Here's remembering those who left us in 2018

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

^{(Image Credit- Flickr)}

Just a day after India’s 71st Independence Day, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister, passed away in New Delhi.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister from 1998 to 2004. He will always be remembered for his work in some bold policies in India including privatisation, nuclearisation and most importantly his efforts towards Indo-Pak relations.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee played a key role in making Pokhran Nuclear Tests—India’s secret exercise carried under the nose of America. He also led the two-day historic Agra summit between India and Pakistan

​Somnath Chatterjee

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The country suffered a great loss with the demise of former Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee — who died on 14 August 2018 in Kolkata at the age of 89. Somnath Chatterjee served as the 10-time Member of Parliament and was defeated only once in 1984. He was also one of the longest-serving politicians in Parliament, who quit active politics in 2009.

Remembering his achievements and contribution in shaping Indian politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Somnath Chatterjee ‘stalwart of Indian politics’

Sridevi

^{(Image Credit- Reuters)}

Sridevi, India’s first female superstar and recipient of the country's fourth highest civilian award, the legendary actor breathed her last on 24, February 2018. She was found dead in a bathtub of her hotel room in Dubai.

The entire nation was shocked by her sudden death. However, the nature of death led to a lot of controversies. The autopsy report has cited ‘accidental drowning’ as the reason behind her death and ruled out any foul play.

She had a fulfilling career that lasted for four decades. She is survived by two children, Jhanvi and Khushi. Jhanvi debuted in the Indian film industry with her film Dhadak. Her husband, Boney Kapoor, is a Bollywood producer.

Sridevi last did a cameo in the recently released movie ‘Zero’, also starring Shahrukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

Chandni, Mr. India, and English-Vinglish are some of her most-remembered roles.

​Ajit Wadekar

(Image Credit- DNA)

Former captain of the Indian cricket team rose to fame after defeating West Indies in 1971. He passed away at Mumbai’s Jaslok Hospital on August 15 after a prolonged illness. In his career spanning over 16 years, he played 37 tests for India and scored 2,113 runs.

Ajit Wadekar, also known as the ‘aggressive batsman’ marked his entry into International cricket in 1966. He led Indian cricket to witness remarkable victories including test series against England.

​Ananth Kumar

The Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs died at the age of 59 because of cancer on 12 November 2018.

Ananth Kumar was one of the few BJP leaders who served as cabinet minister for both Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Narendra Modi. He monitored the mid-launch of Goods and Service Tax (GST).

He became the youngest minister in the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1998. Apart from this, he served several ministries in India including civil aviation, tourism, sports, urban development, and parliamentary affairs.

He was among the few politicians who helped BJP gain traction in South India.