Journalism of Courage
Zohra Sehgal: Called the grand old lady of Indian cinema who never aged, the actress who's professional career stretched over eight decades of acting in Hindi and English films, television shows and plays, passed away this year, at the age of a century and two. Teeming with indomitable spark and energy, Zohra Sehgal was known for her immaculate dancing skills and was known to have showcased her talent across Japan, Egypt, Europe and the US. She is also known for having a 20 year old's memory, she could recite poetry and songs by heart with panache and aplomb. (Source: Express photo)
Suchitra Sen: The reclusive Bengali screen actress Suchitra Sen breathed her last this year. She was 82 and died of heart attack. Famously known for what came to be called the "Greta Garbo syndrome", the veteran actress rarely made any public appearances, refused to appear in interviews, and chose not to attend public functions post retirement. Her strong feminist voice was heard well when she told the producers to put her name before Uttam Kumar's, her most famous co-actor. (Source: Express photo)
Robin Williams: "Carpe, carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary", the words still resonate fresh in mind from Dead Poets' Society. The world lost Robin Williams too this year, at the age of 63 when he committed suicide. Known for roles indelibly etched in the pages of history in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets' Society, Vietnam among others, Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards throughout his professional career. (Source: AP)
Khushwant Singh: From being the author of masterpieces like Train to Pakistan, to being a member of Rajya Sabha early in his career, to being the witty obituarist writing his famous column "With Malice to one and all", the Indian novelist, lawyer, politician and journalist was also the recipient of Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India. He died this year at the heart-warming age of 99, with his self-written epitaph that goes like this: “Here lies one who spared neither man nor God/ Waste not your tears on him, he was a sod/ Writing nasty things he regarded as great fun/ Thank the Lord he is dead, this son of a gun.” (Source: Express photo)
K. Balachander: The Tamil director, producer, writer, actor in his career of over 50 years, had contributed to nearly 100 feature films either as a screenwriter or director, thus becoming one of the most prolific filmmakers in the country. He is also accredited with shooting to fame numerous actors, notably Nagesh, Sujatha, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Jayaprada, Jayasudha, Saritha, Renuka, Prakash Raj , Ramesh Aravind and Vivek. As of 2013, Balachander had won nine National Film Awards and multiple Filmfare Awards. He was honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 1987, and is a recipient of the ANR National Award and Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema. K. Balachander is revered as one of the best directors India has ever produced. (Source: PTI)
Gabirel Garcia Marquez: The sunny and vibrant voice of Latin America and post-colonial literature, Marquez, the man who mastered magic realism, died at the age of 87 this year. The Colombian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist was the recipient of Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1982. He immortalized the characters of Fermina Daza, Florentino Ariza, José Arcadio Buendía among others. (Source: AP)
Deven Kumar: Suffering from heart problems and diabetes, Deven Kumar died at the age of 77 in Pune. Born and brought up in Pune, Kumar had worked in several famous films and was particularly known for his comic roles in films such as Angoor, Golmaal, Rang Birangi, Chori Mera Kaam and Chor Ke Ghar Chor along with the unforgettable portrayal of the father of a mischievous son played by Aamir Khan in 'Andaz Apna Apna'. He became one of Bollywood's most celebrated comic actors by winning his Filmfare Award for Best Comedian in 1976 for 'Chori Mera Kaam'. He also won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award in 1983 for his role as 'Bahadur' in Angoor. (Source: Express photo)
Gopinath Munde: The senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader failed to serve even one month as Minister of Rural Development in the newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet, due to his death in car accident that brought to light the lacunae in traffic rules and security.
Philip Hughes: The Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died after he was struck on the head by a bouncer at the speed of 90 mph during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He was just 25. Hughes, who was days away from his 26th birthday, played Test and one-day cricket for Australia, Sheffield Shield cricket for South Australia and county cricket for Worcestershire. (Source: AP)
V R Krishna Iyer: Jurist par excellence and doyen of civil liberties V R Krishna Iyer died in Kochi this year. The former Supreme Court judge had turned 100 on November 15, this year. A crusader for social justice and causes even at the final days of life, the legal luminary was admitted to the hospital in November 24 in connection with age-related ailments and gave in to multiple organ failure. (Source: PTI)
U Srinivas: The legendary musician who mastered the instrument Mandolin as a child prodigy, died in Chennai in September this year. He was 45. Srinivas was admitted to a city hospital for liver transplantation. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2010.
Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin: Dawoodi Bohra community’s spiritual leader Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin passed away in Mumbai. The 98-year-old leader was the 52nd ‘dai’ of Dawoodi Bohras. Last year, the community had celebrated his 102nd birthday as per the Muslim calendar. He was credited with transforming Dawoodi Bohras, a sect of the Shia Muslims, into a vibrant community. (Source: AFP)
B K S Iyengar: World-renowned yoga guru and founder of the Iyengar School of Yoga, B K S Iyengar died in August this year. 96-year-old Iyengar was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan. His book, Light on Yoga, considered the Bible of the art, has been translated into 19 languages and sold more than three million copies. (Source: express photo)
Pran Kumar Sharma: Eminent cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma, popularly known as Pran, who gave life to lovable comic characters Chacha Chaudhury and his friend Sabu, succumbed to cancer in August this year. He was 75. Pran began his career in 1960 as a cartoonist for the Delhi-based newspaper ‘Milap’ with comic strip ‘Daabu’. In 1969, Pran sketched Chacha Chaudhary for the Hindi magazine ‘Lotpot’, which made him famous. (Source: Express photo)
Akkineni Nageshwara Rao: Legendary Telugu actor and film producer Akkineni Nageswara Rao also known as ANR died early this year at the age of 90. Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner ANR, who is the father of famous Telugu actor Nagarjuna, had been battling cancer for several months. He had in October last year told media that he was diagnosed with cancer and that he would fight it till the end. (Source: Express photo)
A.R Antulay : Maharashtra’s former chief minister and Congressman Abdul Rehman Antulay breathed his last in Mumbai this year at the age of 85. Antulay who served in Maharashtra was also Union Minister for Health and Minorities affairs in UPA government led by Manmohan Singh in the first term. His tenure as Chief Minister was cut short due to controversy popularly known as 'Cement Scandal' that forced him to resign. The matter was contested in apex court and he was acquitted. (Source: Express photo)
Bipan Chandra: The noted historian died this year in August at the age of 86. A Padma Bhushan awardee, Chandra had donned multiple roles including that of chairperson of the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Chairman of the National Book Trust (NBT). Considered to be a specialist in economic and political history of India, Chandra had authored several books including ‘The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism’, ‘In the Name of Democracy: The JP Movement and the Emergency’, ‘Nationalism and Colonialism in Modern India’ and ‘The Making of Modern India: From Marx to Gandhi’, among others. (Source: Express photo)
Russi Mody: Popularly known as India's 'Steel Man' for his role in shaping Tata Steel as one of India's leading steel manufacturing company that it is today, Russi Mody died at the age of 96 years in Kolkata due to age-related ailment. Rustomji Homusji Mody, popularly known as Russi Mody, was a recepient of Padma Bhushan in the year 1989. (Source: Express photo)
Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nedurumalli Janardhana Reddy died in Hyderabad in May this year due to liver ailment. He was 80. Reddy served as the CM of Andhra Pradesh between 1990 and 1992. Reddy was a member of Congress and represented Visakhapatnam constituency of Andhra Pradesh. Also, he was the President of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee. Reddy took many important decisions during his political career, one of which was to allow the privatisation of professional education. (Source: Express photo)
Madhav Mantri: Madhav Mantri was the grand old conscience of Mumbai cricket. He passed away after suffering a heart attack at 92. The coach, manager, talent-spotter, mentor and finally the ever-upright patriarch of the Mumbai’s maidaans, he was also the maternal uncle of the legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar.
Mulri Deora: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Murli Deora passed away later this year in November after a prolonged illness. He was 77 and is survived by his wife and two sons, including former MP Milind Deora. Murli bhai, as he was known, held the portfolio of Petroleum and Natural Gas during the UPA–I regime. The Congress veteran had also served as the Mumbai Congress President for 22 years. He joined the Union Cabinet in 2006, shortly before he turned 70 and led oil diplomacy in Myanmar, Algeria and Egypt, and held talks with ministers from Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Comoros.
Sadashiv Amrapurkar: Marathi and Bollywood actor Sadashiv Amrapurkar passed away on November 3 this year after he succumbed to a battle with lung infection.The actor had worked in movies like Sadak, Ishq, Aankhen, Gupt and several others. Working closely with David Dhawan in the ’90s, Amrapurkar went on to essay several comic roles in the director’s films starring Govinda, such as Coolie No 1 and Aankhen and came to be known also for his comic timing. He won Filmfare Awards for Best supporting actor in 'Ardha satya' in 1983 and Best Villain for 'Sadak' in 1991.
