2019 was a pretty eventful year across all fields - be it sports, politics or entertainment. Even space, for that matter. Google India released its annual Year in Search 2019 list and it states that the most searched for subject this year was the Cricket World Cup.
No prizes for guessing that the 17th Lok Sabha Elections occupied the second spot on the list followed by Chandrayaan 2 and Shahid Kapoor's controversial film Kabir Singh. Avengers: Endgame, Article 370 and PM Kisan Yojana also appeared on the Year in Search 2019 list.
Here Is The Full List:
1. Cricket World Cup
Around 2.6 billion people around the world watched the Cricket World Cup that was held from May 30 to July 14. That should explain why cricket's showpiece tournament occupied the top spot on the list this year. In a thrilling final at Lord's, hosts England lifted the World Cup for the first time in history after edging past New Zealand in the Super Over.
2. Lok Sabha Elections
April and May were two busy months as India constantly searched for updates on the 17th Lok Sabha Elections that were held in seven phases. So, no wonder that then the 17th Lok Sabha Elections succeeds the World Cup on this list. Reports suggest that the voter turnout was over 67 per cent - the highest ever so far. The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha elections led to Narendra Modi assuming office as the Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive term.
3. Chandrayaan-2
Chandrayaan-2, India's ambitious lunar mission, trended furiously all through September as it was expected to make its soft landing on the surface of the Moon. India waited anxiously but Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan-2 lost communication with the ground station at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) Centre in Bengaluru just ahead of its soft landing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present at the Isro Control Centre at that moment and soon after, delivered an encouraging speech for the scientists. In fact, Isro chief K Sivan was severely upset after the news and wept profusely as PM Modi consoled him with a warm hug.
4. Kabir Singh
Shahid Kapoor's June release Kabir Singh was a blockbuster for sure but it was admonished by critics consistently ever since its trailer released. Directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Kabir Singh - on the fourth spot in the list - was censured by almost all quarters for its misogynistic scenes and glaring glorification of toxic masculinity.
5. Avengers: Endgame
Blockbuster is an understatement as far as Avengers: Endgame is concerned considering that the film released to stratospheric interest levels in April. As Avengers concluded, so did an era for Marvel fans. By any chance, if you are wondering why India searched for Avengers: Endgame, we'll explain this with just one line. This particular film ended the decade-long reign of Avatar and ended up as the world's highest-grossing film of all time. Avengers: Endgame crossed USD 2.7902 billion at the box office, thereby surpassing the USD 2.7897 billion-mark set by James Cameron's sci-fi epic. Also, in India, the film earned over Rs 300 crore within two weeks of its release. That's about it.
6. Article 370
August 5 was a critical day for India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government scrapped Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir. Ever since the announcement, people kept themselves busy by looking up Article 370 and Kashmir from soup to nuts on the internet. Home Minister Amit Shah, in a historic decision, proclaimed in the Rajya Sabha that Article 370, which confers special status to Jammu and Kashmir, will be removed. The state, thereafter, was bifurcated into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
7. NEET Results
The seventh spot on the most-searched list was occupied by NEET Results. Aspirants emphatically Googled the final results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)-UG 2019 conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
8. Joker
That Joker featured on Google India's annual Year in Search 2019 list is a big deal in itself. Todd Phillips's film, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role, fared exceptionally well at the box office and was appraised by critics as well. Film buffs, especially, were overwhelmed with the scene in which Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck danced on the staircase. Several people, in fact, also recreated the scene on that particular staircase and shared pictures online, making it a famous tourist spot in New York.
9. Captain Marvel
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Almost at the bottom of the list, on the ninth spot, is Brie Larson's Captain Marvel. It was the female superhero origin film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which released after a long wait. What interested fans was the fact that Captain Marvel carried forward the Infinity War storyline.
10. PM Kisan Yojana
The PM Kisan Yojana was announced during the Interim Budget in February 2019 but it made headlines after PM Modi's government, in its first Cabinet meeting this year, decided to cover all the farmers, irrespective of their land holdings.