Top picks of cartoonists R. Prasad and Narsim from 2012

The year 2012 witnessed the people's revolution in India against corruption. Anna Hazare went on a fast unto death to bring a Jan Lokpal and Aamir Khan, on the other hand, with his show Satyamev Jayate opened a debate on thorny issues like female foeticides, alcoholism, media malpractices and child molestation.

Is lobbying corruption? Do lobbying firms donate to the powers-that-be? Or are they gifts? And if so, are gifts not akin to bribery to the powers-that-be? Has the US really legitimised lobbying...erm...bribery? Do you think Manmohan Singh has all these answers?

A Mumbai girl posted a status message on Facebook over Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's death and her friend liked the post. But they were arrested by the eager police. They were let go after a national outcry on freedom of speech. The issue also brought up the question if there is need to  screen social media.

If the year 2012 was bleak for the UPA government, which continued to be besieged by an avalanche of protests and scams - it seems the government has learnt from the past and is readying itself for 2013.

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, who faced charges of sedition for parodying the national symbol of the Ashokan lions , faced a jail term. The cartoonist was released after outrage over his arrest. After attaining a celebrity status, Aseem also appeared in the reality show Bigg Boss.

Will they, won't they (make him the PM)? Maybe they will, maybe they won't. One can almost imagine the BJP top brass sitting with a Modi-esque totem, wondering if he will be the saffron party's trump card for 2014.

With the country's economic growth rate slumping to a nine-year low and the prospects of a failing monsoon looming on the horizon, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appears to have been prodded into action. The PM summoned key ministers in his government to review the state of the economy in the country.

With the stand-off with the Pakistan Army worsening, the presidency of Asif Ali Zardari and the government of Yousuf Raza Gilani was under great strain. This situation came about after the Memogate controversy that led to the resignation of Husain Haqqani as the Pak ambassador to the United States.

BJP chief Nitin Gadkari got into a soup for inducting former UP Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha into the party ahead of the elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. Gadkari, who also faced charges of corruption, didn't have a very happy 2012.

Echoing senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, who wrote in his blog that there would be a non-Congress and a non-BJP prime minister, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said that the role of his party in government formation at the Centre would be the most important after 2014 Lok Sabha election.

Battered baby Falak, who fought a miraculous battle at AIIMS against fate but lost and died, showed the mirror to 'modern' India.

In his blog dated September 2, 2012, on 'Prime Minister's poor defence on Coalgate', BJP veteran L.K. Advani pulled up the UPA government defending the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states for coal block allocation.

The tragic demise of Savita Halappanavar, the Indian woman who died in Ireland after she was refused an abortion, created an uproar over the taboo over abortion in the Catholic country.

The flying licence of the beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines, which was suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 2012, expired this year.

The UPA government permitted Foreign Direct Investment in various sectors including retail, insurance, pension and aviation. Amidst huge controversies and opposition from several political parties, the government secured majority votes in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in favour of FDI.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's promise for a better Uttar Pradesh seemed false after a village panchayat in the state ordered a Haryana khap-like diktat banning women from using mobile phones.

Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal drifted apart after the collapse of Team Anna. Kejriwal, however, floated his own party minus the branding of Anna and named it Aam Aadmi Party.

Apprehending that the SP and the BSP would bail out the UPA on FDI in retail, Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, warned these parties that history will not pardon them if they sided with the government.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying 'Theek Hai' at the end of his speech to pacify angry protesters, who had taken to the roads after the Delhi gangrape, became a sensation over the internet. The PM was criticised over the speech but the brunt was faced by two Doordarshan employees who were suspended for reaching 7 RCR late to record Manmohan Singh's message.

The arrest of a girl for criticising on Facebook the bandh in Mumbai after the death of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has drawn wide-spread condemnation.

The European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its role in uniting the continent after two world wars. At the ceremony there was applause when the leaders of France and Germany stood up, holding hands. Critics say the award is inappropriate. They point that the Eurozone crisis has exposed deep divisions in the 27-nation bloc.

Callous, insensitive or a welcome relief? There are many ways to view Chidambaram's apology for the June 29, 2012 CRPF encounter in Chhattisgarh which, reports suggest, involved innocent tribals.

BJP lawmakers in Karnataka were caught watching porn in the state assembly. The politicians later tendered in their resignations during a BJP core committee meeting.

The Congress Working Committee backed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's economic reforms agenda saying they were necessary to lift a sagging economy and arrest the slide of the rupee.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's third consecutive win made him BJP's No. 1 candidate for the PM post.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's role came under the scanner for alleged irregularities alleged by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in the allocation of coal blocks between 2006 and 2009.

Against the backdrop of the controversy over Vodafone tax issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent out clear signals to foreign investors saying there will be "no arbitrariness" in tax matters.

Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested on charges of sedition for displaying cartoons during the Anna Hazare protest in the Bandra-Kurla complex (BKC) in November 2011.

The Congress demanded an apology from the BJP for holding up proceedings of Parliament on the 2G scam issue.

At a victory rally after the poll results came in, Modi delivered his speech in Hindi instead of Gujarati. The message seemed clear: there is no stopping Modi's march to the Centre.