Places get famous for various reasons. Some places like Rome are famous for their history, some like Paris for the artworks its galleries exhibit. New York is famous for Statue of Liberty and its Madison Square Garden concerts; and Rio is famous for its beaches. In 2011, some less-known and never-known places became household names in the country and beyond for what happened in these places. Of course, we are talking about 'aware' people here, people who read, hear or watch news and current affairs.
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, 50 km northeast of Islamabad. The city was well-known throughout Pakistan for its pleasant weather, high-standard educational institutions and military establishments. However, the rest of the world woke up to its name on May 2, 2011, when US President Barack Obama announced the success of a US special forces' operation in neutralising al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Operation Neptune Star was a CIA operation carried out by the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU or informally by its former name SEAL Team Six).
As the news of "Geronimo (Osama's codename) EKIA (enemy killed in action)" spread throughout the world, centres of power started wondering how such a high-profile target could hide within a mile from the elite Pakistan Military academy in such a stand-out property. The house was built on a plot of land eight times larger than those nearby. It was surrounded by a 12-to-18-foot high concrete wall topped by barbed wire. There were two security gates and the third-floor balcony had a seven-foot-high privacy wall, tall enough to hide the 6-foot-4-inch-tall terror mastermind.
The incident came as a major embarrassment for the Pakistan military. First, it failed to prevent a foreign special forces' team from successfully mounting and completing a military operation just .8 miles from its elite military academy. This led to Pakistani citizens questioning the efficacy of their military apparatus.
Second, Pakistan was caught in a classic Catch 22 situation. If the Pakistani establishment were to say that it was not aware of Osama's whereabouts, it led its citizens and the world to question the competence of the fabled Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). This is what Pakistan would later say to the world.
If it was aware, it spelt more trouble for Pakistan. Pakistan could not afford to get into the bad books of the US and the West. It vehemently denied this though ISI's help to the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan would point towards a very different reality.
Tahrir Square
The public square in the heart of Cairo has become a symbol in the eyes of the Arab people, long used to being ruled by autocratic dictators or despotic sultans. Millions of Egyptians camped in this place for 18 consecutive days of rage that saw Egyptians confronting tanks, guns, military aircraft and the camel-riding marauders loyal to the Hosni Mubarak regime. The land of pyramids and pharaohs now has another place of instant public reckoning.
Though the invisible hand of the Ikhwan-al-Muslimun (Islamic Brotherhood) was there throughout the protests, people from all walks of life and political beliefs joined the demonstrations. Islamic fundamentalists (the Dawa faction), reformists and communists fought together to orchestrate the downfall of Mubarak, perceived to be an American stooge by his own people. Lawyers, doctors, investment bankers, students joined the unemployed youth in venting out their anger against the regime.
The protests started on January 25 and after failing to suppress the angry crowd by force, on February 10, Mubarak ceded all presidential power to Vice-President Omar Suleiman but soon announced that he would remain as President until the end of his term. However, protests continued throughout the next day and Suleiman quickly announced that Mubarak had resigned from the presidency and transferred power to the Armed Forces of Egypt. The military immediately dissolved the Egyptian Parliament, suspended the Constitution of Egypt, and promised to lift the nation's 30-year emergency laws. It promised to hold free, open elections within the next six months.
Protests have continued through the end of 2011, however, in response to new PM Essam Sharaf and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' perceived sluggishness in instituting reforms. In the recently held elections, religious parties have had a sweeping victory.
Benghazi
Now, be honest. Unless you are a sailor, an oil industry professional or a Second World War enthusiast who would put Martin Gilbert to shame, there is little chance you would have heard the name of Libya's second largest city. However, you have a case in your favour if you have watched Lion of the Desert or read on Libyan resistance leader Omar Mukhtar.
However, by the February 2011, people all over the world were astounded to know that this small city has risen up against Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's regime. As Gaddafi sent in forces to squash protests, more than 200 anti-Gaddafi supporters and sympathisers were killed.
Benghazi erupted, its pro-Gaddafi mayor and other aides fleeing to Tripoli. Independent radio stations were established and the National Transitional Council (NTC) was formed by end February.
