Google Top Ten

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December is that time of the year when we huddle around a campfire of recollections to introspect and reflect. Because sometimes we never know what we did until it becomes a memory. Going by the media tradition of showing us the mirror, the ‘trending’ Google searches published in the Times of India tell us how we behaved in 2014. On the internet that is. The list includes various categories, shedding light on the topics that we looked up the most throughout the year, from news to gadgets to celebrities, among others. The findings of Google’s Year in Search indicate our growing interest in issues of national importance.

Most Searched Celebrity
1 Sunny Leone
2 Narendra Modi
3 Salman Khan
4 Katrina Kaif
5 Deepika Padukone
6 Alia Bhatt
7 Priyanka Chopra
8 Shah Rukh Khan
9 Poonam Pandey
10 Virat Kohli

“Despite Narendra Modi’s best efforts, India is still searching for Sunny Leone,” wrote The Financial Times, tongue partly in cheek. Given our admiration for sanskari women, Ms. Leone easily piped Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif to retain the number one crown. So what does this tell us? It tells us that the lady can inject testosterone into a dead rat. 
Our very own Modi ji is on the second pedestal – a jaw dropping phenomenon, because it is the first time a politician trumped Bollywood celebrities. When asked to react to this development, this is what people had to say.

Sanjay Jha: They must have typed the wrong year – 2002 instead of 2014.
Smriti Irani: We are going to celebrate this news as Prashansa Diwas (Popularity Day)in schools across the country. I have already issued a circular.
Rahul G: Bhaiyya Aapko Tay Karna Hai Ki Desh Ko Jodna Hai, Ya Todna Hai. I don't think women can be empowered if this goes on.
Digvijay Singh:  Next year it will be Rahul Ji.
Barkha Dutt: This is disturbing news.
Arnab Goswami: Most searched? I was the most watched. 
Salman Khursheed: Anyone can call Google and become the most searched personality.

Kejriwal: Sab Mile Hue Hai. BJP Waale, Google Waale Aur Ye Mr. Sunny Leone or whoever he is.
Robert: Are you serious? As long as those two pages of my file remain missing, I don’t care. 

Recent bonhomie aside,  Aamir Khan should be concerned as he is nowhere in the top ten. It hurts because bête noire Salman Khan remains the third most searched personality. SRK is there too. Worse, Poonam Pandey is at a respectable number nine, ahead of Indian cricket captain, Virat Kohli. The television media can cry hoarse about a certain cricket enthusiast’s indiscretions, but the biggest blow for cricket comes from the fact that kids in gali mohallas are singing ‘Lets Football’. 

Globally, apart from Jennifer Lawrence, we know who the most searched celebrity was. Because, barring those who live on the North Pole, most of us, including yours truly, typed ‘People’s magazine’, in the Google search box. Emerging fanny first with her well oiled lady lumps; Kim Kardashian is at number two in the list of most searched personality worldwide. 

Coming to the most searched terms across categories in India, is it any surprise that IRCTC bagged the crown? Because two things are not easy: finding life on Mars and booking train tickets on IRCTC; and there are days  when the first option is relatively easier. But we would be heartless if we gave all the credit to the popularity of Indian Railways. It is only fair that we give some credit to the alleged goat sacrifice in the previous year for a positive spin towards the fortune of Indian Railways. Apart from looking for IRCTC, Indians also searched for Flipkart which is at second position when it comes to the most searched terms. Expanding at a compound annual growth of 34%, e-commerce captured the imagination of Indians like never before. So, 2014 was about consumerism and internet penetration despite a sluggish economy.

OMG, look finally we have The Times of India at number ten as the most searched term. Our favorite daily continues to rule, for there is no reader without the Times of India and there is no Times of India without the reader.