A year when it closes always carries different messages, for individuals, for nations. For India and the region it has been a difficult year. TANMAYA TYAGI records 2014 through these delightful and expressive cartoons.

The Citizen brings the year to an end by wishing all our contributors for staying with us without expecting any returns, and our readers who have encouraged us in our effort, and ensured we move from strength to strength as we move into 2015 to complete one year of our existence, A Fabulous New Year. And thank you for being part of our journey.

1. JANUARY


In a move that that contradicted the very principles of free speech that the publishing industry claims to champion, Penguin Books India, part of Penguin Random House, agreed to withdraw from sale all copies of the book “The Hindus: An Alternative History” by University of Chicago Professor Wendy Doniger.

Why? The withdrawal was part of a settlement following a lawsuit filed in 2011 by the Shiksha Bachao Andolan Committee that raised objections to the book saying that it “denounced the Hindu Gods and freedom fighters of India,” had “heresies and factual inaccuracies” and demonstrated a selective approach to writing about Hinduism.

Penguin’s agreement to withdraw the book was seen as a victory for those opposed to free speech, with writer William Dalrymple labelling the date of the settlement as a “dark day for freedom of expression in India.”

2. FEBRUARY


In February, after forty nine tumultuous days in office, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal bowed out of government on the issue of corruption symbolised by industrialist Mukesh Ambani, and the BJP and Congress blockade of the Jan Lokpal Bill.

A few months later, however, in April, Kejriwal admitted that he had made “a mistake.” "I don't regret forming the government and quitting on principle. Those decisions were right. The mistake we made was to assume that the people will celebrate our decision to quit on principle. We thought that people would understand our reasons on their own," Kejriwal said.

The result? Delhi has been under President’s rule for almost the entire year.

3. MARCH


In the run up to the 2014 General Elections, the “Modi Wave’’ -- whether real or partly orchestrated -- paved the way for a BJP victory.

4. APRIL


The Congress was unable to counter the “Modi wave” as it swelled up. In fact, Rahul Gandhi’s much written about TV appearance on Times Now earlier in the year became the definitive theme of the Congress’ election campaign. Man versus Wild. As the New York Times put it, ““Mr. Gandhi fumbled, stared with a blank expression and a tilted head and looked wounded at times.”

As Modi and Gandhi faced off, the verdict became even clearer. “You have seen the Kapil Sharma comedy show on TV? Soon people will forget that and tune in to watch the Congress shehzada’s speeches for entertainment,” Modi thundered.

5. MAY


The 16th Lok Sabha elections concluded with a victory for the BJP. Running in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014, it was the longest election in the country's history, with 814.5 million people were eligible to vote -- making it the largest election in the world.

The National Democratic Alliance, led by the BJP, won a sweeping victory, taking 336 seats. The BJP itself won 31.0% of all votes and 282 (51.9%) of all seats. It is the first time since the 1984 Indian general elections that a party won enough seats to govern without the support of other parties. The United Progressive Alliance, led by the Indian National Congress, won 58 seats, 44 (8.1%) of which were won by the Congress, that won 19.3% of all votes.

6. JUNE


June was about PM Modi, and only PM Modi. Whether you liked it or not.

7. JULY


In July, following a decision by the Gujarat government to prescribe six of Batra’s books as compulsory reading in schools, well-known historians including Romila Thapar and Irfan Habib, criticised the move.

"The contents are so absurd that any reaction would seem superfluous… I don't know what they will teach students when they have turned geography into fantasy,” said Habib.

8. AUGUST


The BJP’s electoral campaigning had focused on the issue of “black money” -- money stashed in foreign bank accounts by Indian nationals. The party promised to bring this money back within 100 days of being elected. In August, criticism began mounting when it became evident that the claim was nothing but a tall promise. In fact, BJP Member of Parliament Nishi Dubey declared while participating in a debate on the Finance Bill that ““we will not be able to get back black money from Switzerland in our lifetime.”

9. SEPTEMBER


In September, the “Make In India” campaign got off to a start. The idea is to attract businesses from around the world to invest and manufacture in India.

The initiative has met with some criticism, with RBI chief Raghuram Rajan cautioning that the campaign assumes an export-led growth path of China and it should rather be 'Make for India' with a focus on manufacturing products for the domestic market.

Time will only tell whether the “Make In India” initiative will bring about real change -- especially to the lives of the 180 million Indians who continue to live below the poverty line.


Meanwhile, O Panneerselvam was elected by the AIADMK Legislature Party to be the next Chief Minister in place of Jayalalithaa who, at the time, was jailed in the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail in Bangalore. Why OPS? Loyalty pays.

10. OCTOBER


In October, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, PM Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India campaign.

11. NOVEMBER


November saw the start of ‘Ghar Wapsi’ initiative -- an attempt by the VHP and other Sangh Parivar organisations to “re-convert” communities and bring them back to the fold of Hinduism.

In December, as the ‘Ghar Wapsi’ campaign continued, the Opposition made it a central issue in Parliament with a major onslaught on the Modi government in an attempt to make it accountable for the communal campaign gathering momentum across the country. The Opposition, in direct reference to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement declaring India as a Hindu Rashtra and supporting the ongoing conversions, accused the government of following an “unacceptable agenda.” Opposition leaders continued to demand a statement from the Prime Minister saying he should assure the House that action will be taken for all those violating the law and the Constitution with their vitriolic promises.

12. DECEMBER


The Bharatiya Janata Party has found it difficult to escape from yet another Minister’s communal remarks as Parliament was in session, and the Opposition united to insist that an apology was not enough and Union Minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti should be sacked from the government. Hate speech in the recent past had elevated several BJP members in the party and even government hierarchy but this MP from Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh was unable to get away from her remarks at a public meeting in Delhi where she told the people that they had to decide whether they wanted a government of Ramzaadon (followers of Ram) or haramzadon (illegitimate progeny).


The tragic developments in Pakistan -- where Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants attacked an army-run school killing about 150 people, most children -- reiterated the need for solidarity and cooperation in the world. India condemned the attack and issued messages of solidarity, with schools across the country observing a two-minute silence.

(CARTOONS BY TANMAYA TYAGI)

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