Noted personalities who bade us goodbye in 2019

Arun Jaitley

On 24th August, the former Finance and Defence Minister of India Arun Jaitley had passed away. He died at the of 66 due to prolonged illness. The lawyer-turned-politician is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since 2000, he has been the party leader of BJP and a member of Rajya Sabha. He held various posts such as Ministries of Commerce, Industry, Law & Justice, Information & Broadcasting, Finance, and Defence.

Sushma Swaraj

Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, at the age of 67, passed away on the 6th of August. She suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at AIIMS. She was a seven-time Member of Parliament. She was the second woman to hold the External Affairs Ministry, after Indira Gandhi. She was popularly known as the People's Minister. In the functioning of the External Affairs Ministry, she had introduced a new sensitivity and sensibility.

Girish Karnad

On June 10, 2019, Veteran director, playwright and actor Girish Karnad passed away at the age of 81. Karnad died due to a prolonged illness. Karnad made his acting and screenwriting debut in 1970 on a release called 'Samskara' which won the President's Golden Lotus Award. In the early 1990s, he hosted the Turning Point, a science magazine, on Doordarshan. Girish Karnad was conferred with Padma Shri award in 1974 for contributions to theatre. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for literature.

Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan

On 10th November 2019, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu the Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan, 86 years old, passed away. He died due to cardiac arrest. TN Seshan was a 1995 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre. He served as the tenth Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) from 12 December 1990 to 11 December 1996. He is known for enforcing the model code of conduct. He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1996 for his service to the government.

Manohar Parrikar

Parrikar had first become Goa CM in 2000 and had also served as Defence Minister of India from 2014 to 2017. Mr. Parrikar was the first Indian Institute of Technology alumnus (of IIT, Bombay) to serve as Chief Minister of Goa in 2000. He became Chief Minister for four terms, but, ironically, could not complete a single full term in office.

Kanti Bhatt

On the 5th of August in Mumbai, Gujarati journalist-author and columnist Kanti Bhatt passed away. He was 88 years old. He passed away after a prolonged illness. Kanti Bhatt joined journalism in 1966 in Mumbai. Kanti was a good columnist, writer and journalist. His writings were informative that enriched the culture of Gujarat. He has written more than 45,000 articles.

Dr. Hargovind Laxmishanker

On 2 October, Padma Shri awardee and renowned kidney transplant surgeon Dr. Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi passed away. He was 87-years old. He died due to age-related illnesses. He was the founder-director of the city-based Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center. In 2015, he was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contribution to society as a nephrologist.

Shri Kadri Gopalnath

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi condoles the passing away of veteran Carnatic musician Shri Kadri Gopalnath. A native of Mangalore region, he had settled in Chennai. A Padmashree awardee, Gopalnath, 69, is survived by his wife Sarojini, two sons, Manikanth Kadri.

Justice N Venkatachala

Former judge of the Supreme Court (SC), Justice N Venkatachala, has passed away at the age of 89. He practised civil, criminal and constitutional matters in Bangalore. From 1963 to 1973, he served as a Legal Adviser to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Hebbal, Bangalore. In 1990, he was part of a tribunal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In July 1992, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court.

R.B. Patil

In Hubballi, Padma Shri R.B. Patil, 93-year-old, passed away. From voluntary donations, he established North Karnataka's first comprehensive centre for cancer in 1977. Dr.Patil completed his education in England and continued to see patients until recently before his health deteriorated. The mortal remains of the surgeon were kept at his nursing home which is located in Vidyanagar, Hubballi, for people to pay tributes.