Conflict defined the Indian political spectrum in the year gone by.

Whether it was via the humble onion, Kargil, an aspiring prime minister's foreign origins, or simply the Pope's visit, the battle lines were clearly drawn. Between the ruling party and the main Opposition party. And sometimes within the ruling coalition itself.

Oh yes, in the meantime, the electorate also voted in the third general election in four years, and returned the same government that was voted out by just one vote months earlier, raising questions over the futile posturings of the political classes.

Conflict truly ran through the firmament.

Not just in public life, but in other spheres as well. The vaunted Indian XI return empty-handed from their World Cup quest, and the most successful captain in Indian history was quickly ousted in a bloodless coup.

The world of cinema is no better, with a rigid Censor Board chief raising hackles all around.

Ironically, if there was a silver lining, a touch of the gentle, it was also thanks to Bollywood, often reviled for its portrayal of the bloody. Taal, Mast, Hum Saath Saath Hain, all kept to the serene.

The Sensex found its wings again, as political stability seemed a possibility, and suddenly IPOs seems the craze, with IT companies leading the charge in both cases. The new year will show us if recovery was a mirage, or a ground reality

It was a year, truly, that refused to be characterised; that also refused, to quote a poet, to go gently into the good night. Which is how millennium-eve years are supposed to be. 1999, Anno Mirabilis.

It is also time, then, to look at the year through the rear-view mirror, and choose out the Indian who, for the better or worse, made all the difference. No suggestions to encumber you, no names from our end. The choice, as always Dear Rediff Reader, is yours. Go ahead and vote him/her in, and we will abide by your wisdom.