Newsmakers of the Year 2025 | Narendra Modi & Donald Trump: The Mover & The Shaker
Bolstered by electoral wins, PM Modi pushed the pedal on the Reforms Express despite disruptions unleashed by Trump
Mohan Bhagwat, 75, RSS Sarsanghchalak | The quiet authority
From nudging the BJP into a political course-correction to being a moral evangelist at large, 2025 saw Bhagwat shape outcomes without overtly occupying centre stage
Amit Shah, 61, Home Minister | Naxalism meets its nemesis
Even in the midst of a busy year politically, the Union home minister's crowning achievement was dealing a decisive blow to the Maoist insurgency
Operation Sindoor | Enough is enough
Operation Sindoor demonstrated India's willingness and resolve to use military might if necessary in response to terrorist attacks orchestrated by the enemy on its soil
Gyanesh Kumar, 61, Chief Election Commissioner | Special Intensive Role
Efforts to clean voter rolls through the Special Intensive Revision made Gyanesh Kumar a constant political target, as reform collided with mistrust and Opposition resistance
Shubhanshu Shukla, 40, Spacefarer | Star trekker
Becoming only the second Indian after Rakesh Sharma to transcend Earth's boundaries and reach space, Shubhanshu Shukla marked an important milestone in India's space mission
Nitish Kumar, 74, Bihar chief minister | The perfect ten
With a massive assembly poll win, the '10-time CM' not only cocked a snook at critics, but recentred himself as the main architect of Bihar's next act
Aviation | On a wing and a long prayer
An Air India flight's crash in June and IndiGo's meltdown in December laid bare how India's aviation sector is becoming a victim of escalating ambition, weak oversight and regulatory lapse
Women’s Cricket Team | On top of the world
Each of the women cricketers in the team crowned world champions has won battles on and off the field. Coming from the depths of a developing India, their journeys held the nation in thrall
Obituaries | Passages 2025
A few of the eminences that departed from our midst in the year gone by, having left an indelible mark in their respective spheres of influence
