MS Swaminathan
Aug 7, 1925 – Sept 28, 2023
The man who saved millions from starvation and freed India from the clutches of hunger is rightly called the ‘Father of Green Revolution’. Dr Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan’s vision to adopt high-yielding wheat and rice varieties transformed the country from seeking food aid from the West into one of the world’s top growers of these crops. Swaminathan once wrote Congress’ manifesto at Indira Gandhi’s behest, but was not averse to opposing her against the proposed Silent Valley hydroelectric project in Kerala. Known for his all-encompassing humanitarianism, whether it was farmers or Olive Ridley turtles, the agricultural scientist used his $200,000 World Food Prize to fund a research foundation that works for women and rural development.
BN Goswamy
Aug 15, 1933 – Nov 17, 2023
What Sachin Tendulkar is to cricket, Brijinder Nath Goswamy is to art history, historian William Dalrymple once said, dumbing down, for the uninitiated, the genius of the man. For followers of art history, his brilliance had shone way back in 1968 when he came out with a monograph that changed the course of Pahari art in India. ‘Pahari Painting: The Family as the Basis of Style’ challenged prevalent beliefs to establish that style was not specific to a region, but evolved in a family, just like a gharana in music — in this case that of Pandit Seu, whose style was followed by sons Nainsukh and Manaku. Having given up a career in the civil services to pursue his passion, he established the department of fine arts at Panjab University in Chandigarh and authored several books.
Parkash Singh Badal
Dec 8, 1927 – Apr 25, 2023
The grand old man of Punjab politics, Parkash Singh Badal’s 75-year political journey was entwined with the state’s political journey. From Partition to Punjabi Suba, militancy, SYL agitation and more, he was a witness and participant in every issue affecting Punjab. A sarpanch at 20 and MLA at 30, the 10-term MLA was also the youngest and the oldest CM, besides the longest serving at nearly 19 years across five terms. Known for his grassroots connect, the moderate leader initiated several populist measures — free water and power to farmers, atta-dal and shagun schemes, etc. An advocate of communal harmony, Badal was the original consensus builder. The popular leader gave the slogan ‘Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat’, and truly embodied its spirit.
BV Doshi
Aug 26, 1927 – Jan 24, 2023
Buildings are not dead boxes, they are as important as us, architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi would say. And that’s how his buildings were — whether it was the low-cost housing project, Aranya, in Indore; Amdavad ni Gufa, an art gallery housing the works of MF Husain; the Ahmedabad School of Architecture building (later renamed CEPT); or his own studio, Sangath. His designs placed people at the centre. Light, air, movement and access were key elements. The first Indian to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honour, he worked with architecture greats such as Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. Among the many honours he received were the Padma Bhushan in 2020 and RIBA Royal Gold Medal 2022; the Padma Vibhushan was awarded posthumously.
Bishan Singh Bedi
Sept 25, 1946 — Oct 23, 2023
Floating butterfly, eternal gadfly — the former India captain, who played cricket with grace and spoke with brutal honesty, died at age 77. Bedi, acknowledged by his peers as the most elegant spin bowler of all times, was India’s highest wicket-taker when he retired. Bedi was among the men who made India a power to reckon with in world cricket, with a huge role in India’s first wins in England and West Indies in 1971. His teammates in Delhi and Punjab speak of his inspiring leadership and generosity, and the boys he coached into Ranji Trophy winners swear by his style. The best was to come, though — his bravery as he spoke truth to power, in times when everyone has sold out, took one’s breath away. Yet, it surprised none — true mark of the man.
Vivan Sundaram
May 28, 1943 – March 29, 2023
Vivan Sundaram was born into art — his grandfather was the photographer Umrao Singh Sher-Gil and his aunt the inimitable Amrita Sher-Gil. In his roles as an artist, archivist and activist, he took the family legacy forward in a way that his absence will be felt for long. His political awakening was to happen when post a degree in fine arts from MS University in Baroda, he attended London’s Slade School of Fine Art at a time when the student movement was at its peak during anti-Vietnam war demonstrations. His activism was to inform his art for all times to come and manifested itself in works. His art residency, Kasauli Art Centre, was a major experiment of its kind in the promotion of arts in contemporary India.
MS Gill
June 14, 1936 – Oct 15, 2023
Former Chief Election Commissioner Manohar Singh Gill, under whose tenure the EVMs were introduced, was a distinguished bureaucrat whose proactive and pragmatic approach had a long-lasting impact on Punjab’s infrastructure and the agricultural sector. A farmer at heart, Dr Gill was a strong advocate of crop diversification, pushing for oilseed cultivation as an alternative to the wheat-paddy cycle. He was the force behind the concept of Apni Mandis in Punjab and bringing the Central Institute of Plastic Engineering and Technology to Amritsar and the NIPER to Mohali. After retirement, he joined the Congress and was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was also the Union sports minister from 2008 to 2011.
