As the year comes towards an end, we look back and remember some of such great people who left this world leaving a void, but also setting new benchmarks in their fields
Bipin Rawat (March 16, 1958 – December 8, 2021)
In a shocking helicopter crash, 11 people died along with Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat and his wife in Tamil Nadu. He was an Indian Military officer and a four-star general of the Indian Army.
Milkha Singh (November 20, 1929 – June 18, 2021)
91-year-old ‘Flying Sikh’ passed away five days after his wife’s demise owing to Covid-19 complications. Milkha Singh was a track and field sprinter who won gold medal four times in Asian Games, first gold medal for India in Commonwealth games in 1958, and five golds in International athletic championships and along with his other laurels.
Dilip Kumar (December 11, 1922 – July 7, 2021)
India’s beloved actor, Mohammed Yusuf Khan aka Dilip Kumar left for his heavenly abode at the age of 98 due to advanced prostate cancer. The ‘Tragedy King’ had a career of about six decades on the big screen.
Virbhadra Singh (June 23, 1934 – July 8, 2021)
Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and a senior Congress leader, Virbhadra Singh died after suffering from a prolonged illness at the age of 87. He was a nine-time MLA and five-time MP and Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister for six terms.
Sunderlal Bahuguna (January 9, 1927 – May 21, 2021)
Padma Vibhushan Sunderlal Bahuguna was a noted environmentalist who died of Covid-19 at the age of 94. He is mostly remembered for the ‘Chipko Movement’ of the 1970s and the anti-Tehri dam movement.
Surekha Sikri (April 19, 1945 – July 16, 2021)
Celebrated veteran theater artist Surekha Sikri died of cardiac arrest at the age of 75. She had three national film awards, a Filmfare award to her name alongside some great roles in films like Badhai Ho and television serial, Balika Vadhu.
Kalyan Singh (January 5, 1932 – August 21, 2021)
Kalyan Singh held the office of Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister twice and was also the Governor of Rajasthan. He passed away at the age of 89 due to sepsis and multiple organ failure.
Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan (March 3, 1931 – January 17, 2021)
Legendary Classical musician, Padma Vibhushan Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan died at his residence at the age of 89. He came from a family of celebrated musicians and was awarded Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and even Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Rajiv Kapoor (August 25, 1962 – February 9, 2021)
Actor and Rishi Kapoor’s brother, Rajiv Kapoor breathed his last at the age of 58 in Mumbai due to a heart attack. Rajiv made his Bollywood debut with Ek Jaan Hain Hum (1983) and is mostly known for the role of Narendra in Ram Teri Ganga Maili.
Shravan Rathod (November 13, 1954 – April 22, 2021)
Shravan Rathod of the famous Nadeem-Shravan duo died at the age of 66 after he tested positive for Covid-19. The duo was famous for composing super hit Bollywood songs in movies like Aashiqui, Saajan, Pardes, and Raja Hindustani.
Kamla Bhasin (April 24, 1946 – September 25, 2021)
Kamla was a feminist icon, poet, and author who founded Sangat, a South Asian feminist network and co-founded Jagori, a women’s resource center. She died due to liver cancer at the age of 75.
Arvind Trivedi (November 8, 1938 – October 6, 2021)
Arvind Trivedi who graced the screen with the role of Raavan in Ramanand Sagar’s legendary Ramayan died at the age of 82. He not only acted in about 300 Hindi and Gujarati films but also was an MP.
Puneeth Rajkumar (March 17, 1975 – October 29, 2021)
Kannada superstar, Puneeth Rajkumar suffered a serious cardiac arrest while working out and passed away at the age of 46. He rose to fame with films like ‘Power’ and ‘Yuvarathnaa’.
Novy Kapadia (1953 – November 18, 2021)
‘The voice of Indian football’, Novy Kapadia died at the age of 67 due to a rare motor neuron disease. Kapadia was a veteran commentator and was considered a big name in Indian football.
Vinod Dua (March 11, 1954 – December 4, 2021)
Vinod Dua, a veteran journalist died at the age of 67 due to deteriorating health after suffering from Covid last year. He was a pioneer of Hindi journalism and started his journey from Doordarshan.
