Rise and fall of titans: The A, B, Cs of country's notebook

Some mercurial rises and a number of steep falls always mark every year’s ledger book. 2015 was no different. An invincible BJP found itself in a quandary after Bihar. The GST remained a mirage while Modi – both Narendra and Lalit – sprang surprises.

»A for Arun, Azad: Arun Jaitley and Kirti Azad provided the perfect climax for a thrilling year with DDCA scam. Who will have the last laugh – Jaitley or Azad?

»B for Beef, Bihar, Ban: Beef became a symbol of resistance for liberals as right-wingers chose it as a political tool. Threat of banning anything they disliked also loomed large. Bihar election result showed that people rejected the politics of beef and ban.

»C for CBI, Censor Board, Call Drops: The CBI continues to be a caged parrot, believes opposition, while Censor Board remains senseless. People hope call drops will end in the new year.

»D for Dawood, Defamation: Don remains elusive. Reports say Dawood plans to hand over reins to brother. Supreme Court may decide on defamation laws next year.

»E for e-tailers: Will e-tailers kill retailers? Demands for regulating e-tailers raised.

»F for FTII, Free Basics: The government’s move to put a B-grade film actor as FTII head triggered students’ protest. Facebook’s ‘Free Basics’ had net neutrality activists up in arms.

»G for GST: The tax reform law is still elusive. What Modi did as Gujarat chief minister returns to haunt him as Opposition played the same tactics.

»H for Hardik Patel: Sought to rock the quota boat in Gujarat. Can the young Patel trouble Anandiben Patel, Gujarat Chief Minister?

»I for Islamic State: IS emerges as new security challenge, with youths being lured.

»J for Juvenile: Minors among criminals suffered a jolt as Parliament rushed through a law lowering age of juveniles.

»K for Kashmir: Will it be a turning point for BJP as it is part of the government for the first time? How will BJP tackle Article 370 that grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir?

»L for Land: Land Bill remains a problem for NDA. Government argues existing law scuttling development. Will people get a just deal?

»M for Modi, Maggi: Narendra Modi started they year with his name etched on his suit and ended with a surprise visit to Pakistan. Lalit Modi dropped the bombshell that helped Congress and opposition corner BJP. Maggi returns to Indian kitchens after a ban.

»N for National Herald: National Herald has tied Sonia Gandhi and Rahul in knots. Subramanian Swamy’s allegations of fraud land Gandhis in court.

»O for OROP: One Rank, One Pension is on paper but veterans are still unsatisfied.

»P for Pollution, Pakistan: Rising pollution concerns India. ‘Go to Pakistan’ was the stock quote of right-wing rabble-rousers.

»Q for Quantico: Priyanka Chopra’s debut on American TV as an FBI agent, who becomes a prime suspect in a terror attack.

»R for Rajya Sabha, Rahul Gandhi: Rajya Sabha became a thorn in flesh for NDA while Opposition uses it as a check for BJP’s majority in Lok Sabha. Rahul became a ‘re-loaded’ politician after his 56-day break.

»S for Salman, Shahrukh: Salman Khan escaped jail in a 13-year-old drunken driving case. Shahrukh Khan faces wrath of Hindutva trolls for his comments on intolerance.

»T for Transgender: A West Bengal college got its first transgender principal while a young Odisha government officer declared in public she is a transgender.

»U for U-turn: Opposition alleges U-turn in every government move.

»V for Vyapam: Several accused in the case were found mysteriously dead.

»W for Writers: Writers rose in revolt with ‘award wapsi’ against rising intolerance.

»X for Xiaomi: Chinese mobile company manages to win hearts of Indian consumers.

»Y for Yechury: Elected as CPI(M) General Secretary. Will his Polit Bureau colleagues agree with his line of action?

»Z for Z security: With new government in place, several try to get security cover. Some are successful while many others still hopeful.