In memoriam

Photos: The Tribune archives and Agencies

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Ratan Tata

 28 Dec 1937 – 9 Oct 2024

When the visionary industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata passed away at 86, the Chairman Emeritus of the $67-billion conglomerate Tata Sons left behind a legacy of ethical business practices and unparalleled leadership. This alumnus of Cornell University, who stayed in the US for seven years, rushed to India after his grandmother, who raised him and brother Jimmy after their parents split, got ill. In 1991, he took over the reins of the Tata Group and turned it into global powerhouse of nearly 100 companies, employing nearly 3.5 lakh persons. Branding Nano as the world’s most affordable car was a decision he regretted since he felt people didn’t want to be seen in the cheapest car. A month before his death, this ardent dog lover inaugurated a Rs 165-crore animal hospital in Mumbai.

Shyam Benegal

14 Dec 1934 – 23 Dec 2024

When Shyam Benegal entered the Hindi movie industry in the 1970s with debut film ‘Ankur’, mirroring the social and political tensions of the time, he planted the seeds of a silent revolution in cinema. Challenging mainstream Bollywood, which was then rife with melodramatic films like ‘Sholay’ and ‘Deewar’, his ‘Nishant’, ‘Manthan’, ‘Bhumika’, ‘Junoon’, ‘Mandi’, ‘Suraj Ka Satvaan Ghoda’, ‘Mammo’, ‘Sardari Begum’ , which dealt with the social realities of a poor nation, heralded the Indian parallel cinema. This Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award-winning screenwriter and documentary filmmaker, who mentored actors like Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, also made TV serials like ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ and ‘Samvidhaan’.

Zakir Hussain

9 Mar 1951 – 15 Dec 2024

Rhythm was in his DNA. Zakir Hussain, since 12, was accompanying maestros like Pt Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.  A passionate innovator, he was a pioneer of cross-genre collaborations that included jazz legends, Western classical orchestras and Carnatic music maestros, bringing Indian classical music to global audiences. A four-time Grammy winner, and honoured with three Padma awards (Padma Vibhushan, 2023), his humility made him a lifelong learner and a worthy mentor. His flamboyance, precision, and the speed of his beats, have been compared to a hummingbird’s wings. A fan of Isaac Asimov’s books, Ustad loved poetry, cricket and tennis. For him, music was not a career but a spiritual journey to connect with people, traditions, and cultures.

Sitaram Yechury

12 Aug 1952 – 12 Sept 2024

Known for his pragmatic outlook, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury commanded respect across the political divide. ‘Ae mere payare watan’ was not just a favourite song but a motto that drove him to bring together diverse forces against communalism. Growing up in non-Left bastions, his politics was shaped in JNU, where, as the students’ union chief, he forced Indira Gandhi to resign as the university’s Chancellor. A multi-lingual orator, Yechury could break down the most complex ideas in the language of the people, his solution for popularising the Left movement. An advocate of Harkishan Singh Surjeet’s coalition-building legacy, he was instrumental in the formation of the UPA government in 2004. Yechury will be remembered for his commitment to the working class, social justice and equality.

Keki N Daruwalla

24 Jan 1937 – 26 Sept 2024

When Keki Nasserwanji Daruwalla’s first poetry book, ‘Under Orion’, came out, the celebrated poet Nissim Ezekiel placed him at par with Dom Moraes and AK Ramanujan, hailing him as a “mature poetic talent but of literary stamina, intellectual strength of mind and social awareness”. The poet in Daruwalla was to overshadow Daruwalla the top cop for the rest of his life. His professional achievements — he rose up to the rank of chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee — would be a footnote in his illustrious journey as a poet and writer who won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1984, and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014. Steeped in social concerns, both Lahore-born Keki and his poetry were a reflection of the society and the times.

Surjit Patar

14 Jan 1945 – 11 May 2024

Most acclaimed after Shiv Kumar Batalvi, Surjit Patar’s poetry explored Punjab’s collective consciousness and the paradoxes of its society. His verses spoke subtly about political issues, human struggles, and the socio-economic realities of Punjab as well as its tumultuous past. His noted works include ‘Hawa Vich Likhe Harf’ and ‘Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varnmala’, which won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993, and which he returned in 2015 against the growing communal hatred. He also returned his Padma Shri in protest against the farm laws. Patar, who translated into Punjab Federico Garcia’s ‘Lorca’, ‘Nagmandala’ by Girish Karnad, poems by Brecht and Neruda, also held leadership roles in the Punjab Arts Council and the Punjabi Sahit Akademi.

Fali S Nariman

10 Jan 1929 – 21 Feb 2024

Belonging to the first generation of lawyers who started practising after the Constitution came into force, senior advocate and constitutional expert Fali Sam Nariman played a crucial role in shaping the country’s legal landscape. His important cases included Kesavananda Bharati (1973), Indira Gandhi’s election (1975), the National Judicial Appointments Commission case (2015) and the Aadhaar case (2018). As lawyer for the Union Carbide, he played a key role in an out-of-court settlement with victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, a decision he later termed a mistake. An alumnus of Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, he was recipient of the Padma Vibhushan and the Gruber Prize for Justice.

