New Delhi, Dec 31, 2024
India, a country of 140 crore people doesn’t have a dearth of talent. Yet, in this massive sea of humanity and diversity that comprises our nation, there are a few who became legends, inspirations and icons in their lifetime. As the year comes to a close, here’s a look at some of the iconic Indians we lost in 2024, but who will live on in the legacy they have left behind.
Dr Manmohan Singh: The ‘Accidental Prime Minister’, and the ‘Architect of India’s economic reforms’, are some of the names by which India will remember its economic wizard. An alumnus of Panjab University and University of Cambridge, he earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford.
The economic foundation that this gentle soul and man of few words laid during his tenure as the two-time Prime Minister of India in the Congress-led UPA Government, made sure that Bharat came out of the economic crisis it was in when he came at the helm and breezed through the 2008 global economic meltdown as well.
Dr Manmohan Singh will be remembered for his legacy of the National Rural Health Mission, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, for solidifying India’s borders with the historic Indo-US Civil Nuclear deal, for the Right to Education Act, for providing food security to millions of Indians with the National Food Security Act, for the Right to Information Act, for championing the rights of the backwards with the Land Acquisition Act and providing relief to millions of farmers with the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme.
No matter how he was perceived by his opponents and the media during his tenure as Prime Minister, but history, his nation and the world does remember him kindly and will do so, going into the years ahead.
Ratan Tata: A well-loved Indian business leader, a brand and trusted name in himself, the head of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata was an iconic industrialist and philanthropist who taught people the art of living a life where making money, nation-building and taking care of and uplifting the underprivileged went hand in hand.
One of India’s most elegant, sought after and eligible bachelors for decades Ratan Tata in his sunset years became an inspiration and idol for the young generation of the country as he was an epitome of humanity, humility and business acumen.
His passing away was mourned by all Indians and even the strays on the streets of the country as he made sure that no four-legged furry guest who came to beg for food at his world-famous Taj chain of hotels went away hungry.
Ratan Tata was responsible for bringing in aspirational brands like Tetley, Starbucks, Zara and Jaguar Land Rover into the country.
However, in his true spirit of caring for one and all, he launched the Nano, so that every Indian who did not have deep pockets could still own a car with pride and keep the family secure while travelling. With his vision for India’s progress and penchant for philanthropy, he was truly India’s Ratan.
Ustad Zakir Hussain: The famous tabla player, composer and actor who will always be remembered for his immense talent and cherubic face will be mourned by all who love Indian classical music and fusion.
Zakir Hussain, who was the eldest son of the legendary tabla player Ustad Alla Rakha, took his father’s legacy even further and became world-renowned for his innovative contributions to music and collaborations with Pandit Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, John McLaughlin, L Shankar and TH Vinayakram. For those who are not so much into music, he will be remembered because of the eternal lines for Taj tea, “Aree huzoor, wah Taj boliye”.
The musical genius was a four-time Grammy Award winner. Back home he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan as Ustad Zakir Hussain put Indian classical music on the global stage like no other percussionist of his time did.
Rohit Bal: One of India’s most legendary designers who dominated the fashion fraternity for decades through his flamboyant creations for men and women alike, Rohit Bal was known for designing clothes that incorporated the country’s rich sartorial traditions and stitched them into bespoke apparels that combined modern convenience with elegance and glamour.
An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Gudda as he was popularly known, personified haute couture at one point of time till others inspired by him came on the scene. A founding member of the Fashion Design Council of India, Rohit Bal’s artistry, flair and innovative creations inspired a generation of fashion designers and redefined Indian couture.
Sitaram Yechury: Leader of India’s largest communist party the CPI(M), Sitaram Yechury was a key figure in Indian politics for decades. As a student, he had a brilliant academic record and went on to study at St. Stephen’s College and later Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), but his attempts to complete a Ph.D. in Economics from the university were disrupted by his arrest during the Emergency days.
Sitaram Yechury got into politics from his student days and began his career as a leader with the Student Federation of India (SFI). In fact, he was the first SFI president who did not hail from the states of Kerala or Bengal.
Later, as a seasoned politician, Yechury remained a member of the CPI(M) politburo for 32 years and became its General Secretary in 2015. He played a key role in ensuring the stability of governments during the peak years of coalition politics in India and will always be remembered for contributing to coalition dharma in the true sense.
