2025: The Year that was

Window Seat 

2025 will be remembered less for singular events and more for the feeling it carried—a sense that the world was pausing, recalibrating, and quietly renegotiating its relationship with itself. It was a year shaped by continuities rather than shocks, where long-standing anxieties around politics, technology, climate, and identity moved from the margins to the centre of everyday life.

Politically and socially, 2025 was a year of growing polarisation. Political and social polarization is demonstrably growing worldwide, fueled by factors like social media algorithms, economic inequality, fragmented news media, rise of populism, identity politics, and geopolitical tensions, leading to greater distrust, intolerance, and difficulty in finding common ground for addressing global challenges.

One of the defining features of 2025 was the normalisation of uncertainty. Climate extremes were no longer described as exceptional; they became seasonal expectations. Heatwaves, floods, and air-quality alerts slipped into daily conversations with unsettling ease. Alongside this, environmental consciousness grew—not as idealism, but as necessity. Sustainability shifted from being a moral choice to a practical concern.

Technologically, 2025 marked a turning point in how humans coexist with machines. Artificial intelligence stopped being a novelty or threat and became infrastructure—embedded in writing, teaching, healthcare, governance, and creativity.

Culturally, the year leaned heavily on reflection. There was a renewed interest in heritage, archives, storytelling, and history—not as nostalgia, but as anchorage. In uncertain times, looking back became a way of moving forward.

2025 felt like a threshold year—not dramatic enough to define an era, yet significant enough to signal that something had shifted. It reminded us that history does not always announce itself loudly; sometimes, it unfolds quietly, asking us to pay closer attention.

Saree

December 21 is observed as World Saree Day. The day celebrates one of India’s most enduring and versatile garments. More than just clothing, the saree represents a living tradition—woven into everyday life, rituals, regional identities, and cultural memory.

While the saree itself is ancient, World Saree Day as a contemporary observance gained visibility between 2015 and 2020, largely through social media and public campaigns. The movement can be traced back to Nalini Shekar, who began advocating for saree appreciation as early as 2009. Her efforts were later amplified by journalists SindhuraKaviti and NistulaHebbar, who helped popularise the day. What began as a niche cultural initiative gradually evolved into a global celebration of Indian identity and craftsmanship.

Historically, the saree is among the world’s oldest surviving garments, with roots stretching back over 5,000 years to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Early terracotta figurines and archaeological evidence suggest that draped garments resembling the saree were already in use, making it a rare example of uninterrupted clothing tradition across millennia.

The word saree itself is derived from the Sanskrit “sareeka”, meaning “a long piece of cloth”—a deceptively simple description for a garment that embodies remarkable complexity and adaptability. Across India, the saree exists in countless regional forms: Banarasi, Kanjeevaram, Baluchari, Chanderi, Sambalpuri, Kasavu, Paithani, and many more, each reflecting local histories, climates, materials, and aesthetics.

Equally fascinating is the way the saree is worn. Scholars and textile historians have documented over 80 distinct styles of draping, varying by region, occupation, and occasion. From practical everyday wraps to ceremonial pleats, these drapes demonstrate the saree’s unique ability to adapt while remaining fundamentally unchanged.

Chess as an e-sport

Chess has become one of the most popular e-sports worldwide. Chess originated in ancient India around the 6th century as Chaturanga, symbolizing four military divisions (infantry, cavalry, elephants, chariots) on an 8x8 board. It evolved through Persia (as Shatranj) and the Islamic world before reaching Europe, where it transformed with the powerful Queen and Rook, becoming the modern game by the 15^th-16^th  century.

It transformed into an e-sport through late 20th-century digital platforms (like PLATO, Chess.com, Lichess) and streaming (Twitch, YouTube). Chess as an e-sport became very popular during during the pandemic, leading to professional esports organizations signing players and its debut at the Esports World Cup in 2025, blending traditional strategy with modern digital competition, fast time controls, and large online audiences. 

Presently there are hundreds of sites for chess games and learning. The largest of the sites chess.com generates staggering levels of engagement, with over 230 million members and 20 million games played every day. It hands out over 1 million US dollars annually as prize money.

Tailpiece: It did go

Recently I went to Santiniketan. I went to Calcutta from Bhubaneswar and returned to Bhubaneswar from Durgapur- by Indigo flight. And it actually flew and was in time.

Thank God and Indigo for small mercies.