Cameron to Modi, Virat to Sindhu: 16 stunning photos of newsmakers in 2016

These 16 photos taken by Hindustan Times’ photographers capture a different side of important leaders, celebrities, sportspersons.

When HT photographer Arun Sharma captured an image of current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP leader LK Advani, home minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Parliament House, little did he know that it would become the photo that launched a thousand memes.

In this photo taken on December 13, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former PM Manmohan Singh, BJP Leader LK Advani, home minister Rajnath Singh, finance ministArun Jaitley and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad arrive at Parliament House to pay tribute to martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the 2001 Indian Parliament terrorist attack. The image went viral across websites. (Arun Sharma/HT PHOTO)

As the photo went viral, people on social media wondered if the political leaders were standing in an ATM queue to withdraw money.

The regular news cycle often throws up iconic shots, images that capture a moment, a feeling, with all the drama and nuance of an off-guard expression. Our photographers looked through their camera rolls to find 16 such images for our readers:

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi at Parliament House in New Delhi. Gandhi has been in news through 2016, whether it was his ‘khoon ki dalali’ comment or his announcement that his revelations against Modi would cause an “earthquake” if made public.

Activist Irom Sharmila, called the Iron Lady of Manipur, at her room in Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, Imphal, after she broke her 16-year long fast in August 2016. Many of Sharmila’s supporters turned against her after she vowed to break her fast and join politics.

Royal Challengers Bangalore player Virat Kohli celebrates his innings during an IPL league match against Gujarat Lions at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

The Baba kicks a ball: Yoga guru Ramdev kicks a football during a charitable football match between Bollywood actors and Indian parliamentarians in New Delhi. It was a good year for Ramdev as Patanjali gave stiff competition to established FMCG companies and netted an annual turnover of Rs 5,000 crores.

Actor Alia Bahtt shares a light moment with mother Soni Razdan on Mother’s Day at their Juhu house in Mumbai.

Biswapati Sarkar, creative director of digital entertainment channel, The Viral Fever, poses for HT at his Andheri office. This year saw great content emerge from the new Indian web series scene, as they became a popular alternative to regular television.

Wrestler Sakshi Malik, who won a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, receives a heroic welcome on her arrival at T-3 International airport in New Delhi.

This year, badminton player PV Sindhu became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal at the 2016 Rio games after a hard fought battle after her badminton final against Spain’s Carolina Marin. At an exclusive photo shoot for HT Brunch, Sindhu appeared in a never-seen-before avatar.

Cricketer Yuvraj Singh poses for a feature, ‘Yuvi's last bachelor party’, in HT Brunch. Known as a party animal on the social circuit, Yuvraj finally decided to settle down and got hitched in late November 2016.

Britain’s former prime minister, David Cameron poses for a portrait at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in December 2016. It was a turbulent year for Cameron, who resigned as the premier shortly after the UK voted in favour of Brexit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at the crowd, before the flag-hoisting ceremony on the occasion of Independence Day at Red Fort, New Delhi.

West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee, leads a protest rally against demonetisation at Esplanade, Kolkata. Mamata emerged as the most vocal face against Prime Minister Modi’s move to demonetise higher currency notes.

Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati arrives to pay homage to Dr BR Ambedkar on his 61st death anniversary at a memorial dedicated to him. With the UP elections round the corner and the infighting within the Samajwadi Party, Mayawati could be close to the chief ministerial berth.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley poses at his residential office in New Delhi. 2016 was a challenging year for the Indian economy as the ministry grappled with structural issues such as public sector bank NPAs and demonetisation.

Delhi’s former Lt. Governor, Najeeb Jung, poses with his pet cat 'Munnabhai' at his Raj Niwas residence. Jung recently stepped down from his post, after a year marked by bitter acrimony and constant policy-related battles between him and chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal.