Best pictures of 2023 through the lens of The Indian Express

41 workers were trapped after a tunnel collapsed in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district. After 17 days of relentless rescue ops, they were finally rescued on November 28, 2023. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)

Around 8 pm, the first worker was taken out and ferried to a medical centre in an ambulance. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)

In one of the worst train tragedies in recent years, over 200 people were killed and more than 900 injured near Balasore in Odisha when coaches of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express derailed and fell on an adjacent track in the path of a train from Bengaluru headed in the opposite direction to Howrah. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

NDRF personnel working at night, under emergency lights on top of a pile of bogies using gas cutter to rescue people, dead or alive. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Seventeen Indian youths were in Tripoli jail in Libya due to unscrupulous travel agents from Punjab and Delhi duped them under the pretext of sending them to Italy in August. In this picture, one of the victim reunites with his family at the airport after the release. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav), 200823

Following the Yamuna floods that impacted Delhi, relief camps were set up. Here is a evening view of the flood relief camps in the city. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Bhagwat Vidyapeeth trust Cow shelter in Ahmedabad organised a 'Cow Hug Day' celebration for animal lovers in February. Several visitors were seen petting and feeding cattles as part of the celebrations in Ahmedabad. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Blue moon is not that rare an astronomical phenomenon. The definitions of a blue moon describes the situation when a full moon is seen twice in a single month. Here photographed with a multi-exposure method, the super blue moon is seen over the Kartavya path in New Delh. On closer inspection, Saturn is also visible. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

On May 12th, the Pune City Congress Committee organized a protest at FC Road, employing street plays and postcard campaigns to demand the arrest of MP Brij Bhushan Singh. The protest aimed to draw attention to the accusations of sexual harassment against the implicated MP by wrestlers and was directed towards Prime Minister Modi. (Express Photograph by Arul Horizon).

Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik protesting against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on May 11, 2023 (Express Photo By Amit Mehra)

When is Union Budget 2024?: As the nation awaits the upcoming Union Budget for FY 2024–25, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, explore when the Interim Budget 2024–25 will be presented and where to watch the speech live.

In Lahuria Dah village of Mirzapur District, residents, particularly women, dedicate half of their day to collecting water for their family's necessities. (Express Photo by Vishal Srivastav)

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust spent Rs 900 crore on the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya between February 5, 2020 and March 31 this year. Here, workers giving the final touches on the first floor of the Ram Janambhoomi Temple. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

The construction of the Ram Temple after decades of struggle. (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

On October 24, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending a program marking the occasion of Dussehra at Ram Leela Ground Maidan in Dwarka, New Delhi. (Express photo by Renuka Puri)

The tallest effigy of Ravana in Triciy was installed at the ground in Sector 5, Panchkula, ahead of the Dussehra festival. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honored with the Lokmanya Tilak national award by the Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust in the city. Here, on the stage are NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Governor Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Trustee Sushil kumar Shinde, Trust president Deepak Tilak, Trust Vice-president Rohit Tilak, Trustee Geetali Mone-Tilak and Truastee Praniti Tilak. (Express Photo By Pavan Khengre)

Commuters navigate through a waterlogged street in Hatkeshwar following heavy rains in Ahmedabad on September 17th. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Kutch district in Gujarat received heavy rainfall on June 16, 2023 following Landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy. In this picture, workers are seen returning back to their factories near Mangwana village in Kutch. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)

Crowd enjoying in front of newly inaugurated Musical Fountain at Plaza in Sector 17 Chandigarh during festival season in November. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Devotees perform rituals at the banks of the Yamuna river on the 'Chhath Puja' as toxic foam floating on the river on the first day of 'Chhath Puja' near Kalindi Kunj in November. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

NSG Dogs during training in Delhi. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

On December 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gathered with BJP supporters at the party headquarters in New Delhi to celebrate their victory in the exit polls.(Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

In July, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescued people from the flood-affected area at Jaitpur Khadda colony in Delhi. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)

People rescued from the flood area of Hindon River in Ghaziabad Karhera village. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)

'Up town Girl' n 'My Love'... The Wild Dream Tour, Shane Filan and his pals from the group 'Westlife' perform for the first time in India at Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Under the crisp twilight of a Mumbai winter, a game of polo was played at the Amateur Riders Club in Mahalaxmi race course between Mumbai Polo and Nearah. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Navi Mumbai's long-awaited metro service finally commenced operations from November 17th, marking the culmination of a 12-year journey. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

Mumbai may be drenched, but the tracks in Andheri continue to make progress, a testament to the indomitable spirit of the workers toiling under heavy showers as they undertake the extension work on the Western suburban railway track. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)

One of Mumbai's lifelines, connecting the city's sprawl, the monorail glides through a thick layer of smog in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai as the city grapples with severe air pollution issues. (Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)