is what set the tone for the year. Images of Ellen’s dress with a question “blue and black or white and gold” had almost all celebrities across the world giving out their answer in response. Some of the white-and-gold believers turned out disappointed because the dress was blue-and-black. It was a fun thing, nevertheless, that broke the internet early this year. 
 
 The ‘mistaken’ miss: 
 
Steve Harvey takes the crown, the sash and the cash award for being the biggest dumb anchor in the history of events. Or so did the social media judge him. The popular anchor for Miss World Pageants since many years, goofed up big time when he announced the name of Miss Colombia as Miss World, while the real winner was Miss Philippines. Mistake was rectified later. However, the issue didn’t lose steam for days after that. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Modi’s suit, beef ban row, Anushka Sharma and ICC World Cup: Things that broke the internet in 2015

As politicians are openly making a Peepli Live moment out of the unfortunate lynching incident in Dadri, the pertinent question to ask is why the Prime Minister of our country silent on the matter. 
 As we all know, a man was lynched for allegedly eating beef on <keyword id="30760" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="eid">Eid</keyword>. Then there was a riot-like situation because the relatives of the deceased were not allowed to be a part of the funeral procession. As if this was not enough, our politicians went on to use the incident to fan communal passion. 
 
But that’s not even the point. The point is, since when did India become such a regressive country? We thought we are democratic and it’s disturbing to see the silence of our Prime Minister when the fundamental rights of a common man are being brutally violated in front of his eyes. 
 
Frustrated as we may feel, this is not the first time India has felt disappointed by Modi’s silence on matters where he should have taken a stand for the sake of preserving the fundamental rights of different communities. 
 
Here are 5 such instances when we saw him become a mute spectator and watch our democratic rights get compromised: 
 
Attack on innocent seers in Varanasi 
 
Sadhus and their supporters were taking out a procession for Lord Ganesha's idol immersion in Varanasi when they were suddenly lathicharged by cops. It’s a ritual followed by seers for decades. And, there was no law and order problem in the area. Where then was the need to lathicharge them. 
 
Seers were denied their right to worship the way they wanted, but Modi remained silent. 
 
Vyapam scam and Lalitgate controversy 
 “Neither will I catch the corrupt, nor will I allow others to do it,” Modi had said after becoming the Prime Minister. When the time came and two mega scams involving two of his Chief Ministers – <keyword id="6355111" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sushma-Swaraj">Sushma Swaraj</keyword> and Shivraj Singh – came to the fore, his double speak was exposed. He failed to initiate action against them despite evidences. 
 
Thousands of Vyapam victims were denied their right to justice, but Modi remained silent. 
 
Attack on Christian places of worship 
 
Five churches were attacked in two and a half months and holy relics and holy communion were destroyed. As Christian men, women, elderly, priests matched towards Home Minister’s house as a mark of protest, they were picked up by cops and forced into buses. They wanted security. 
 
They wanted their right to live freely in a secular country and not be discriminated against, but Modi watched on, silently. 
 
Forced conversion row also called ‘<keyword id="6464685" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ghar-wapsi">Ghar Wapsi</keyword>’ 
 
It’s one thing to not like another religion and it’s another thing to forcibly convert someone to another religion. Both are condemnable in a democratic country like ours. Hindutva hotheads backed, by the VHP and the RSS (Modi's alma mater), went on to convert poor non-Hindus to Hinduism. 
 
People wanted their right to observe the religion of their choice, but again, Modi maintained silence. 
 
Beef ban controversy 
 
Meat lovers in Maharashtra were left heart-broken when Maharashtra's BJP government backed by the NDA at the Centre brought a ban on slaughtering of cows, bulls and buffaloes. Bizarre as it seemed, all limits of religious intolerance were crossed when a 50-year-old man Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched and his son Danish (22) was brutally beaten up as punishment for allegedly eating beef on Eid and 'storing it' for later consumption. 
 
Only two days back, 6 students of a leading government-aided college in Thrissur, Kerala were suspended for conducting a ‘beef festival’ inside the campus to protest against the lynching of Akhlaq. 
 
Amid all of this, Modi is still silent. 
 
If not for the sake of preserving our rights, you should at least talk tough on such issues for safeguarding your own image, Mr Modi, otherwise it looks like you approve of such heinous crimes. Whatever happened to your poll promise of carrying 125 crore Indians together with 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, we wonder. 
 
(Image credit: indiatimes)

5 times PM Modi’s silence has left our democratic rights compromised

India recognizes itself as the largest democracy in the world. It is also identified as a secular nation- one where various religions intersperse across the length and breadth of the country and coexist. 
 However, the fast-forward button to 2015 reveals a different scenario- one where <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>’s India resembles very little like a democracy or a secular nation. 
 
In today’s India, the minorities live in fear. Fear of getting killed for their religion or for what they consume. They’re at fault for offending sentiments of a particular community by merely existing, and the day isn’t far when a refrigerator check shall be made mandatory. 
 
The question on everyone’s minds is thus a simple one. How did we, as a country get here? 
 
