Whether it is the economy, or politics, or entertainment, or science, The Hindu's readers took it all in 2017. Here is a list of the stories that were among the most read on www.thehindu.com this year:
The Union Budget, for the first time, was presented on February 1, nearly a month in advance. This was the first budget after the government scrapped Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes. This was also the first time the railway budget was merged with the general budget. Sops for income tax payers, health schemes for pregnant women and senior citizens, emphasis on railway safety, and announcement on the BHIM app were some of the features of this budget. The highlights were the most-read article on the website this year.
How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate
In this long-form article, writer Tony Joseph explains how the Aryan migration theory was true, scientifically. The article concludes saying "We are all migrants," opening up a heated exchange among readers. While genetics might have settled the debate, it continues in forums. Comments are posted for the article even today, though it was published in the second week of June.
Bharatpur marriage hall collapse
Tragedy struck in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district on May 10 when a wall-collapse at a marriage hall killed 24 people and injured several others. A wedding was in progress when the weather changed suddenly and a strong wind started blowing. Guests had taken shelter in a tin shed adjacent to the wall.
A sex cult in Mumbai in guise of treatment
In April, Mumbai Police Crime Branch unearthed a sex cult racket in suburban Bandra and arrested one 'Doctor' Sunil Kulkarni. Shocking revelations came up during the investigation, with the accused revealing he was running a similar racket in Delhi too. The self-proclaimed psychiatrist was running a cult, Shifu Sunkriti, and lured youngsters in the guise of "liberation from societal rules." He has been accused of sexually exploiting young girls and filming them in compromising positions without their knowledge.
The woman who unmasked Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years prison in a rape case. It all began with an anonymous letter sent by victim to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2002. The woman, now in her forties, testified against the sect head, which eventually led to his conviction. The Hindu's Vijaita Singh spoke to the woman and her relative, whose identities have been withheld for security reasons, hours after the Ram Rahim was sentenced.
When curd caused loss to Railways
This article based on an RTI application showed that the Central Railway's catering department purchased food items at prices several times higher than the maximum retail price. Hundred grams of Amul curd was purchased at a whopping Rs.972 when its MRP was Rs.25. Following the report, Central Railways suspended three officials involved in the purchase and shunted out another one.
The brutal murder of a journalist
Senior journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead at her house in Bengaluru allegedly by three assailants from a close range. Her death came two years after leading progressive thinker and researcher M.M. Kalburgi was shot dead in his Dharwad home in 2015. Lankesh was known for her strident stand against communalism in Karnataka, and her death came as a shock to rationalists and fellow journalists.
Half-Girlfriend is not worth half ticket
The review of this Hindi movie could have been titled "10 reasons not to watch Half Girlfriend" but reviewer Kennith Rosario gave his verdict in the headline itself. This adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel was a dud in the box-office.
Hindi is not the national language
The Gujarat High Court in 2010 ruled that Hindi was not accorded the national language status by the Constitution. In fact, there is no national language mentioned in the Constitution, even though naming one such language was debated in the Constituent Assembly. While the news was reported the same day (and almost forgotten), this article surfaced again in the searches when there was a move to push Hindi, especially in the non-Hindi-speaking States.
Gujarat, the home State of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, went to polls in December. The Congress was unsuccessful in stopping its rival from forming the government for the sixth consecutive term. An energetic run-up to the polls, a high-pitched battle between Congress and BJP leaders, personal remarks, pre-poll arrangements, and the rise of young leaders such as Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani, and Alpesh Thakor gave this regional election, national importance.
Here is an article of less than 400 words that made it to the most-popular list for its headline. The peculiar case of a 12-year-old boy impregnating a 16-year-old girl, who delivered a girl child at a Kerala hospital, had the police in a quandary. They were unsure who the victim and the perpetrator in this case were, since both are minor.
