Recent 6 months news in Obituary

Moozhikkal Pankajakshi, a renowned exponent of the traditional puppetry art form Nokkuvidya Pavakkali, passed away at the age of 90. She was a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2020.

Sir Garfield Sobers, a legendary West Indies cricketer and one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the sport, passed away at the age of 89.

He was the first cricketer to hit six sixes in a single over in first-class cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) honours his legacy through the 'Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy', awarded annually to the 'ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year'.

H Hanumanthapa, a veteran leader of the Indian National Congress (INC), passed away at the age of 94. He served 3 terms as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, representing Karnataka.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of Qatar, passed away at the age of 74.

He was the founder of the Al Jazeera television network and governed Qatar from 1995 until his voluntary abdication in 2013.

S Janaki, the legendary playback singer known as the "Nightingale of South India", passed away at the age of 88.

She was a recipient of 4 National Film Awards and over 30 State Film Awards. In 2013, she declined the Padma Bhushan award.

Shapoor Zadran, a former fast bowler from Afghanistan and a pioneer in the rise of the nation in international cricket, passed away at the age of 38 in New Delhi.

It is to be noted that during the 2015 International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup, he scored the winning runs against Scotland, which marked the first ever victory for Afghanistan in the tournament.

Lieutenant General (Retired) MM Lakhera, a former Governor of Mizoram and Lieutenant Governor (Lt Gov) of Puducherry, passed away at the age of 88.

Girish Bharadwaj, a social worker known as the 'Bridge Man of India', passed away at the age of 76. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2017.

Teejan Bai, a legendary Pandavani folk singer, passed away at the age of 70. She was one of the first women to perform Pandavani in the Kapalik style.

She was a recipient of the Padma Shri in 1988, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995, Padma Bhushan in 2003, Fukuoka Prize in 2018, and Padma Vibhushan in 2019.

Puviyarasu, a renowned Tamil poet, passed away at the age of 96. He was a two-time recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, receiving it for Translation in 2006-07 for "Puratchikaran" and for Original Poetry in 2009-10 for his collection "Kaiyoppam".

Vijaya Mehta, a veteran Marathi filmmaker and actor, passed away at the age of 91. She was a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1986.

Francois Englert, a Belgian physicist, passed away at the age of 93. He was a foundational scientist behind the theoretical framework that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson, which explains how fundamental particles acquire mass.

He was a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013, sharing the honour with Peter Higgs.

K Bhagyaraj, a veteran Tamil actor, director, and screenwriter, passed away at the age of 73. He was a recipient of the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Lieutenant General Vijay Oberoi, the former Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army (IA), passed away at the age of 84.

Robert AF Thurman, a renowned American scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, passed away at the age of 84.

He was a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 2020 for his contributions to Literature and Education.

Gavri Devi, a prominent Mand folk singer, passed away at the age of 98. She was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986 and the Rajasthan Ratna in 2013 for her contributions to folk music.

Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, a lawyer and diplomat, passed away at the age of 47. She was the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Salim Kumar, a veteran Malayalam actor, passed away at the age of 56.

He was the recipient of the National Film Award for Best Actor in 2010 for his performance in the film ‘Adaminte Makan Abu’.

Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal, a former Asian Games shot put bronze medallist popularly known as ‘Baba Dhaliwal’, passed away at the age of 67. He was a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 1987.

Jaspal Rana, the Indian shooting legend and national coach, passed away at the age of 49.

He remains the most successful athlete of India in the Commonwealth Games with 15 medals, including 9 gold, across four editions. He was a recipient of the Arjuna Award in 1994, Padma Shri in 1997, and the Dronacharya Award in 2020.