Fighting for her life for almost two weeks, she later died in Singapore while the Indian government still pondered on how to bring justice to the victim.

As if government inaction and bureaucratic delay was not enough, adding insult to the injury are some of the provocative comments made by some politicians and leaders about how women should dress, or when and how late they could travel, or whether they should work or stay home.

The comments, actions, (or inactions), if you will, of the leaders that the Indian people have themselves chosen, have caused widespread agony amongst the people of India who have decided to take the fight for justice in their own hands and to the streets of New Delhi.

Heinous crimes against women in India are among the worst in the world, whether dowry deaths, rape, honor killings, female infanticide and feticide.

The gang rape of a young medical student in South Delhi has shocked the nation and ignited outrage across the country. The entire nation is now calling for a strong sentence for the guilty and for major reforms to the current justice system, writes Siddharth Srivastava.

In the wake of this incident and many more that have gone untold, people across the globe have voiced concerns in many different ways. The vigils in the San Francisco Bay Area, held in solidarity to the protests in India, saw outrage over the Indian government’s inaction in bringing justice to the victim and a call for expediting the process, writes Viji Sundaram.

The sad demise of Pandit Ravi Shankar on December 11 added to the long list of extraordinary Indian personalities lost in 2012, who had dazzled the world with their rare and unparalleled contribution to art and culture, writes Priyanka Bhardwaj.

The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut has renewed national conversations about school safety and gun control. New America Media spoke with investigative journalist Annette Fuentes, the author of Lockdown High: When the Schoolhouse Becomes the Jailhouse (Verso, 2011), about security in schools and how to prevent another tragedy.

The notion that India has enough money for its own development is no longer so controversial, but rather, questions are now emerging around what can spur Indian high-net-worth-individuals to spend less on their own lavish lifestyles and more on social development, what their giving looks like, and what gets left out, writes Emily Jansons.

Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party may have almost won the ticket to move from Gujarat to New Delhi as along with two previous consecutive wins he has managed a hat trick of sorts in Gujarat assembly elections that drew to a close last week in India’s western state, writes Priyanka Bhardwaj.

India’s Parliament recently voted in favor of opening the multi-brand retail sector to foreign direct investors such as Walmart. The passage marked a significant victory for the Congress-led government headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. There are multiple views on the economics of big retail in India in terms of the impact on consumers, farmers and the next-door mom-and-pop stores, writes Siddharth Srivastava.

He joined the senior activities at Indo American Community Service Center in Santa Clara, Calif., in 1999. It was one of the prominent centers then, serving Indian American seniors. The flow of Indian American seniors was not as much as today. They were running a program for seniors in creative writing called Chhajju ka Chaubara. It was forum where seniors presented their articles, poems and songs. Similar activities are offered at many other centers, says Bharat Desai, presenting a round up of senior centers in San Francisco Bay Area.

For Bollywood, making movies is mostly about the business it does at the box office, as with any other form of commercial cinema. Last year, many movies grossed over 100-crores in revenues. It seems that while the entire world has been hit by a recession, Bollywood seems to be going fairly strong.

Bollywood is shining and 2013 appears to be a highly promising year with every superstar and a major director releasing a film. Joginder Tuteja looks at five big grossers of 2012 and the twenty most anticipated films in 2013 that should keep Bollywood buffs smiling right through the year.

As we bid farewell to the year gone by and enter a new one ahead, the start is grim for many, but we hope and pray that as the year progresses, it will bring happiness and peace to all.