Indians take their cricket seriously, sometimes even more seriously than they take the Coronavirus.
Well, Indians searched for more info on the "Indian Premier League" than even "Coronavirus", though the latter has turned the world upside down in ways unimagined at the start of the year.
This detail emerged in the annual ‘Year in Search 2020’ results released by Google India. The trends highlight all the standout moments across news, politics, sports, entertainment, and beyond in the country.
Trending search terms this year were dominated by the obvious concern around the global pandemic but the excitement around the Indian Premier League made it the top trending query.
The US elections also triggered significant search activity along with Bihar elections and Delhi elections.
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM Kisan Scheme), which provides monetary support to farmers, made it to the top trending chart, as the public looked for latest news, information, and updates.
- YouTube watchers in India access it via smartphones
- Alexa is now ready for India, adds Hindi support
- 1 in 3 Indians watch online videos, usually in Hindi
Nation wanted to know about Arnab
There was considerable interest about the US President-elect Joe Biden as he emerged as the most searched personality this year. But the nation also wanted to know about Indian TV journalist Arnab Goswami, who was arrested and later released on bail in a suicide abetment case dating back to 2018.
Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, Amitabh Bacchan, and North Korean leader Kim Jobg-un also featured in the trending personalities list. There was also considerable interest on Kangana Ranaut, Rhea Chakraborty, and Ankita Lokhande. Afghan cricket player Rashid Khan and the India-origin US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris were also searched by people this year.
Dil Bechara on top
Among the movies, Dil Bechara not surprisingly emerged as the top trending movie of 2020. It might have been due to the fact that its leading man Sushant Singh Rajput had taken out his life under unfortunate circumstances. Dil Bechara was followed by Tamil movie Soorarai Pottru. Bollywood biopics like Tanhaji, Shakuntala Devi, and Gunjan Saxena captured the top five spots. While Bollywood movies Laxmii, Baaghi 3, Gulabo Sitabo dominated the list, the only Hollywood movie to make it to the list was Extraction.
With people confined to their houses, series on OTT platforms were much in demand. The popular Spanish thriller Money Heist headed the list. Indian series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Bigg Boss 14 and Mirzapur 2 followed suit.
"How to" and "Near me" queries surge
Google said that the most interesting search terms were centered around "How to" and "What is" lists, as people were confined to their homes.
"How to make paneer?" and "How to increase immunity?" topped the list. "How to make Dalgona coffee" was at the third reflecting the craziness triggered by the pandemic-driven lockdown.
"What is" queries included the inexplicable "What is binod?", followed by many virus-related queries such as "What is plasma therapy?" and "What is hantavirus?".
Local searches also increased with "Near me" queries, which was dominated by "Food shelters near me" followed by 'Covid test near me.'
As work from home culture took roots, searches for "Broadband connection near me" and "Laptop shop near me" also increased.
Via: Google
