TeaThe year 2024 was full of unbearable pain as the country bid farewell to stalwarts who left a mark that shaped the country. Among the most loved and famous personalities we lost were musicians, politicians, doctors, poets and writers. They are very lively and lively through their actions.
Here, we take a moment to remember these icons and their contributions to society.
Photo: The Hindu
Rashid Khan (died January 9): Hindustani classical singer and music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan (55) passed away in Kolkata. Khan was an exponent of Rampur-Sahaswan Gayaki (a style of singing), which is closely related to the Gwalior Gharana. This type of singing involves medium-slow tempo, full-throated voice, and complex rhythmic playing.
Photo: The Hindu
NK Desam (died February 4): Famous poet and critic NK Desam passed away at the age of 87. He has written more than 10 poetry collections. Some of his works include ‘Kanyahridayam’ and ‘Appoppanthadi’.
Photo: The Hindu
Amin Sayani (died February 20): Amin Sayani passed away at the age of 91 and his voice was much loved in the world of radio. The iconic radio presenter became a household name in the 1950s with Binanka Geetmala. The audience remained connected to the program due to Sayani’s magic.
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Manohar Joshi (Died on February 23): Former Maharashtra CM and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi passed away at the age of 86. He was one of the important leaders of Shiv Sena and became the Chief Minister of the state. , He served as a Union Minister in the Vajpayee government in 1999–2002.
Photo: S_ANANDHAN
Kumar Shahani (died 24 February): He was acclaimed as the pole star of the parallel cinema movement in India. His notable works include Maya Darpan (1972), Tarang (1984) and Qasba (1990).
Photo: PTI
Pankaj Udhas (died February 26): Pankaj Udhas passed away at the age of 72 and had a soulful voice that would comfort broken hearts. Moving away from the classical form, he liberated the romantic form from Persianized Urdu to express his pain in a simple poem.
Photo: The Hindu
Daniel Balaji (died March 29): Tamil actor Daniel Balaji passed away at the age of 49. Balaji’s limited, yet illustrious filmography included titles starring him alongside some of the stalwarts of Indian cinema. Her role in the cult classic soap opera ‘Chitthi’ has left its mark in history. While working in various fields within the film industry she also acted in another serial titled ‘Alaigal’ for the same channel.
Photo: Kumar SS
N. Pugazhenthi (died April 6): DMK MLA from Vikravandi constituency died at the age of 71 after fainting during a public meeting. He started his political career in 1973 and held various positions in the Villupuram district unit of the DMK.
Photo: The Hindu
KG Jayan (died April 16): Famous Carnatic musician passed away at the age of 90. Jayan and his brother KG Vijayan were known as the ‘Jaya-Vijaya’ duo in the music world. Together, they gave life to more than 1,000 compositions in films, plays and devotional albums.
Photo: PTI
Narayanan Vaghul (died 18 May): Narayanan Vaghul, renowned Indian banker and founder-chairman of ICICI Limited, started his career with State Bank of India in 1955. It was under him that ICICI Limited turned into India’s second largest private sector. Commercial Bank.
Photo: The Hindu
Ramoji Rao (died June 8): Media mogul and founder of Eenadu Group, Ramoji Rao passed away at the age of 87. He is credited with revolutionizing Telugu media with the newspaper Eenadu. He further launched ETV. Ramoji Film City remains a major tourist attraction and a film shooting location for India’s top producers.
Photo: The Hindu
MS Valiathan (died July 17): Dr. Marthanda Varma Shankaran Valiathan, renowned cardiac surgeon and founder-director of SCTIMST. His remarkable career as a cardiac surgeon and his significant contribution in laying the foundation of the country’s indigenous medical technology development has been written in golden letters throughout history.
Photo: PTI
Anshuman Gaikwad (died July 31): Former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaikwad passed away at the age of 71. Gaikwad played 40 Tests and 15 ODIs for India. He was also the coach of the Indian team that finished runner-up in the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy.
Photo: The Hindu
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (died August 8): Former Chief Minister of West Bengal and veteran communist leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharya passed away at the age of 80. Bhattacharya became the Chief Minister of the state in 2000 after the famous Jyoti Basu stepped down due to ill health. After that, Bhattacharjee led the CPI(M) Left Front to power for two terms in 2001 and 2006.
Photo: The Hindu
Natwar Singh (died on August 10): Former Foreign Minister K. Natwar Singh died at the age of 95. A prolific writer and historian, he started his career as an IFS officer in 1953 and took early retirement in 1984 and moved on. To become a Lok Sabha MP. He further served as a Minister of State under the Rajiv Gandhi government.