Let’s face it, this transformation is impossible to have been achieved overnight, regardless of the various blood-thirsty fringe outfits at play. It is also unlikely that this could have been successful without the approval or the free-hand of the ruling party. 
 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/5-times-PM-Modis-silence-has-left-our-democratic-rights-compromised/articleshow/49253142.cms">Dadri</a> lynching isn’t the first horrific incident that India has witnessed and keeping in mind the increasing level of intolerance seeping into our mindsets, it certainly won’t be the last, but where it stands out when compared to other similar instances is that it was effective in pioneering a raging public discourse regarding the worrying direction in which India is headed. 
 
The leader of the largest democracy, Prime Minister <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=narendra+modi">Narendra Modi</a> offers no solace or answers. Neither does the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bjp">BJP</a> top brass. 
 
His damning silence on the incident and the much bigger problem of intolerance that it represents has been severely analyzed and the widely assumed notion is that Narendra Modi is in favour of allowing such a behavior, if not approving it. It seems to denote an environment where Muslims or any minority community won’t be spared unless they live by the rules. 
 This transformation of India also comes at a time when our Prime Minister is flying all over the world in a bid to position India as a lucrative option amongst the superpowers and rake in foreign <keyword id="6362476" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="investments">investments</keyword>. 
 And, it’d be wrong to admit that Modi hasn’t achieved results. In 2014-2015 alone, India has received $19.78 billion foreign direct investment (<keyword id="44528" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="FDI">FDI</keyword>) from the 12 countries visited by him. 
 
Just yesterday, German chancellor <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=angela+merkel">Angela Merkel</a> signed close to 18 MOUs with India. She also stressed on the fact that German companies operating In India should be given the same treatment as Indian companies as they benefit both sides. 
 
Whether Merkel was aware of the cloud of intolerance spreading slowly but steadily throughout the country while signing the agreements is not known, but would her country be willing to stick to their stance had they been briefed about the India’s situation remains a doubt you cannot easily shirk off. 
 
The countries investing in India see the country as progressive, accepting and a breeding ground for new ideas, thoughts accompanied by a freedom of expression but it is far from the country India resembles at the moment. 
 
 A beefburger might be the preferred snack in other parts of the world, but in India it is a food item that’s best when it’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Bollywood-reacts-on-MeatBan-in-hometown-Mumbai/articleshow/48915328.cms">banned</a>. 
 
It is thus, upto only one man to restore the reputation of the country, if not for the sake of the family who lost their 50-year old father over rumours of them being beef-eaters but for the future that could await India. 
 
Mr Prime Minister, it's time you spoke. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

A ‘beefy’ choice: Should world leaders invest in
Modi’s India?

The year 2015 is on a fag end and it is time to look back and see who made news and why. From politics to Bollywood to even holy cow, Indian celebrities were centre of attraction for some or the reason in 2015. 
 
Yahoo released its 2015 Year in Review and came out with interesting top trends of 2015. 
 
As per Yahoo, Sunny Leone remained the most searched female celebrity for fourth year in a row and Salman Khan was the most searched male celebrity of 2015. 
 
Interestingly, Sania Mirza was among the most searched sportspersons, breaking the cricket-dominated list. Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni took the top spot and Saina Nehwal was at 10th. 
 
Even our holy cow emerged as personality of the year, due to a string of controversies including the beef ban and Dadri lynching incident. 
 
Among other news, ISIS, 2015 World Cup, APJ Abdul Kalam’s demise, the Sheena Bora Murder investigation and the Vyapam Scandal also made headlines in 2015 and featured on the list of most searched news in 2015. 
 
Not surprising enough, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the most searched politician of the year and his selfie moment with China’s Li Keqiang was the epic selfie of 2015. 
 
Arvind ‘common man’ Kejriwal was second and Radhe Maa was also among the most searched personalities! 
 
Talking about movies, the epic Baahubali, which broke box-office records while also being the most expensive movie to be ever made in India, went on to claim the top spot as ‘Most Searched Movie of the Year’. 
 
Apple dominated technology news and searches this year, with the iPhone 6 taking the top spot in the list of Most-Searched Gadgets. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

PM Modi is the selfie king of 2015! Apple iPhone 6 is most searched gadget of the year

After Bollywood’s superstar Shah Rukh Khan raised the issue that there was intolerance in the country, latest to join him is actor <keyword id="6355923" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aamir-Khan">Aamir Khan</keyword>. 
 
Aamir, while speaking at an award ceremony of a news daily, said his wife Kiran Rao had asked if they should move out of the country, as she feared for the safety of their children in a climate of insecurity. 
 
Following the Dadri lynching case, many people have raised their concerns over intolerance and sparked debates. So much so that writers, academicians, historians, etc even returned their awards. 
 
“There is an increased sense of despondency over the past 6-8 months. Important that those in power strongly condemn what's wrong. Historians, scientists have had a view to express. Returning awards is one way of getting your point across," said Aamir. 
 
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in UK, had said that there was no place in intolerance in the country. 
 
"Any event in any corner of India - it doesn't matter if there are even one or two incidents - we will not tolerate it and the law will deal with it strictly. India is a vibrant democracy where the lives, views and thoughts of ordinary citizens are protected under the Constitution. We are committed to this," Modi had said in the UK. 
 
