Goodbyes of 2011

Sathya Sai Baba: Spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba passed away on April 24, leaving millions of devastated devotees in India and around the world. In India, grieving devotees included Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who broke down in Puttaparthi while paying his last respects to Sathya Sai Baba.

A white marble Samadhi marks the place where Sai Baba is buried in the Sai Kulwant Hall at his world-famous Prashant Nilayam ashram.

Bhimsen Joshi: The most-celebrated exponent of 'Kirana gharana' of Khansahib Abdul Karim Khan, passed away on January 24. The legendary vocalist enthralled generations of connoisseurs with his renditions of Hindustani classical music. His part in the Doordarshan feature Mile sur mera tumhara to inspire and promote national integration, earned him tremendous praise, striking a chord across generations.

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: Remembered with love and pride as one of the greatest cricket captains India has produced, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi died on September 22. The swashbuckling cricketer played 46 Tests for the country, scoring 2793 runs for an average of 34.91, with an unbeaten 203 being his highest score. In all, he smashed six centuries and 16 fifties in his career.

Steve Jobs: The world wept in spontaneous grief when tech visionary Steve Jobs died on October 5, at 56, of pancreatic cancer. From movie stars and industry titans to ordinary users of Apple products, everyone wanted to remember and talk about how he had touched them and changed their lives forever. The public outpouring of grief and gratitude was unmatched for this king of technology, known for his reticence.

Shammi Kapoor: The flamboyant actor who beat repeated box-office failure with an image makeover and reinventing his screen persona, died on August 14. Fans across generations cherished his super-stardom, high energy, blockbuster hits and gamboling on screen. Best known for his roles in films like Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Teesri Manzil and An Evening in Paris, an era ended in Hindi films with his death.

Jagjit Singh: The day he fell ill, Ghazal King Jagjit Singh was due to perform at a concert in Mumbai. More than a fortnight later, the soul-stirring voice behind eternal songs such as Hazaron khwaishe aisi, Ye kaghaz ki kashti and Jhuki jhuki si nazar, died on October 10. The singer who brought Ghazals into the mainstream, left behind an enduring legacy of songs sung from the heart.

Bhupen Hazarika: The world of entertainment suffered another blow when inspirational composer-singer Bhupen Hazarika died on November 5, days after Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh. Putting the spotlight on music from Assam, Bhupen Hazarika was among the most important cultural icons from north-east India. His impressive body of work of more than 1500 songs, includes unforgettable melodies like Ganga behti ho kyon and music composed for Assamese film Chameli Memsaab. The prolific and popular singer and songwriter also composed music for the 1993 Hindi film Rudaali. Songs like Dil Hoom Hoom kare and Jhuti muti Mitwa are brilliant examples of the combination of modern and traditional music in cinema.

MF Husain: Widely regarded as “India's Picasso”, Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India's best-known artists and perhaps its most controversial, died of a heart-attack in London on June 9. The maverick painter was among the earliest Indian painters to command huge prices at international auctions. His Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata 12, fetched $1.6 million in 2008, setting a world record at Christie's South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale. The prized painter, who lived in self-imposed exile, repeatedly expressed a yearning to return to India.

Dev Anand: The joie de vivre of the legendary actor, director and producer was evident till the end came on December 3. He released his last film as producer, director and lead actor - Chargesheet – at 88. Box-office ratings and assessments didn't matter – what mattered was Dev Anand's unflinching reverence for cinema. Cinema was life and in it, he saw the transition of Hindi cinema from black and white to colour and beyond. Some of his greatest hits included Guide, Hum Dono, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Gambler, Jewel Thief and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor: Extraordinary beauty, a stormy personal life including eight marriages to seven men, a history of physical ailments – when screen goddess Liz Taylor died on March 23 - she left a legacy that lives forever. Widely hailed as Hollywood royalty, Liz Taylor was also the real-life hero who raised millions in support of AIDS sufferers through the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation.

Amy Winehouse: The Curse of 27 fell on the 27-year-old singer who was found dead from too much alcohol in her London flat on July 23. Amy Winehouse won worldwide fame with her album Back to Black, which won five Grammy awards. Despite the Grammy wins, her immense talent was often overshadowed by her chaotic drug and alcohol fuelled lifestyle and run-ins with the law.

Dorjee Khandu: Arunachal Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu was found dead in Luguthang, near the China border, five days after the helicopter that he was using went missing. He was declared dead on May 4. The four other people on board with him - the two pilots, Captain JS Babbar and Captain T S Mamik, the Chief Minister's security officer Yeshi Choddak and Yeshi Lhamu, sister of a Tawang MLA - also died.

Mario Miranda: Reticent and soft-spoken Mario Miranda never formally trained in the fine art of drawing. In the 60s, his first break with the now-defunct The Illustrated Weekly of India put him in the spotlight as a chronicler of his times. Since then, Goa and its people were brought alive by the acclaimed artist. The 85-year-old Padma Bhushan awardee died in his sleep on December 11.

Anant Pai: Better known as “Uncle Pai” to generations of Indians who grew up on the Amar Chitra Katha comics launched by him, Anant Pai died on February 24. He was 81. After Amar Chitra Katha comics became a big hit, Pai launched the Tinkle comics series which were very popular too.

Sultan Khan: Sarangi maestro and classical singer Ustad Sultan Khan, the soulful voice behind hits like Piya Basanti Re and Albela Sajan Aayo Re, died on November 27. Credited for reviving Sarangi, Ustad Khan was famous for his extraordinary control over the instrument and his husky voice. Sultan Khan collaborated with sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, on George Harrison's 1974 Dark Horse World Tour. He also worked with Hindi film greats such as Lata Mangeshkar and Khayyam.