It’s 31st December, and time to look back at the events that shaped 2025. A sense of déjà vu hit me as I revisited my round-up of 2024. I had written then that it must have been one of the most tumultuous years in recent memory—yet 2025 has felt even more turbulent, as if the world was living through one aftershock after another.
By “aftershocks,” I don’t only mean the disasters themselves, but the ripples that followed: political tremors, economic knock-on effects, public distrust, and the way ordinary people carried the hidden weight long after headlines moved on. Here are a few moments from 2025 that left a deep mark. As we reflect, we also look ahead with hope to 2026—praying God will usher in the peace and calm needed to heal deep wounds and help build a kinder, more mindful society.
1. Tariff Turmoils
The return of a familiar America-first trade posture kicked off a frantic year for global trade, with waves of tariffs on U.S. trading partners—including close ally India. International markets reacted, setting off ripple effects and triggering rounds of negotiations and diplomatic counter-measures. We may see similar patterns continue in 2026, though nations are likely to mount stiffer challenges.
2.Sri Lanka - Monsoon of Misery
On 28th November 2025, Cyclone Ditwah made landfall on Sri Lanka’s eastern coast with such fury that heavy rains battered the country, with neighbouring southern India also bearing the brunt. WHO reported that over 1.4 million people were affected across Sri Lanka’s districts, and more than 600 lives were lost.
This was a body blow to a country that was slowly finding its feet after a crippling economic depression. It also tested a young President trying to introduce policy changes to revitalise the economy. India was among the first to respond with humanitarian aid. We hope and pray that Sri Lanka will rise again from this shock and rebuild stronger.
3. Single-Party Dominance
In India, the ruling party has taken a firm grip on the nation with resounding victories. With opposition parties struggling to craft a compelling counter-narrative to the ruling party’s divisive discourse, this dominance continues largely unchecked.
Tamil Nadu remains defiant—the last bastion the ruling party seems determined to conquer. Whether it succeeds with its formidable election machinery will be revealed only in the 2026 assembly elections. Fingers crossed for the moment.
4. Seriously Irritating Revisions
The S.I.R. (Special Intensive Revision) of voter rolls in Bihar, and now in Tamil Nadu, raised more questions than it answered. Hurried timelines, harassed booth-level officers (BLOs), and a stream of contested deletions left opposition parties crying foul.
By shifting the burden of “proof” onto the electorate, the S.I.R. introduced an unprecedented verification pressure, with ordinary people scrambling to gather documents to prove they are citizens of India. With controversies mounting, the exercise rolls on—whether it truly cleanses the electoral system remains an open question.
5. Tragedy in the Skies
On 12th June 2025, Air India flight AI171 (Ahmedabad to London Gatwick), with 242 passengers and crew on board, crashed moments after take-off. The visuals of the aircraft turning into a ball of fire and smoke as it hit a medical college hostel area remain among the most haunting memories of 2025.
The confirmed death toll was 260, including 19 people on the ground. In the aftermath of this aviation tragedy, families waited through DNA identification—a process that deepened pain and prolonged grief. Reports later confirmed one passenger miraculously survived and reportedly walked out of the wreckage.
This tragedy once again underlined the importance of safety checks and regulatory compliance in the complex operation of modern aviation. We mourn the 241 passengers and crew lost on board, and the 19 lives lost on the ground, and we pray such disasters never happen again in our skies.
6. No Go IndiGo
In early December 2025, India’s biggest carrier, IndiGo, faced a serious operational disruption that threw air travel across the country into chaos. Over 4,500 flights were cancelled, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded. For an airline that has long dominated the domestic skies, the episode was a sharp fall—costing public goodwill and reportedly leading to a compensation/refund bill estimated at over USD 55 million (about Rs. 5 billion).
Airports resembled war zones. With delays and last-minute cancellations derailing weddings, holidays, and family emergencies, passengers were left scrambling for alternatives. Meanwhile, fares on other airlines surged, adding to the stress and expense for stranded travellers.
At its best, IndiGo has built a reputation for efficiency. But during this fiasco, many customers felt communication was inadequate and that the apology came late. Here’s hoping the airline takes the hard lessons of 2025 seriously—by strengthening planning, staff support, and customer care—so that confidence can be rebuilt in the New Year.
7. Stampede Horrors
In 2025 alone, nearly ten stampede incidents linked to overcrowding and mismanagement were reported. The crowd crush outside Bengaluru’s cricket stadium during IPL celebrations (June 4) and the stampede in Karur during actor-politician Vijay’s rally (September 27) shook the public conscience—especially because women and children were among those killed.
Earlier, on January 29th, the Maha Kumbh Mela pre-dawn crush on a major bathing day led to the loss of over 30 lives and injured many others. These recurring incidents remind us that religion, politics, and cricket are deeply ingrained in our lives—and can rouse such passion that common sense and safety are pushed aside.
After such tragedies, there is outrage, and governments rush in with compensation. Yet the organisers and human enablers of these deadly events often go scot-free. Too little is done to analyse failures and put systems in place to prevent recurrence. People risk their lives for a glimpse of an actor, a cricketer, or a deity—and end up trampled. May these tragedies push authorities to strengthen crowd management and safety systems in 2026 and beyond.
8. Towering Inferno
On 26 November 2025, fire engulfed Wang Fuk Court—a sprawling apartment complex with eight high-rise towers of 31–32 storeys, home to about 4,600 people. The final death toll was around 160 lives lost. Initial blame pointed to renovation/maintenance-related external materials that did not meet fire-safety standards; investigations suggested scaffolding and other non-compliant materials helped the fire spread rapidly.
All these factors point to human error and preventable failures. Hong Kong authorities moved swiftly, making multiple arrests after a judge-led independent inquiry.
Closer home, on 6 December 2025, a late-night fire at the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, North Goa, killed 25 people. The common thread linking these two disasters is human error, regulatory breaches, and preventable risk. In both cases, swift action followed—but why such tragedies keep recurring with chilling similarities is a question we must face honestly, and answer with lasting solutions.
9. Ready, Steady Reboot
For a few days in mid-August, Beijing hosted what felt like a tech festival disguised as a sports meet: the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, opening on 14 August 2025 and running through 17 August. The “athletes” were 500+ humanoid robots, fielded by 280 teams from 16 countries—running, competing, and sometimes spectacularly toppling over. In a year full of heavy headlines, it was a rare moment of wonder and laughter—technology stumbling forward, one reboot at a time.
10 . Australia tells under-16s: “Log off”
Just as 2025 wrapped up, Australia rolled out a world-first national ban on social-media accounts for children under 16, which took effect on 10 December 2025. The law places responsibility on platforms—requiring them to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from holding accounts, with significant penalties for non-compliance. The restricted list includes TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, YouTube, and several others.
The reasons are clear: to protect young people from harmful content, social pressure, and design features that drive excessive screen time. In my 2024 rewind, I mentioned Oxford’s Word of the Year—“brain rot”—the supposed mental and intellectual “deterioration” linked to over-consuming trivial online content and Oxford’s Word of the Year 2025, “rage bait,” captured the mood too—provocative content engineered to spark outrage and keep us hooked online, amid growing conversations on digital well-being and ethics. In that context, Australia’s ban feels like an antidote—and a nudge to adults too: if “brain rot” was the diagnosis, 2025 ended with at least one country testing a treatment plan.
Conclusion
As we step into 2026, we thank God for upholding His people through many tribulations. May the Lord grant peace and tranquility to our world, comfort to those who mourn, and wisdom to leaders and communities—so that healing may begin and hope may rise again.
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