Justice Kuldip Singh

1 Jan 1932 – 25 Nov 2024

In a country that has long struggled with issues of environmental degradation, the judicial leadership of Justice Kuldip Singh, affectionately referred to as ‘Green Judge’, was instrumental in establishing legal frameworks to promote environmental conservation and hold violators accountable. As a judge of the Supreme Court in 1988, this Barrister-at-law from Lincoln’s Inn transformed public interest litigation into an instrument for social change. From flushing industrial units out of Delhi’s residential areas to framing norms to protect Taj Mahal from industrial pollution to developing environmental laws that led to the setting up of green benches in every high court, he played a monumental role in India’s environmental jurisprudence.

AG Noorani

16 Sept 1930 – 29 Aug 2024

Throughout his illustrious career, Abdul Ghafoor Majeed Noorani was involved in some of India’s most significant legal battles that shaped the country’s constitutional framework. His expertise spanned across constitutional law, human rights and civil liberties. He appeared in numerous landmark cases such as the Golaknath case (1967), the Shah Bano case (1985), and the Right to Information Act case (2005). Noorani was never one to shy away from controversy, particularly when it came to defending the rights of marginalised communities or criticising government overreach such as his vocal opposition to the Emergency in 1975. A prolific writer, his important works include ‘The Constitution of India: A Contextual Analysis, ‘The RSS: A View from the Inside’ and ‘The Babri Masjid: A Case Study in Hindu-Muslim Conflict’.

Pankaj Udhas

17 May 1951 – 26 Feb 2024

Had Pankaj Udhas’ first solo song in a Hindi film (‘Kaamna’, music director Usha Khanna) not gone unnoticed, he would have probably become one of the many playback singers, charting a different career trajectory. But a Begum Akhtar fan, he veered towards ghazals, learned Urdu, cutting his first album ‘Aahat’ in 1980; he came out with 50 more albums. But the ghazal that was to catapult him to fame was to come a few years later — ‘Chitthi Aayi Hai’ (‘Naam’), which put into words the pain of Indian immigrants abroad. Along with Jagjit Singh and Talat Aziz, Pankaj Udhas kept aflame the genre that would have otherwise drowned in the beats of pop music. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006.

Aunshuman Gaekwad

23 Sept 1952 – 31 Jul 2024

Aunshuman Gaekwad, the bespectacled India opener who played the perfect foil to Sunil Gavaskar, died after a prolonged battle with blood cancer. The gutsy Baroda batter, one of the youngest captains in first class cricket, took on the fastest and mightiest of West Indians with raw courage. In the famous Bloodbath in Jamaica Test, Charlie, as he was known among his friends, hit a plucky 81 before Michael Holding’s bouncer hit him near his ear and damaged his eardrum. Five batters, including Gaekwad, were retired hurt in that Test. He scored 1,985 runs in 40 Tests at an average of 30.07. As a selector and two-time coach of the Indian team, Gaekwad’s rare quality of a tough cricketer and a likeable person saw him rein in the party boys of the team.

Yamini Krishnamurthy

20 Dec 1940 – 3 Aug 2024

Dancer Leela Samson said that while others had to learn to be a dancer, Yamini Krishnamurthy was born as one. As a child, she trained in Bharatnatyam at Rukmini Devi Arundale’s Kalakshetra, went on to learn Kuchipudi and later, Odissi from Pankaj Charan Das and Kelucharan Mohapatra. Eventually, she pursued Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi, promoting the dances in a post-Independence India waking up to its heritage, and abroad. For three decades, until the 1990s, she was a key figure in this revival. Her expressions, her stage presence and her grace warmed up the North Indian audiences to the South Indian dances and she went on to open the Yamini School of Dance in Delhi. Her death truly marked the end of a glorious era in Indian dance.

Rohit Bal

8 May 1961 – 1 Nov 2024

Among India’s first generation of fashion designers, the flamboyant and openly gay Rohit Bal didn’t believe in following global trends. Instead, he drew his strength from Indian craft and tradition. Elegant, classic and comfortable was his game. Born in Kashmir, the lotus was his muse, but so were peacocks. Fondly known by his pet name Gudda, Bal’s elaborate silhouettes were crafted in velvet, silk, satin, zardosi. He liked them voluminous and would often use tens of metres to make a dress. The glamour to his designs came from the depth of his craft (and not the neckline!), and he stuck to it until his last show in October — which was supposed to be a comeback event after a year of illness. His showstopper was Ananya Pandey, making him relevant across time and age.

Ameen Sayani

 21 Dec 1932 – 20 Feb 2024

“Ji haan behnon aur bhaiyon, main hoon aapka radio dost Ameen Sayani.” The man, the voice — mellifluous and warm — and the heartfelt introduction, where he intentionally put ladies first, were etched on to the radio waves of history as soon as Sayani launched his programme Binaca Geetmala on Radio Celyon in 1952. The show, which was broadcast every Wednesday, began when, in a bid to promote classical music, All India Radio stopped broadcasting Hindi film music after Independence. Such was the craze for film songs that within two years, the show’s duration was increased to one hour; it later included a countdown as well. In 1989, AIR revoked its ban on film music and the show came to India. With TV making inroads into the country, the broadcast stopped in 1994. One of the most recognised voices in India, Ameen Sayani dominated the airwaves for six decades, during which he recorded more than 50,000 radio programmes and lent his voice to 19,000 jingles.

