2025... A Year of Glory, Grief and Grit!

Udaipur, Dec 31, 2025 - As the year 2025 comes to a close, it leaves behind a trail of moments and memories that defined a people, a generation and a nation - where faith drew millions, innovation gained momentum and the country’s resilience shone through moments of triumph and trial alike. The year unfolded as a powerful reflection of collective spirit, blending change with continuity and making it a year of milestones.

In India, 2025 was a year of massive cultural gatherings, vibrant festivals, significant sporting achievements, political and social developments, continued economic and technological progress as well as those intermittent tragic incidents that shaped national conversations. The country celebrated sporting triumphs, economic shifts, scientific milestones but also grappled with aviation disasters, terror strikes and stampedes that left the nation in deep mourning.

Let us take a look at some of the major events of 2025 in India which shall keep this year in our memories for decades to come - for both good and sad reasons:

Culture and Events

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 (Prayagraj): One of the most significant religious gatherings in the world, the 2025 Prayag Maha Kumbh Mela was held from January 13 to February 26 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. It attracted an estimated 66 crore devotees, making it one of the largest religious gatherings in history.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List: Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, was on December 9 inscribed on UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - a major cultural milestone.

56th International Film Festival of India (Goa): Showcased 240 plus films with global premieres and celebrated cinema talent.

Sports Highlights

Women’s ODI World Cup: The Indian women’s cricket team had never before lifted the Women’s ODI World Cup. In 2025, the team ended a 47-year wait and finally emerged champions under skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. This was India's first-ever senior ICC women's global title and was widely celebrated as a landmark moment for women's cricket in India.

38th National Games: Thousands of athletes participated in the Uttarakhand games from January 28 to February 14.

2025 Asian Youth Games: India competed at the event in Manama, Bahrain, from October 22 to 31, finishing with a strong medal tally and ranking sixth overall.

IPL 2025: Indian Premier League (IPL) continued to be among the most watched sporting events. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the trophy - its maiden IPL title after 18 years.

Asia Cup Cricket 2025: The Indian team retained the title in the UAE, defeating Pakistan in a thrilling final.

Physical Disability T20: This tournament highlighted inclusivity in sport. Karnataka emerged champions in the South Zone final.

Tragedies and Deaths

Jalgaon Train Deaths: Rumour of a fire onboard the Pushpak Express led to the death of at least 12 people on January 22.

Delhi Station Stampede: A tragic crowd crush at New Delhi railway station on February 15 killed at least 18 people amid heavy travel rush for the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Red Fort Bomb Blast: On November 10, a car exploded near the Red Fort in New Delhi, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 20. This was one of the major terrorist attacks in the heart of India since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Pahalgam Terror Attack: On April 22, a group of terrorists stormed Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 26 tourists from across the country.

Operation Sindoor: In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, destroying terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. The attacks and counterattacks continued for four days before declaration of a ceasefire.

Air India Crash: A horrific crash of Air India Flight AI 171 claimed 260 lives after a Boeing Dreamliner crashed seconds within take-off from Ahmedabad airport.

Celeb Deaths: Indian superstar and one of the most iconic Bollywood actor, Dharmendra passed away on November 24 leaving fans and moviegoers grief-stricken. Known as the He-Man of Hindi cinema, Dharmendra shaped the golden years of Indian film industry with more than 300 films and countless memorable performances.

The nation also mourned the passing of other popular actors including Asrani, Manoj Kumar, Shefali Jariwala, Satish Shah, Zubeen Garg, Pankaj Dheer, Sulakshana Pandit, Vishnu Prasad, Jaswinder Bhalla, Jyoti Chandekar, Priya Marathe and Dipak Sarma.

Ad guru and creative visionary Piyush Pandey passed away on October 24 leaving behind an unforgettable legacy with iconic adverts for which he will always be remembered.

Politics and Business

Trump Tariff: in July, Trump announced the imposition of 25% tariffs on India, followed by an additional 25% penalty for buying Russian Federation oil.

Weakening Rupee: The Indian Rupee has fallen about 5.2% so far this year, making it as the highest depreciation in three years. It is Asia’s worst-performing currency.

PM’s China Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, his first visit in seven years. The PM met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin,

GST Reforms: GST slabs were reduced to just two - 5% and 18% - removing the 12% and 28% slabs; a new 40% slab was introduced for luxury and sin goods.

Bihar Elections: Nitish Kumar returned as Chief Minister for a record 10th term after his party Janata Dal United-led NDA coalition swept the Assembly polls.

Aviation and Space

IndiGo Crisis: The airline IndiGo faced major operational disruptions and widespread flight cancellations in the first week of December, causing national attention on aviation reliability. The crisis was touted as one of the worst in India’s aviation sector.

ISRO Milestones: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) accomplished major milestones in space missions. India became the fourth nation in the world to successfully dock two satellites in Low Earth Orbit; ISRO carried out crucial Gaganyaan air-drop tests for the crew module parachute system; NISAR was launched in July with NASA; launched the heavy LVM3-M6 rocket carrying the 6.1-tonne BlueBird satellite and sent Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station to conduct experiments.

As India closes the chapter on 2025, the year will stand out for its defining mix of cultural milestones, sporting triumphs, geopolitical developments, economic reforms and national difficulties… making it a year of both progress and challenges.

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