A Mid-Year Wrap Up of 2021

Although the pandemic seems to have taken a liking to us and finds new ways (mutations) to stick with us forcing us to slow down and close ourselves from the world, a lot has still managed to happen. 

Presenting to you is a brief wind-up of all the things that went down in the past six months, just in case you didn’t read about it in the news or were on a social media detox. Or perhaps were living under a rock!

January 2021

2021 had quite an eventful start. With the US Capitol being vandalized in the first week of the new year and the news of Kim and Kanye’s divorce, later on, it was one hell of a rocky beginning. Don’t worry, we had Lady Biden, Kamala Harris, and Biden’s daughter and granddaughters save the month with some stunning monochrome outfits that left fashion enthusiasts awe-struck as they set the bar for ‘inauguration day outfits.’

On the other hand, netizens went cackling over Bernie Sander’s memes and sharing congratulatory messages to Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma on the birth of their first child, Vamika. One more person who took and still takes the internet by storm is the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star Olivia Rodrigo with her new single Drivers License. She did not just find herself among millions of people loving her song but also uncovered a love triangle drama and a song war between the three. 

February 2021

Well, well, well, this month began with Trump sending people to Google impeachment or the impeachment procedure of a President in the United States. I would say February was the epitome of political drama, with Myanmar witnessing a coup de’ tat while an oblivious woman exercises her way off. We all saw that video, didn’t we? On the topic of viral videos, I’m pretty sure every one of us saw the one where the girl says, “Ye hum hai, Ye hamari car hai aur Ye hamari Pawri ho rahi hai” (you read it in her accent, didn’t you?) No matter how much you laugh at her or ridicule it, we all have once said this out loud or maybe even recorded and posted it online. 

A piece of more exciting news that went around B-town this month was the birth of Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan’s second baby boy, whose name is Jeh.

March 2021

It would be a sin if I didn’t start summarising March 2021 without mentioning the Suez Canal blockage first. When the 400-meter long container ship, Ever Given, had its bow and stern stuck in the canal banks for six days, it caused a rather interesting world crisis. Millions of dollars at a loss and the winds to blame, the ‘memers’ made the most out of this rather amusing and unusual situation. 

March, although a pleasant month weather-wise, had quite serious issues going on. Not only did Afghanistan witness significant changes in its political sphere, but Meghan Markle’s and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey left us all seething with anger. Racism, as it seems, has penetrated so deeply in the palace walls that an unborn child’s colour concerned someone, according to the couple.

On a lighter note, we witnessed the Torch Relay for Tokyo Olympics finally get underway and witness a thumping hypnotic tune of the Tamil song Enjoy Enjaami break the internet garnering 298 million views on YouTube to date. 

April 2021

A celebratory clinking of glasses, please! The world witnessed Chloe Zhao, the first woman of colour and the second woman in history, to win the Best Director award at the Academy Awards of 2021.  

This month happened to be the most enraging to the football fans worldwide, where we witnessed major protests, both online and offline, regarding the proposed European Super League. Not to forget, Pink Supermoon had all the photographers and astronomy enthusiasts on the run to find the perfect location to capture it. 

My favourite news of 2021 would be when T-Pain found out that Instagram has a message request folder where tons of celebs and verified accounts had reached out to him over the years, and he had not a single clue about it! And also when Disney created a baby Groot robot that walks and dances on its own. 

May 2021

I’ve come to a realization that a lot has gone down in May and that I needed to pick and shortlist the list of things. Anyways, from Kendall Jenner launching her very own tequila brand ‘818’ and finding herself in another controversy, May has indeed been an eventful month. The world witnessed the rise of users on the Clubhouse app and a super blood moon that left everyone stunned. 

Mexican beauty yet again stole our hearts when Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe. And now that we are talking about hearts, can we all just fangirl over Ariana Grande’s wedding pictures and the fact she is now married! Boy, that Instagram post surely made our morning good. One more couple that has all our eyes transfixed on them is Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn – it was the moment when Swift mentioned him in her thank you speech at the Brit Awards that we all knew that marriage rumours surrounding her might all be true. 

Adding the best news becomes the dessert – served at the end. The Friends final reunion. No words, just happy dance. 

June 2021

With the final episode being aired of the 20 seasons long Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim’s breakdown over her third failed marriage and Kanye unfollowing the whole family later on, and news about Irina Shayak dating Kanye sure got us into some messy beginnings in June. Another family affair in the spotlight is the British Royal family’s now estranged couple – Meghan and Harry – who named their daughter Lilibet Diana after Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana. 

The hashtag #FreeBritney gained momentum again this month when news of Britney’s father not allowing her to even recolour her kitchen cabinets took rounds of the internet along with the conservatorship arrangement, which is frequently talked about by her fans. 

Phew! That was quite a wrap-up of all the things that went down this year. And right now, I find myself in a dilemma. Should I end this article by saying, we are just seven months into 2021 or five months away from 2022? Whatever it is that you choose, it surely has been one hell of a half year.