The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
On December 10, 2014, the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti sent out a letter asking its schools to remain open on Christmas. Good Governance Day was to be a nod to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya, both of whom were born on that day. Students would have some celebratory essay writing to do. An uproar and some outrage later, the then HRD minister Smriti Irani clarified that schools could remain closed and students’ participation was entirely voluntary
• Chatroom chorus: Slow Clap
Probability Theory
Some personalities at home and abroad who were born on this day are — Baba Ramdev, Nawaz Sharif, Jinnah, Alastair Cook, Justin Trudeau, Isaac Newton. Charlie Chaplin died on this day. Soon after, his body was stolen by grave-robbers
• Chatroom chorus: FYI
Perishtroika
On this day in 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, resigned. The USSR had already ceased to be. Exactly 25 years on, Putin seems to be working towards a new union state. The latest edition of US TV show Saturday Night Live shows Putin giving Trump his Christmas gift. The actor playing Trump says he feels bad at not getting anything for him. Faux Putin: “Please, Mr Trump, you are the gift.”
• Chatroom chorus: Face Palm
Netivity
In 1990, the world’s first website and Web server were started by CERN scientist Tim Berners-Lee on this day. The first Web page address was http://info.cern.ch/ hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html and it was to be used by scientists and the military
• Chatroom chorus: Say Whaaaat?
Big Knock
It happened on 2004 Boxing Day, but it will be remembered as a Christmas tragedy. A huge earthquake triggered a tsunami, inundating a dozen Indian Ocean nations, killing 2,32,000 and rendering homeless another million
• Chatroom chorus: ...(SILENCE)
The Good Son
Last Mann Ki Baat of the year. (Phew!) 47th day of demonetisation drive. (It was supposed to get better after Day 50.) Last Sunday of 2016. Trees in malls. Chewy cakes. End-of-season sale. And... Jesus, of course. Christ!
• Chatroom chorus: Merry Christmas, Folks