Libyan forces, loyal to Gaddafi, mounted an onslaught on the city and almost overpowered the rebels on March 19. But next morning, NATO warplanes emerged out of nowhere, bombing the government forces with the bravery of being out of range.
That started a retreat for the Gaddafi forces, ultimately leading to the fall of Tripoli and the killing of Gaddafi and some of his sons. More than 40,000 people died in fighting. Benghazi remained the power centre of NTC throughout the fighting.
And now that the Gaddafi regime is gone, the various militias have started fighting among themselves for greater control.
Utoya Island (Norway massacre)
On July 22, 2011, a gunman, dressed in an authentic looking police uniform and armed to the teeth, arrived at a summer camp on the island of Utoya in Tyrifjorden, Norway. Just two hours earlier, the same man, Andre Behring Breivik, had exploded a car bomb in Oslo right outside the Prime Minister's office within Regjeringskvartalet, the executive government quarter of Norway. The bomb killed eight, injuring 26 others.
The camp was organized by AUF, the youth division of the ruling Norwegian Labour Party. The gunman came in, posing as a policeman, asked the youngsters to gather in one place and started firing at the participants, killing 69 attendees including the stepbrother of Norway's crown princess Mette-Marit and personal friends of the Prime Minister. Those who jumped into the water in their attempt to swim away were also fired upon. About 125 people were injured.
People described it as an absolute scene of terror. Many of the injured lay still pretending to be dead. Brevik went to them individually and shot them dead.
Brevik had earlier travelled to Prague to buy an AK-47-type rifle, a Glock pistol, hand-grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade. In his own words, getting the latter two would have been a "bonus." But he failed to do so but got some guns through legal channel in Norway including a Ruger Mini 14 semi-automatic carbine and a Glock pistol.
He bought sodium nitrite and six tons of fertilisers to make the bomb. Police later estimated the bomb to weigh 950 kg, the same size as the one used in Bali bombings.
Breivik is a 32-year-old Norwegian right-wing extremist. He was charged with both attacks and was set to be tried for terrorism charges. The trial was supposed to start on April 10, 2012 but the prosecution found him mentally unfit to be convicted.
Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tohoku region on the island of Honshu that was home to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, one of the 15 largest nuclear power stations in the world. On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 (Richter Scale) earthquake struck the region with its epicenter near the island.
While the structure suffered some damage from the earthquake, the subsequent tsunami with waves as high as 48 foot breached the reactors' sea walls which were designed to handle up to 18-foot-high waves.
All six reactors' cooling systems were damaged. Over the three weeks following the earthquake, there were partial nuclear meltdowns in three units and confirmed explosions in two. A suspected explosion in another was thought to have damaged the primary containment vessel and a possible uncovering of spent fuel pools.
Radiation leaks triggered a 30 km evacuation zone surrounding the plant. On April 20, 2011, the Japanese authorities declared the 20 km evacuation zone a no-go area which may only be entered under government supervision. Radiation release caused large-scale evacuations and concern about food and water supplies.
The Fukushima wake-up call led to introspection in countries widely using nuclear power. In France, more than 57 per cent of the people opposed nuclear power and in Germany, of the 17 reactors, eight were taken off the grid within days. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the closure of the remaining nine by 2015 as the Green Party performed its best in a state election.
In Italy, a referendum held in June on nuclear power saw the 'NO' lobby registering a comprehensive victory much to the dismay of then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
In India too, protests against the Jaitapur nuclear power project intensified and turned violent on April 18 as one person was shot by police. One may also link India's insistence on tough liability laws to the lessons from Fukushima.
Fukushima shook up the way the world used to look at nuclear power. Nuclear industry majors like Areva, GE, Westinghouse have had to redraw their future gameplans too.