However, Aamir’s statement was slammed by another Bollywood actor Anupam Kher. 
 
He took to microblogging site Twitter and condemned Aamir’s remarks on intolerance in India. 
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SatyamevaJayate?src=hash">#SatyamevaJayate</a> u talked about evil practices but gave Hope. So even in ‘Intolerant’ times u need 2 spread Hope not Fear.
	— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnupamPkher/status/668873705087463424">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a> Presumed country has become <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Intolerant?src=hash">#Intolerant</a>. Wat do u suggest 2 millions of Indians? Leave India? Or wait till regime changes?
	— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnupamPkher/status/668866930917396481">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a>. When did ‘Incredible India’ become ‘Intolerant India’ for you? Only in the last 7-8 months? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtithiDevoBhavah?src=hash">#AtithiDevoBhavah</a>
	— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnupamPkher/status/668865266764390400">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a>. Did you tell Kiran that you have lived through more worse times in this country &amp; but you never thought of moving out.
	— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnupamPkher/status/668854367013965824">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/aamir_khan">@aamir_khan</a>. Did you ask Kiran which country would she like to move out to? Did you tell her that this country has made you AAMIR KHAN.
	— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnupamPkher/status/668853344342024192">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
WATCH VIDEO: AAMIR KHAN SPEAKS ON INTOLERANCE 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-video" lang="en">
	
		Aamir Khan On Intolerance &amp; Delinking Religion From Terrorism - Complete Conversation At Ramnath Goenka Awards <a href="https://t.co/HWRLtCW7fN">https://t.co/HWRLtCW7fN</a>
	— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndianExpress/status/668886574134788096">November 23, 2015</a></blockquote>
 
(Image: Indiatimes/Video: Twitter)

Aamir Khan says India is unlivable, increasingly intolerant. His wife suggested moving out of India

Undoubtedly, this was the most happening weekend for voters, who I assume lay tucked under their blankets just like I was, to witness the neck-and-neck fight between the BJP and Nitish-led <keyword id="6360370" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="grand-alliance">grand alliance</keyword> in the <keyword id="30033" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bihar">Bihar</keyword> battle. It was like an India-Pakistan world match that keeps you nibbling your nails till the very end. Here, on the contrary, things became clear pretty early, by about 11 am when the Mahagathbandhan turned out to be the turtle slowly overtaking the massive start the rabbit (BJP) had shown since the counting began at 7 am. As exciting as the result day was, Nitish and Lalu’s grand alliance had to have the last laugh (they did not bury their 20 years of rivalry to take on Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> to taste defeat, after all!). 
 
Ever since RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comment came on the need to have a rethink of caste-based reservation, BJP knew it was doomed. What did the party not do to reverse the damage these comments had done - from BJP distancing from his remarks to assuring the people of Bihar that it would name an OBC as their CM after the elections - but the irreparable damage had already been done. If this was not enough, Union minister VK Singh did a ‘Mohan Bhagwat’ too and in fact very soon. “The government cannot be held responsible if a stone is thrown at a dog,” he said on the murders of two Dalit children in Faridabad. And pat, there went the Dalit votes to the grand alliance’s kitty. Muslims weren’t happy with BJP too with Dadri lynching incident, the remarks by BJP leaders that followed and the entire row over beef eventually assuming focus in the public discourse. It all went against the saffron party with Nitish and Lalu motivating Muslims to not vote for the BJP. Moreover, Asaduddin Owaisi's All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was supposed to play a crucial role to mobilize voters but it failed drastically with the votes going in favour of the grand alliance ultimately. So much about vote bank politics in a caste-dominated state polls. 
 Next comes Nitish’s face with Lalu’s base that did the trick for the two. <keyword id="6358190" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nitish-Kumar">Nitish Kumar</keyword>'s popularity among Biharis is well known because he is recognized as a CM who has delivered good governance in Bihar in the last 10 years. The most popular CM candidate, Nitish’s door-to-door campaign ahead of the polls helped him strike a personal connect with the voters, while Lalu, who crafted the winning MY (Muslim-Yadav) combination to rule the state, managed to hold together his support base and ensured that they voted for the Mahagathbandhan candidates. 
 
As these two strong personas were fighting it hard on the ground, they stood againt a national party no doubt, but one that lacked a strong local face to win the trust of voters on the ground. Modi was once again put on the ground to steer votes towards BJP, not realizing that a disinterested local leadership was always going to be a big disadvantage for the party. Adding to this, the weak allies the party had - Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP; Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM and Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP – hardly managed to get anything for the BJP. It’s no surprise because they were weak contenders from the beginning. 
 
All these factors coupled with a dieing Modi wave of course had very little in store for the BJP. It was but obvious, that Lalu-Nitish and their grand alliance had to have the last laugh!

You Searched For "Dadri lynching incident" and got 6 results

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5 times PM Modi’s silence has left our democratic rights compromised

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Aamir Khan says India is unlivable, increasingly intolerant. His wife suggested moving out of India

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