Photo: PTI
Sitaram Yechury (Died 12 September) Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Sitaram Yechury passed away at the age of 72. Yechury was serving his third term as general secretary of the CPI(M), a post to which he was elected in 2015. Both united in Yechury. He was both a Marxist thinker and a communist agitator.
Photo: PTI
Baba Siddiqui (died 18 August): Baba Siddiqui of Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was shot dead in Mumbai’s Bandra area. He was a former minister and three-time MLA. He was a man who used to organize grand iftar parties and was considered an integral part of the Bollywood circle.
Photo: The Hindu
AG Noorani (died September 2): Abdul Ghafoor Noorani, one of India’s finest intellectuals, renowned constitutional expert, eminent lawyer and political analyst, passed away at the age of 94. He was in the process of writing a new book. On the Supreme Court’s Babri Masjid decision, when death snatched it away. A trained lawyer, he began his writing career in the early 1960s and wrote long and passionately. He called Narendra Modi the “Tughlaq” of our times for his Central Vista project in 2020.
Photo: Getty Images
Ratan Tata (died October 9): Tata Group Chairman and veteran industrialist Ratan Tata passed away at the age of 86. Under the visionary leadership of Ratan Tata, the group became a global power. His contributions span across various fields from engineering to technology. Apart from his successful ventures with the Tata Group, he was known for his empathy and humility.
Photo: Getty Images
Rohit Bal (died November 1): Designer Rohit Bal is a pioneer who helped put Indian fashion on the global map and dressed celebrities at home, in Bollywood and elsewhere. He combined flamboyance, elegance and brilliance in his work and also in his personality. He made his last public appearance only last month.
Photo: PTI
Sharda Sinha (died 5 November): Popular folk singer Sharda Sinha was known among her fans for folk songs like “Karthik Maas Ijoriya” and “Koyal Bin”. Padma Bhushan recipient, Sharda was synonymous with folk songs in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi languages.
Delhi Ganesh (died November 9): Famous Tamil actor Delhi Ganesh acted in more than 400 films during his illustrious career. His supporting roles and character transformations in films like Payasam, Sindhu Bhairavi and Nayagan remain in the memories of film lovers.
Photo: PTI
Shashi Ruia (died November 25): Founder and chairman of Essar Group passed away at the age of 81. Ruia’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1969 with the construction of an outer breakwater at the Chennai Port in Chennai. He was among the first to take advantage of the opportunities open to the private sector in important sectors.
Photo: The Hindu
SM Krishna (died December 10): The former Chief Minister of Karnataka aspired to rebuild Bengaluru on the lines of South Asian economic giant Singapore. Bengaluru’s presence on the global map as a hub of technology and IT is attributed to his foresight.
EVKS Elangovan (died December 14): Former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee chief and former Union Minister of State, EVKS Elangovan represented Erode (East), a seat held by his son E. Thirumahan Evra, who died in January 2023. Went. A prominent political family and also the grandson of E. V. Ramasamy or Periyar.
Photo: ANI
Ustad Zakir Hussain (died 15 December): Tabla player Zakir Hussain died due to complications arising from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Hussain has received four Grammy Awards in his career. One of India’s most renowned classical musicians, the percussionist received the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023.
Photo: ANI
Om Prakash Chautala (died December 20): Five-time Chief Minister of Haryana and Indian National Lok Dal supremo Om Prakash Chautala was one of the veteran leaders of his time. He was the leader of the opposition for almost eight years and raised his voice against the anti-people policies of various regimes. Chautala, a former Rajya Sabha member, passed his Class 10 and 12 exams in jail, taking inspiration from the Bollywood film.
Photo: AFP
Shyam Benegal (died 23 December) He was a legend of Indian cinema and one of the guiding stars of the parallel cinema movement. He died at the age of 90. He was known for heart-touching and powerful films like Ankur, Nishant, Mandi, Manthan and Zubaida.
Photo: The Hindu
(Died 25 December): MT Vasudevan Nair, one of India’s all-time great writers, passed away at the age of 91. He was also an extraordinary screenwriter who revolutionized the art of screenwriting in Malayalam cinema and wrote several landmark films. Some of those films were directed by MT himself. His first film as a director, Nirmalyam, actually won the National Award for Best Film in 1974.
Photo: PTI
Manmohan Singh (died 26 December): Manmohan Singh, who was twice Prime Minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government from 2004 to 2014, was in poor health for the past few months. As Finance Minister under former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, he was the architect of economic reforms in 1991 that changed the direction of India’s economic trajectory.
published – December 30, 2024 12:39 PM IST
