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Gone in 2020: The stars who died this year

2020 has been seen the demise of many a popular personality. From the 90-year-old Sean Connery to the 60-year-old Diego Maradona to many more much younger. Apart from coronavirus pandemic, we lost many celebrities who contributed a lot to the world.

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2020 has been seen the demise of many a popular personality. From the 90-year-old Sean Connery to the 60-year-old Diego Maradona to many more much younger. Apart from coronavirus pandemic, we lost many celebrities who contributed a lot to the world. 

Here we present a list of noted celebrities whom we’ve lost in 2020.

Sushant Singh Rajput (June 14, 2020)

The mysterious death of the rising Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput became the most popular topics for debate in 2020. He was found dead hanging from the ceiling fan at his home in Bandra, Mumbai on June 14, 2020. His mysterious death went from a tragedy to sensational controversy, and then became the matter of a Supreme Court and CBI investigation.

Rishi Kapoor (April 30, 2020)

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor’s two-year-long battle from cancer ended with his passing. The untimely death left Bollywood fans across the country and the world in sorrow.

Saroj Khan (June 20, 2020)

The demise of the famous Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan in the pandemic period has been a very shocking moment for the film industry. The three-time national award winner choreographed more than 2,000 songs, including many top Bollywood hits, and memorable songs in Hindi cinema.

The emotional tweets of some of their aficionados are testimony to the sad moment of their passing.

Irrfan Khan (April 29, 2020)

India’s most recognisable face in the West, and a reckoned name in acting, Irrfan Khan passed away fighting a colon infection on April 29, 2020. A man of lucid expression and few words and a strong soul, Irrfan fought many battles and emerged an iconic personality. The death of this rare talent and a brilliant actor left a void in Indian cinema.

Also Read: World highlights 2020: Trump, Covid, Biden, Vaccine?

Ram Vilas Paswan (October 8, 2020)

One of the greatest survivors in Indian politics, President of the Lok Janshakti Party, and the Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan died at the age of 74 after heart surgery. He was a prominent face of Dalit politics in the Centre and a socialist icon. 

Jaswant Singh (September 27, 2020)

Jaswant Singh passed away due to cardiac arrest on September 27, 2020. He was a former union minister and a close aide of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was from Rajasthan and had served as India’s foreign minister, defence minister and finance minister. 

Pranab Mukherjee (August 31, 2020)

Former President and Congress leader Pranab Mukharjee passed away after undergoing treatment for around three weeks. He had to get admitted after testing positive for Covid-19, and he had to undergo surgery after the detection of a brain clot.

Rahat Indori (August 11, 2020)

Rahat Indori, the darling of shayri, died due to coronavirus. Indori earned worldwide name, and recognition with his couplets, and after his demise, he left a huge collection of writing as his inheritance.

Ahmed Patel (November 25, 2020)

Top strategist and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was one of the many victims of Covid-19 complications. The sudden demise of this veteran leader was a big loss to the Congress and India’s politics. 

Motilal Vora (December 21, 2021)

Congress stalwart and former chief minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh, Motilal Vora passed away on December 21, 2021, just after celebrating his 93rd birthday.  He held the post of All India Congress Committee treasurer for nearly two decades, and selected as the general secretary in charge in 2018.

Kobe Bryant (January 26, 2020) 

NBA superstar and the producer of Oscar-winning short film Dear Basketball Kobe Bryant passed away on January 26 in a helicopter crash with eight other people.

Also Read: World highlights 2020: Trump, Covid, Biden, Vaccine?

Diego Maradona (November 25, 2020)

A soccer genius, and former Argentine professional footballer, Diego Maradona left the world on November 25, 2020, putting his fans in a deep shock. He led Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup and became a global icon. Beyond the game, he was a larger-than-life persona. Smoking cigars with Fidel, hanging out with Chavez and the like, Diego went suddenly after brain surgery. 

Chadwick Boseman  (August 28, 2020)

The star of the blockbuster superhero Marvel film Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman died after having a four-year battle with colon cancer. 