Gaddar
1949 — Aug 6, 2023
An icon of people’s theatre movement, Gummadi Vittal Rao, famously known as Gaddar, was born in a Dalit family in a village in what is now Telangana. Blending folk theatre and folk songs, he took to the stage donning ghungroos, and his voice thundered as he highlighted the sufferings of the marginalised, including Dalits and Adivasis. Radicalised during his student days at Osmania University, Gaddar was one of the most prominent faces of the Telangana statehood and Naxalite movements. He remained underground for 10 years, returning to public life in 1990. An assassination attempt was made on his life in 1997, allegedly by cops in plain clothes. A bullet remained lodged in his spine.
Prof CR rao
Sept 10, 1920 — Aug 22, 2023
Recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, Prof Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao died two weeks before turning 103. This former director of the Indian Statistical Institute, after whom India’s national award in statistics is named, became the fourth recipient of the International Prize in Statistics, often equated to the Nobel Prize in the field. His applications have had a huge impact in fields like biomedical research, industrial engineering, agricultural sciences, econometrics, etc. He played a major role in the development of sample survey methods in India. After retirement from ISI in 1978, Rao moved to the US and worked for another 25 years in leading universities there. Many concepts he gave, including Cramér-Rao inequality, Rao-Blackwell & Fisher-Rao theorems and Rao’s score test, have revolutionised statistical thinking and concepts.
Fathima Beevi
Apr 30, 1927 — Nov 23, 2023
Justice Fathima Beevi shattered many a glass ceiling during her illustrious career. Encouraged by her father to study law, this eldest of eight siblings was a gold medallist from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. From here began her inspiring journey: first Muslim woman to enter higher judiciary, first woman judge of the Supreme Court in 1989 and member of the National Human Rights Commission. Her tenure as Governor of Tamil Nadu was mired in controversy. She invited AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa to form the government despite the latter being disqualified from contesting elections. Ironically, it was during her tenure that Jayalalithaa arrested Karunanidhi, on whose request Fathima Beevi had been made Governor.
Satish Kaushik
Apr 13, 1956 — Mar 9, 2023
For as long as he lived, the infectious smile never left his face. Days before his untimely demise, actor-writer-director Satish Kaushik was photographed playing Holi at Javed Akhtar-Shabana Azmi’s house. A product of the National School of Drama and the Film Training Institute of India, his exuberant act as Calendar in Shekhar Kapur’s ‘Mr India’ put him on the national map. He went on to direct a clutch of films. While the much-hyped ‘Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja’ bombed, he found success with ‘Tere Naam’. Recently seen in ‘Chhatriwali’ and Raj and DK’s ‘Guns & Gulaabs’, Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ will see him relive the part of politician Jagjivan Ram. Kaushik will always be remembered as someone who brought cheer, both onscreen and off-screen.
PRS Oberoi
Feb 3, 1929 — Nov 14, 2023
Chairman Emeritus of Oberoi Hotels Private Limited, Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi, or ‘Biki’, is often referred to as the doyen of luxury hospitality in India. Taking forward the legacy of his father, who founded the Oberoi group, this younger son of Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi is credited with placing the hotel chain on the international luxury travellers’ map. A former Executive Chairman of EIH Limited, Biki successfully built a huge chain comprising 32 hotels and resorts, including the uber-luxury Vilas properties, across seven countries. EIH owns the eponymous Oberoi Hotels, Trident Hotels and Maiden Hotel. He was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan and lifetime achievement award at ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market).
Salim Durani
Dec 11, 1934 — Apr 2, 2023
Seventy-six years after the horrible events of 1947, a boy, who was among millions who suffered in the cataclysmic events of Partition, died an old man of 88. Salim, whose father Abdul Aziz played professionally and coached in pre-Independence India before leaving for Pakistan in 1947, was a tall, handsome man who played cricket with gay abandon. He became famous for hitting sixers on demand, and his flamboyance and filmstar looks made him a heartthrob of millions even in those days of monochromatic newspapers — and he did act in films. Though he played 29 Tests, his 1,202 runs and 75 wickets from them were paltry for this man of boundless talent. His finest hour was the spell in which he took the wickets of Clive Lloyd and Garry Sobers when India scored a historic first win over West Indies in 1971.
Vani Jairam
Nov 30, 1945 — Feb 4, 2023
Singer Vani Jairam might’ve been best known for ‘Bole re papihara’ from the movie ‘Guddi’, which became a rage on Binaca Geetmala, but her repertoire was vast and varied. In her five-decade career, she lent her voice to nearly 1,000
films, recording thousands of songs in 19 languages. Born as Kalaivani at Vellore in Tamil Nadu into a family of trained musicians, she learnt both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Interestingly, her career began as a bank employee, which she later quit to pursue music full-time. The numerous hymns that she sang earned her the sobriquet ‘Meera’. In a film by the same name, she sang to the tunes of maestro Pt Ravi Shankar. Blessed with a unique voice and a range honed to perfection, she worked with the who’s who of music industry, from Vasant Desai to OP Nayyar to Salil Chowdhury and Ilaiyaraaja. The three-time National Film Award winner was conferred the Padma Bhushan days before her demise.
