For most of 2020, we were all glued to our screens, looking for moments of hope and joy in the shiny little rectangle in front of us. From memes that went viral and made us laugh in the middle of a stressful day to celebrities who became symbols of hope, here's everything that kept us going in 2020.
1. The Binod Meme
The Binod meme came out of nowhere, exploded on the internet and is now a nonsensical reference almost everyone gets. It emerged from a viral YouTube video about the kinds of comments desis drop on the video-sharing platform and soon became a trend of its own with various brands also riding the wave.
2. The Vivekamunand Mix
Donald Trump officially being driven out of the White House may be a personal victory for Americans, but the event was celebrated in several parts of the world. During the US Presidential elections in 2020, a Donald Trump mashup video went viral and had us all grooving to it and how! The mashup has been made from speeches Donald Trump made earlier this year while visiting India.
3. Dalgona Coffee & Banana Bread
In the initial days of the coronavirus lockdown in India, Dalgona coffee and banana bread became the experiment of choice for anyone trying to remain sane indoors. Overnight, everyone had turned into five-star chefs whipping up cups of aesthetic Dalgona coffee and a loaf of banana bread to go with it.
4. Deepika Padukone at JNU
At the beginning of 2020, in January, Deepika Padukone unexpectedly showed up at the anti-CAA/NRC protests at JNU. Her photo from the protest was shared widely on social media. She didn't utter a word but her physical presence gave numerous people hope. It's rare for A-list celebrities like her to take such a strong political stance and that's what made it even more iconic.
What Deepika did at the beginning of 2020, Diljit Dosanjh did at the end of the year. He has been very vocal about his support for the ongoing farmers' protests. These celebs have given us hope in unexpected ways this past year!
5. Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?
Rasode mein kaun tha? Undoubtedly the one question that's been on all our minds this past year!
In September, social media user Yashraj Mukhate's mashup of a scene from the show Saath Nibhana Saathiya created waves on the internet. Since then, he's given us many other viral mashups but none can match the 'Rasode mein kaun tha?' mashup which triggered plenty of hilarious memes.
6. Lucky Ali's 'O Sanam'
Lucky Ali made an unexpected comeback when he shared a video of himself playing 'O Sanam' on Instagram. The 90s singer looked visibly older but the sweetness of his voice had not changed. Soon after, actor Nafisa Ali Sodhi also shared a video of Lucky Ali playing the song in Goa. While the latter might have created some controversy over attendees not wearing face masks, Lucky Ali still saved the year in his own way!
7. Seema From Mumbai
Netflix original Indian Matchmaking gave us Seema aunty, aka 'Seema from Mumbai' and the internet loved her. Her dialogues from the reality show flooded the internet as memes that will remain iconic forever.
8. Navika's Take on Internet Slang
Times Now journalist Navika Kumar in August became the butt of many jokes when she interpreted the phrase "imma bounce" to mean a bounced cheque. This was followed by her super 'investigative' skills where she claimed to unearth strong evidence based on acquired WhatsApp chats in the case related to Rhea Chakraborty. Long story short: Navika is now a full-fledged evergreen meme able to tickle our funny bone whenever, wherever!
9. The Dadis of Shaheen Bagh
The dadis of Shaheen Bagh have given us so much hope this year! From holding the fort down at Delhi's Shaheen Bagh during the CAA protests for as long as possible to Bilkis Bano (one of the dadis) being featured on TIME's list of the most influential people — the videos and photos have been making the rounds for quite a while! Even during the ongoing Farmers' protest, Bilkis Bano became a face of resistance afer she was stopped from joining the protests.
10. Diljit's Clash With Alexa
Diljit has been quite wholesome this year. A video where he has an argument with Alexa went viral and left the internet in fits of laughter.
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