New Delhi: Life always surprises us. Filled with numerous twists and turns, it never follows a particular pattern. Nothing is certain about life. Neither can we choose the day of our birth, nor the time of our death.
This month saw the deaths of an unusually long list of political titans and sports icons, famous musicians and Hollywood greats.Their lives were filled with unparalleled accomplishments, fame and some tough times to overcome.So, let’s remember these well-known figures who have sadly died this month and look back at their lives, careers and lasting memories they have left behind
1. ‘Queen of Thumri’ Girija Devi:Considered as the queen of thumri and fondly called Appa-ji, Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas.
One of the foundational figures of Banaras and Seniagharanas, Devi brought thumri out of the courts and kothas to the theatre and auditoriums. After getting married to an upper-class family, the “Queen of thumri” was not allowed to sing for Nawabs. That’s when Devi started singing for radio and at conferences giving new ways to her passion for music.
After getting initial training from her father, Devi learnt classical music from Sarju Prasad Misra and Chand Mishra. Growing up in Banaras and singing wedding songs for her doll’s wedding, Devi showed her love for music right from childhood. Her repertoire included the semi-classical genres kajri, chaiti, and holi along with khyal, Indian folk music and tappa
She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri.As the legendary singer of the Benaras gharana, she was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.
2. Ram Mukerji:Veteran filmmaker-screenwriter Ram Mukherjee, father of Bollywood star Rani Mukerji, passed away on Sunday. He was 84.According to sources, Ram was not keeping well for some time and died
He helmed films like ‘Hum Hindustani’ which starred Sunil Dutt, Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh in lead roles, and the Dilip Kumar-Vyjayanthimala starrer ‘Leader’. He also produced Rani’s debut Hindi film ‘Raja Ki AayegiBaarat’ in 1997. He also directed and produced the actor’s Bengali debut movie ‘BiyerPhool’, which also starred ProsenjitChatterjee. Ram Mukherjee worked in both Hindi and Bengali cinema. He was one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios in Mumbai.
3. ‘The iconic American singer and pianist’ Fats Domino:Legendary rock and roll singer Fats Domino died on October 25 at the age of 89. Domino’s best-known for his piano-based hits of the 1950s and early 60s like Blueberry Hill, Ain’t That a Shame, Blue Monday, Walkin’ to New Orleans and I’m Walkin'.
Domino would go on to score nearly 40 Top 40 singles, and was one of the first 10 honorees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He remained a lifelong New Orleans resident – or thereabouts – surviving Hurricane Katrina but losing most of his memorabilia, gold and platinum records and pianos in the 2005 disaster.Also lost was his National Medal of Arts, presented by President Bill Clinton. President George W. Bush personally delivered its replacement.
Overall the star amassed 35 US Billboard Top 40 successes, selling over 100 million records and influencing a number of other musicians including Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
4. ‘The cross-country woman biker’ Sana Iqbal (16 January 1987 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian cross-country biker, who died in a car accident on the outskirts of Hyderabad. She was on a solo mission to create awareness on suicide and depression.
A well-known face among bikers and an inspiration for many, Sana was known for her empathetic and positive attitude. Iqbal was herself a patient of depression, who, after recovery, took the task of motivating others to deal with the same.To make sure others did not give up on their lives, Iqbal embarked on a solo trip across the country in November 2015. She began her journey on a Royal Enfield motorcycle from Goa. She completed the journey in June 2016, covering 38,000 km.
She did counselling on her Face book page and helped students lead happy and meaningful lives by guiding them towards practicality and positivity.
5. IrruppamVeeduSasidaran (28 March 1948 – 24 October 2017), better known as I. V. Sasi, was an Indian film director who has made over 150 films in various Indian languages and genres.
He is known for his Malayalam films of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, although he directed a few Tamil and Hindi films as well. With over 150 movies to his credit, Sasi made a mark in the industry through the path breaking movie AvaludeRavukal, a sympathetic look at the life of a sex worker.
The director, who began his film career as an art director, went on to become one of the most sought after filmmakers from 1970s to mid 1990s.
Sasi blurred the divide between the commerce and art in Malayalam films and was instrumental in moulding several superstars of the industry such as Mammootty, Mohanlal and veterans like late Jayan and Sukumaran.