Also Read: 2020: Pandemic, protest and popular unrest

Dean Jones (September 24, 2020)

A well-known name in international cricket history, Dean Jones left the world at the age of 59. Former test and one-day batsman died at a hotel in India after suffering a cardiac arrest. The global cricket community affectionately call him Deano. 

Sean Connery (October 31, 2020)

Bond, James Bond. The most popular character he played became the image trap which stayed with Sean Connery as long as he lived and in his death. The man with the baritone that could leave aflutter a thousand hearts with the first word died on October 31, 2020, at the age of 90. In his seven decades as an actor, the once-bodybuilder defined aura and style. He won an Oscar in 1988 for his role in The Untouchables, and remains in popular cinema as the more refined Henry Jones Sr from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

John le Carré (December 12, 2020)

Smiley and Laemas’s creator. A spook who wrote elegant prose of the Circus, the Cold War and Checkpoint Charlie. David Cornwell aka Le Carré left the world at the age of 89. The characters of Le Carré were ordinary men who ran the world, unlike the very macho, licensed to kill corner that popular fiction painted spies into.

Astad Deboo (December 10, 2020)

In a world where politics has unmasked itself into a majoritarian drug, a man who stayed mute through his dance performances bid bye with cancer taking him into its stronger embrace. A pioneer of modern dance in a land of jhumka and thumkas of the popular silver screen, Astad Deboo and his passion left behind memories of performances and his well-wishers and admirers.

Soumitra Chatterjee (November 15, 2020)

Among the many deaths caused by the coronavirus, Ray’s hero Soumitra Chatterjee’s passing was saddening. Yes, all deaths are sad but it took a disease of this magnitude to snatch a talent like Soumitra Chatterjee at 85. He died a month after he tested positive for coronavirus, and reports noted the yo-yo nature of the illness.

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (September 25, 2020)

The voice of several south Indian superstars and the man who gave voice to Salman Khan’s character in his debut Maine Pyar Kiya, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam was the colossus in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (and Telangana) and Karnataka, who was as humble to his visitors as to his craft. Balu saar died on September 25, 2020, after his long fight with severe health issues due to the coronavirus infection.

Bhanu Athaiya (October 15, 2020)

India’s first Oscar winner and celebrated costume designer Bhanu Athaiya died at the age of 91. She got the look for Attenborough’s Gandhi spot-on, making the film itself a tour de force. Though often recalled as the first Oscar winner from India, Athaiya designed costumes for over 100 Indian films.

Chetan Chauhan (August 16, 2020)

In his second innings, Chetan Chauhan served as a cabinet minister in Uttar Pradesh. The former India opener had a cricketing career of 12 years, playing 40 Tests, 7 ODIs and was awarded the Arjuna honour. 

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MK Stalin predicts frequent PM Modi visits to Tamil Nadu before assembly election

MK Stalin has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu more often ahead of the Assembly election, calling the tours politically motivated and questioning the Centre’s support to the state.

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MK Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will increase his visits to the state as the Assembly election, expected in April or May, draws closer.

Speaking ahead of the polls, the DMK president said the Prime Minister has already begun touring Tamil Nadu and is likely to visit frequently in the coming months. He claimed that such visits could create discomfort within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as alliance partners may fear the political impact of repeated appearances.

Stalin calls visit politically motivated

The Chief Minister described the Prime Minister’s scheduled programmes in the state as “politically motivated”. PM Modi is set to attend various events in Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu, including the inauguration of the first phase of the AIIMS hospital project. He is also expected to visit the Thiruparankundram Temple amid the Karthigai Deepam-related controversy and participate in a public meeting organised by the NDA.

Stalin said he has been working for all sections of the population, including those who did not vote for his party. In contrast, he remarked that some leaders are visible in the state only during election time and increase their visits as polls approach.

Criticism over Union Budget allocations

The DMK leader also criticised the BJP-led central government, accusing it of neglecting Tamil Nadu. He pointed out that while approval was recently granted for the Gujarat Metro project, there were no major announcements or allocations for Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget.