Jaitapur & Koodankulam
Nestled by the waves of the Arabian Sea, the small village of Jaitapur lies in Ratnagiri district of southwestern Maharashtra. Famous as a port during the Neolithic times, the place suddenly grabbed national headlines when it was chosen as the site for a Rs-100000-crore nuclear power project.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's December 2010 visit won French multinational Areva the contract to construct 6 reactors, each of 1650 MW capacity totalling to 9,900 MW at Madban, a village just outside Jaitapur. The deal between the French nuclear power major and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India is estimated to be almost $10 billion. The total project cost is upwards of $20 billion.
However, the project has faced massive resistance from the anti-nuclear activists and local people who argue that Jaitapur is located in an active seismic zone and warn that a tremor would be catastrophic for not only people living in the vicinity but also for marine life along the Arabian Sea coast.
On December 4, 2010, protests became violent when over 1500 people were detained from among thousands of protesters, who included environmentalists and local villagers. On April 18, 2011, one man was shot and killed by police and eight were injured after protests turned violent.
Koodankulam lies in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. An agreement on a nuclear power project project was signed on November 20, 1988, by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev for supply and installation of five reactors. The project remained in limbo for 10 years due to political and economic upheaval in Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The US also objected to it on the grounds of the agreement not meeting the 1992 terms of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
A small port was built which became functional in 2004. This port was designed to receive barges carrying over-sized light water reactor equipment from ships anchored at a distance of 1.5 km.
In 2008, negotiation on building four additional reactors at the site began. Though not declared, the capacity of each of these reactors is assumed to be 1000 MW. In all, the plant will generate 9000 MW, if it becomes operational.
As of December, 2011, thousands of protesters and villagers living around the site are blocking highways and staging hunger strikes, preventing further construction work and demanding its closure. The Fukushima disaster has given credence to their fears. The protesters are apprehensive as to why the safety analysis report and the site evaluation study have not been made public. No public hearing was also held.
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha has also questioned the safety standards of the plant.
New Delhi and the pro-nuclear lobby say the Koodankulam reactors are a lot more sophisticated than the Fukushima ones and claim the safety system to be foolproof.
As of now, India's nuclear projects are in a limbo as no foreign supplier is willing to submit to the Supplier Liability Clause drafted by the government.
Junglemahal
Junglemahal refers to the forested areas of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts of West Bengal adjoining Jharkhand and Orissa where Maoist guerillas hold sway. The area is principally inhabited by tribal people and is marked by massive poverty and under-development.
Though the area was finding intermittent mention throughout 2010 for wanton killings carried out by Maoists and democratic political parties alike, the entire country came to know of it on November 24 in 2011 when Mallojula Koteshwara Rao alias Kishenji, a Maoist party Politburo member and top commander, was reportedly killed in an encounter with security forces.
However, prominent activists like writer Varavara Rao said that the 55-year-old architect of Maoist dominance of Dandakaranya and Junglemahal was killed after being captured and tortured. He told mediapersons that Kishenji's body had 33 bayonet wounds and that his lower jaw was blown away suggesting that he was shot in his mouth.
Some political leaders also raised doubts about the authenticity of the encounter. But CRPF denied all allegations and claimed it was a clean operation.
The death of Kishenji is considered by security analysts and Maoist watchers as a major setback for the organisation not only in Junglemahal but beyond.
Ralegan Siddhi
It is not often that a village of 400 households become a household name in a country of 1.2 billion people.
Ralegan Siddhi, tucked in a corner of Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, lies at a distance of 87 km from Pune. It has been long considered a model of environmental conservation for programmes like tree planting, terracing to reduce soil erosion and digging canals to retain rainwater. For energy, the village uses solar power, biogas (some generated from the community toilet) and a windmill. The project is heralded as a sustainable model of a village republic.
But the reason it became famous in India and beyond was because of Anna Hazare, the activist whose anti-corruption campaign has galvanised the ranks of India's growing middle class. The campaign has clearly rattled the government, caught pan-Indian media spotlight and has caused uproar in Parliament.
Anna Hazare lives in a single room adjoining a temple in the village. Most villagers of Ralegan Siddhi desist from drinking, smoking or chewing tobacco.
Today, TV channel Outdoor Broadcast (OB) vans are parked permanently at the village as every statement that comes out of Ralegan Siddhi invariably makes headline news.
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