Patrick French
May 28, 1966 – Mar 16, 2023
When writing his first book, ‘Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer’ (1994), Patrick French partly travelled in the footsteps of the British soldier who led a military expedition to Tibet. When writing the authorised biography of author VS Naipaul, French traversed continents to research his subject. When piecing together the School of Arts and Sciences at Ahmedabad University, he wanted to fuse design with intellectual culture while challenging hierarchies of the traditional Indian office set-up, too. Whatever the field — literary, personal or academic — Patrick stood out. Married to Meru Gokhale, former publisher at Penguin India, he will be long remembered for his biographies, as also his 2011 book ‘India: A Portrait’.
DR VS Arunachalam
Nov 10, 1935 — Aug 16, 2023
Former director general of DRDO, Dr Vallampadugai Srinivasaraghavan Arunachalam played a crucial role in shaping India’s nuclear programme and defence capabilities. The Padma Vibhushan awardee remained Scientific Adviser to various Defence Ministers from 1982-92.
Sharad Yadav
July 1, 1947– Jan 12, 2023
Inspired by RM Lohia and JP Narayan’s socialism, Sharad Yadav started his political career in 1974 and was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times. The ‘Mandal messiah’ was a minister in the VP Singh and Vajpayee Cabinets and one of the founders of the Janata Dal (United) and Loktantrik Janata Dal.
Gita Mehta
Dec 12, 1943 – Sept 16, 2023
She wasn’t a high-volume writer, but whatever Gita Mehta wrote resonated across generations and continents. Daughter of Biju Patnaik and wife of publishing giant Sonny Mehta, she carved her own space. ‘Karma Cola’, ‘A River Sutra’, ‘Raj’ and ‘Snakes and Ladders’ were her most loved books.
Bindeshwar pathak
Apr 2, 1943 — Aug 15, 2023
The visionary social activist was often referred to as the ‘toilet man of India’. Founder of Sulabh International, this Padma Bhushan awardee, who was often ridiculed for his work, including by his father-in-law, made toilets a part of public discourse long before the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Mohammed Habib
July 17, 1949 — Aug 15, 2023
Football great Habib is best remembered for scoring for Mohun Bagan against Pele’s New York Cosmos. He, however, had much else to show — bronze at the 1970 Asian Games, several trophies with Kolkata’s Big 3 (Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting), besides coaching stints.
SURINDER SHINDA
May 20, 1953 – July 26, 2023
For someone whose contemporaries included names such as Kuldeep Manak and Amar Singh Chamkila, Surinder Shinda stood out and how! Gifted with a high-pitched voice, he cut more than 160 music albums. His early hits included ‘Putt Jattan De’ and ‘Jatt Jeona Morh’.
Pradeep Sarkar
(Apr 30, 1955 — Mar 24, 2023)
Pradeep Sarkar effortlessly switched from advertising to cinema with his debut film ‘Parineeta’ winning him a National Award. With Rani Mukerji-starrer ‘Mardaani’, he tasted yet another round of success. Critics were dismissive of his last film, ‘Helicopter Ela’, but his imprint on the film world will remain.
SP Hinduja
Nov 28, 1935 — May 17, 2023
Popularly known as SP, Srichand Parmanand Hinduja was chairman of the multi-billion conglomerate Hinduja group. The patriarch, whose family is said to be the richest in the UK, was named, along with his brothers, in the infamous Bofors scandal. The Hindujas were exonerated later for want of evidence.
Sabir Ali
Apr 19, 1955 — Jan 22, 2023
Sabir Ali, a towering athlete known for his strength and athleticism in his heyday, went away rather unobtrusively at age 67. Winner of the decathlon gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in 1981, he dominated the discipline within India between 1979 and 1985.
Subrata Roy
June 10, 1948 — Nov 14, 2023
When the Sahara India Parivar chief died, it brought back focus on the undistributed funds of investors worth over Rs 25,000 crore lying with SEBI. Beginning with a chit fund scheme in the late 1970s, his business spread unhindered until SEBI accused him of raising funds by violating rules.
Bir devinder singh
Nov 10, 1950 — June 30, 2023
A seasoned and outspoken politician, Bir Devinder Singh was the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker in 2003-2004. Starting as an All India Sikh Students Federation activist, the two-time Congress MLA from Sirhind and Kharar was also associated with Shiromani Akali Dal and some other political parties.
Gufi Paintal
Oct 4, 1944 — June 5, 2023
Who can forget the wily Shakuni mama in BR Chopra’s ‘Mahabharata’? That limp and his unique style of uttering ‘Bhaanje’, while addressing Duryodhan, remains imprinted on viewers’ minds. The Lahore-born Gufi Paintal was last seen in the TV show ‘Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki’ (2022).