Gen S Padmanabhan (Retd)

5 Dec 1940 – 18 Aug 2024

It was during the term of General Sundararajan Padmanabhan as Chief of the Army Staff from October 2000 to December 2002 that the Indian Army undertook its biggest mobilisation on the Western Front post-1971, when Operation Parakram was launched in the aftermath of a terror attack on Parliament in December 2001. Fondly called ‘Paddy’ by his peers, he is remembered as an astute military leader during whose tenure developments like enhancement of the Army Commanders’ financial powers and the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme got an impetus. Commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery in 1959, he headed 15 Corps in Srinagar when terrorism was at its peak. He was also an ace boxer and cricketer.

K Natwar Singh

16 May 1931 – 10 Aug 2024

Born into royalty, a diplomat, a prolific author, once Congress loyalist and former Union minister K Natwar Singh wore several hats with ease. A Padma Bhushan awardee, he wrote several books, including on Nehru and his diplomatic years. He will be remembered for his sharp wit and plainspeak.

Bibek Debroy

25 Jan 1955 – 1 Nov 2024

Known for his contribution to economics and policy-making, Bibek Deboy was chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the PM. An avid chess player, he was deeply interested in Indian culture. His translation of the Mahabharata makes this epic marvellously accessible to contemporary readers.

Justice HS Bedi

5 Sept 1946 - 21 Nov 2024

Popularly known as Harry, Justice Harjit Singh Bedi was chairman of the monitoring authority set up by the Supreme Court to examine cases of alleged fake encounters in Gujarat from 2002 to 2006. This alumnus of Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, was the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court.

Rashid Khan

1 Jul 1968 – 9 Jan 2024

A protégé of his maternal uncle Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan, Rashid Khan’s real interaction with music began when he enrolled in the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in Kolkata. His rise was quick and colossal. His film outings, especially ‘Aaoge Jab Tum’, made him a rare classical musician with mass appeal.

Kavita Chaudhary

25 Jul 1957 – 15 Feb 2024

When ‘Udaan’, the story of a woman IPS officer, was telecast on Doordarshan in 1989, Kavita Chaudhary became synonymous with the aspirations of an educated woman of the emerging middle-class India. Her character of Kavitaji in a Surf advertisement added to the charm.

Munnawar Rana

26 Nov 1952 – 14 Jan 2024

A stalwart of Urdu literature, Munnawar Rana’s poetry drew more from Hindi and Awadhi languages than Persian or Arabic, endearing him to both the masses and the classes. Much of his shayari was dedicated to the figure of mother, as observed and experienced by the poet himself.

Sudhir Kakar

25 Jul 1938 – 22 Apr 2024

Described as one of the 25 major thinkers of the world by French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur, Sudhir Kakar was one of India’s foremost psychoanalysts. Cultural psychology, the psychology of religion, mysticism and sexuality were his core areas. He wrote 20 books on non-fiction and six works of fiction.

Admiral L Ramdas (Retd)

5 Sept 1933–15 Mar 2024

Chief of the Indian Navy from 1990-93, Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas was a leading proponent of gender equality in the military, and later a social activist. He commanded INS Beas, involved in the naval blockade of East Pakistan during the 1971 war. He also set up and headed the Naval Academy in Kochi.

Harmohan Dhawan

14 Jul 1940 – 27 Jan 2024

A former Chandigarh MP, hotelier and naturopath, Harmohan Dhawan started his political career in 1989 and was Union Civil Aviation Minister in Chandra Shekhar’s Cabinet. He was affiliated with various parties, including the Janata Party, BJP, Samajwadi Party, Congress and the AAP.

Rituraj Singh

23 May 1964 – 20 Feb 2024

TV actor Rituraj Singh Chandrawat Sisodia, who died of cardiac arrest, is known for his roles in ‘Thunivu’, ‘Ssshhhh... Koi Hai’, ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’, ‘Banegi Apni Baat’, ‘Laado 2’, besides TV game show ‘Tol Mol Ke Bol’. The actor also worked for 12 years with Barry John’s Theatre Action Group in Delhi.

Kumar Shahani 

7 Dec 1940 – 24 Feb 2024

A significant name in the Indian parallel cinema, Kumar Shahani was a National Award-winning film director who made path-breaking films such as ‘Maya Darpan’, ‘Char Adhyay’, ‘Kasba’, and ‘Khayal Gatha’. His cinematic influences were moulded by Ritwik Ghatak, Robert Bresson and DD Kosambi.

Shashi Ruia

23 Dec 1943 – 25 Nov 2024

Chairman of Essar Group, Shashikant Ruia played a significant role in redefining India’s corporate landscape. From a contract in 1969 to construct an outer breakwater for Chennai Port, he helped the company diversify into oil and gas, steel manufacturing, mining, ports, shipping, power and telecommunications.