Pankaj Udhas: The ghazal singer with a soulful, magical voice mesmerised generations of Indians with his famous renditions and needs no introduction. It is a measure of his talent that he not only brought out 50 albums but also sang in the Hindi film industry. Which Indian has not cried, laughed or slow danced to his beautiful ghazals like ‘Chitti Aai hai’, ‘Chandi jaisa’ ‘Yeh halki si baarish’ ‘Mein nashe mein hoon’ and so on.
Recognising his immense contribution to the popularity and spread of Indian music especially the dying genre of ghazals, not just among the citizens of the country but also among the diaspora, the Indian government honoured him with a Padma Shri. His melodic voice will live on forever digitally but he will still be missed by many generations of Indians who swore by his music.
Ameen Sayani: The most recognised voice on radio, in an era where televisions were not even a distant dream for crores of Indians, was that of Ameen Sayani. With his cheerful greeting of “Ji haan bhaiyon aur beheno. Main hoon apka dost” he would have people glued to their radio sets every Wednesday at 8 p.m. as he played famous Hindi film songs on the legendary music show Geetmala.
Later on it went on to become the Binaca Geetmala and was India’s answer to America’s Billboard rankings that could make or break a music composer’s and singer’s career. The cheery and golden voice of the RJ will be missed for its captivating charm and warmth by a whole generation of Indians.
Sharda Sinha: Known as the nightingale of Bihar, Sharda Sinha will forever be remembered for her contributions to Chhath Puja through her devotional hymns. Even though her voice has been silenced by death, she will live on in the hearts and minds of the Purvanchali people who did not celebrate any wedding or festival without her soulful voice singing in the background.
All her life Sharda Sinha endeavoured to keep alive Bihar’s folk traditions and introduce people to the richness of Bhojpuri and Maithili. She also passionately revived folk songs and made sure that they did not die out in today’s fast-paced world, unsung and unappreciated by the younger generation. She will always be remembered for preserving her homeland’s culture and traditions.
Dr. Ram Narain Agarwal: Popularly known as the ‘Father of Agni Missile’ or the ‘Agni Man of India’, Dr Agarwal was born in Jaipur into a family of businessmen. However, in a departure from tradition he charted his own course in life and studied Aeronautical Engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology and did his Master’s from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
In his long career he went on to work closely with notable scientists including Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The Padma Bhushan awardee was the Agni programme director and also the director of the Advanced Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad.
The Agni missile was the most ambitious of the five missiles, Prithvi, Akash, Nag, and Trishul that India sought to develop under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme launched in 1983 by the Union Government.
A brilliant engineer, Dr Agarwal established all-composite heat shields, onboard propulsion systems, re-entry technology and advanced guidance and control systems for missiles. The nation has much to thank its ‘Agni man’ for.
Anshuman Gaekwad: Indian cricketer of yesteryears Anshuman Gaekwad was the epitome of bravery in the face of adversity. The history of Indian cricket would be incomplete without the mention of his indomitable spirit and endless patience while playing test cricket for his nation, match after match. In the stuff of legends, Gaekwad batted an incredible 11 hours in a 1982 match in Jalandhar against rivals Pakistan.
Gaekwad proved his mettle in an era when helmets and visors were not worn by players by facing Jamaican cricketer Michael Holding’s brutal bowling in a 1975 match.
He even got a punctured eardrum after getting clipped on the ear in dreaded bodyline bowling by Holding, but all that was taken care of after the match got over! After leaving active cricket he became a selector and national coach and though not a legend in the league of some others, he will still be remembered for his fortitude and dedication to the Gentleman’s game.
Some of the others who left for their heavenly abode in 2024 and who deserve a mention here are the famous Tamil actor Ganesh, Malayalam actor Mohan Raj, Gusadi dance master Kanaka Raju, Yamini Krishnamurthy who was one of India’s top Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancers, industrialist Ram Buxani, Ramoji Rao who was the founder of the Ramoji Film City, Girish Sahni who served as the director of CSIR, Aziz Qureshi who was the former Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Mizoram, Ustad Rashid Khan Indian classical vocalist and former national hockey player Ajit Singh Gill to name a few.
Though these Indians, who made a name for themselves in their respective fields are gone, they will live on in the legacy they left behind.(Agency)