Stalin asserted that voters would remember the lack of significant measures for the state. He framed the upcoming election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the NDA, stating that the state should be governed from Fort St George in Chennai rather than from Delhi.

The ruling DMK is currently allied with several smaller parties and, at present, the Congress, as it seeks a third consecutive term in office. Its principal rival, the AIADMK, is aligned with the BJP as part of the NDA.

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Shashi Tharoor questions Centre over Kerala name change to Keralam

Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Centre’s decision to approve renaming Kerala as Keralam, questioning its impact and pointing to the lack of major projects for the state.

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shashi tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the central government over its decision to approve the renaming of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, arguing that the move prioritises symbolism over development.

Reacting to the Union Cabinet’s approval, Tharoor said that the state’s name has always been ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam and questioned the practical impact of introducing the Malayalam term into English usage.

“It has already been ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam. So now, a Malayalam word is coming into English. I don’t know what difference it makes,” he said, adding that the state has not received major projects such as an AIIMS or new institutions from the Centre. He also pointed out that no significant allocations were made for Kerala in the Union Budget.

In a separate post on X, Tharoor raised what he described as a “small linguistic question” about what residents of the state would be called if the name change is implemented. Referring to existing terms such as “Keralite” and “Keralan”, he remarked that alternatives like “Keralamite” sounded like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the proposal on Tuesday. The move comes ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, in which 140 members of the legislative assembly are to be elected. The poll schedule is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of India.

The state assembly had earlier passed a resolution seeking the change in official records. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the resolution in 2024, urging the Union government to adopt the name ‘Keralam’ in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

He had stated that the demand for a united Kerala for Malayalam-speaking people dates back to the national freedom movement.

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Tamil Nadu potboiler: Now, Sasikala to launch new party ahead of election

Sasikala has announced the launch of a new political party ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, positioning herself against AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.

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In a significant political development ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, expelled AIADMK leader V. K. Sasikala has announced that she will float a new political party and contest the polls by fielding her own candidates.

Speaking in Madurai before heading to Pasumpon for a public event, Sasikala said she would unveil her party’s flag later in the evening. She indicated that more details regarding the party’s structure and plans would be shared at the gathering.

The event venue carries political symbolism. Pasumpon is the birthplace of Thevar leader Muthuramalinga Thevar, and Sasikala herself belongs to the influential Thevar community in southern Tamil Nadu. The programme was held as part of birth anniversary events of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

Direct challenge to EPS

Sasikala’s move is being viewed as a direct political challenge to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, Sasikala briefly took control of the party and had appointed Palaniswami as Chief Minister. However, following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, she served a four-year prison term, and during that period, she was expelled from the party.

Palaniswami later aligned with O. Panneerselvam, whom Sasikala had earlier removed from the Chief Minister’s post. The two leaders subsequently adopted a dual leadership arrangement within the party and government.

Sasikala remains disqualified from contesting elections until 2027 due to her conviction. Nevertheless, she has stated that she intends to field candidates under her new party banner.

Fragmented Thevar vote base

Over the years, expulsions within the AIADMK — including Sasikala, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam — have led to divisions within the Thevar support base. Political observers have linked this fragmentation to the party’s weakened electoral performance in the elections following Jayalalithaa’s passing.

While Dhinakaran has returned to the NDA fold, reports suggest Palaniswami is opposed to any arrangement that includes Sasikala or Panneerselvam. OPS, meanwhile, has exited the NDA.

Sasikala has repeatedly criticised Palaniswami, describing him as a betrayer, while he maintains that his leadership stems from the support of AIADMK legislators rather than her backing.

The AIADMK has not issued an official statement on Sasikala’s announcement. However, a senior party leader questioned her political standing, pointing out her disqualification from contesting elections and referring to legal issues linked to Jayalalithaa’s death.

With the Assembly polls approaching, Sasikala’s re-entry into active politics could further complicate the opposition space in Tamil Nadu and influence electoral calculations, particularly in the southern districts.

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