Sasi, who was planning a comeback to the industry in recent times, was a winner of national and state awards.
In 2015, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema, in recognition for his overall contribution to the film industry.
6. ‘Lead singer of Canadian rock band, The Tragically Hip;GordDownie:Canada lost one of its more unique musical legends when The Tragically Hip's lead singer, GordDownie, finally succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 53.
While not well known in the UK, The Tragically Hip have won multiple awards in Canada and nine of their albums reached No. 1 in the Canadian charts.His death was widely mourned in Canada with well known figures, such as Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogen and Rush, all remembering the singer on Twitter.
7. ThuravoorViswambharan:Vedic scholar and writer ThuravoorViswambharan, 74, died at a private hospital on 20th October.
He was a vedic scholar, active social worker and writer from the Thuravoor village in the southern state Kerala in India. Known for his scholarship in Indian philosophy, the epics, and the Vedas, he interpreted them as simply as possible for the lay reader.
He is an expert professor on Hindu epics Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Vedas. He is a professor in Malayalam, Sanskrit, Indian Mythology and Vedic Science at the prestigious Maharaja's College Ernakulam, Cochin. He was the state president of Tapasya Kala SahithyaVedi.
8. Shamsher Khan: (1933 – 15 October 2017)Shamsher Khan, the country’s first swimmer who had participated in the 1956 Summer Olympic, died at his native village Repalle on 15 october.
In 1954, he made a national record in the 200-meter butterfly event. He broke the existing national record at the national meet in Bangalore in 1955. He won a place in the Indian Olympics contingent that had visited Australia in 1956. He, however, secured fourth place in the competition. He continued to serve in the Army till he retired in 1973. After retirement, he settled at Repalle.
He lived a life of penury till his death. In July 2016, the Andhra Pradesh Government awarded him Rs 25 lakh.Khan had enrolled himself in the Indian Army in 1949 and also a participated in the Indo-China war in 1962 and the war with Pakistan in 1971. He got retirement from the Indian Army in 1973 from Subedar rank.
9. LekhTandon (13 February 1929 – 15 October 2017), was an Indian filmmaker and actor. He had directed numerous Bollywood movies and Indian TV Serials. He gained national fame due to success of his directorial ventures Professor (1962 film), Prince (1969 film), EkBaarKaho and Agar Tum Na Hote.
His films Amrapali starring Vyjanthimala and Agar Tum Na Hote with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role are considered as classics. Later after 2000, he had acted in movies such as Swades, Rang De Basanti, Chennai Express and ChaarfutiyaChhokare. He was the brother of Urdu playwright YograjTandon.
Born in Lahore in 1929, Tandon directed many Bollywood stalwarts like ShammiKapoor ('Professor', 1962; 'Prince', 1969), Rajender Kumar, ShashiKapoor, HemaMalini, ShabanaAzmi, Rekha, Rajesh Khanna to name a few. His film 'Amrapali' (1966), featuring Sunil Dutt and Vyjayanthimala, was selected as Indian entry for the best foreign language film at 39th Academy Awards.
He also bagged Filmfare Best Screenplay Award for his movie 'DulhanWahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye', along with Vrajendra Gaur and MadhusudanKalekar in 1978.He directed his first television serial 'DilDariya' in 1988 through which he was also credited for discovering Shah Rukh Khan.Tandon also acted in films like 'Swades', 'Chennai Express', 'Rang De Basanti' among others.
10. ChittaniRamachandraHegde: (born 14 September 1935 – died 3 October 2017), ChittaniRamachandraHegde is the first Yakshagana artist to win the prestigious Padmashri award before winning several awards in Karnataka. His style is so popular that it was called ChittaniGharana.
He started his Yakshagana career when he was just 7 years old. He started performing in main roles when he was just 14 years old and performed on stage until a few days preceding his death in October 2017.
He hails from Uttara Kannada district and is popularly known as Chittani among his huge fan base. A school dropout who studied up to Class 2, RamachandraHegde performed Yakshagana for nearly seven decades and he was the First Yakshagana artist to be awarded the Padma Shri Award by the Government of India.