India lost several eminent personalities in 2021 to COVID-19. It has disproportionately affected the elderly, leading to the untimely passing of many legends across professions, be it sports, academics or entertainment.
Shravan Rathod
Composer Shravan Rathod of the Nadeem-Shravan duo passed away from COVID complications on April 22. He was 66 years old. He passed away due to cardiomyopathy with multiple organ failure due to COVID.
Pt Rajan Mishra
Classical singer and Padma Bhushan awardee Pandit Rajan Mishra passed away on April 25 due to heart attack in Delhi. One half of the famous Rajan-Sajan, he was being treated in St Stephen’s Hospital following complications after being infected with COVID.
Chandro Tomar aka Shooter Dadi
Chandro Tomar, also known as Shooter Dadi, passed away on April 30 battling COVID after being admitted to Meerut hospital. Chandro was an octogenarian sharpshooter from the village of Johri, in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh.
K V Anand
Noted director and cinematographer, he passed away on April 30. He suffered chest pains and got admitted to a private hospital in Chennai. It was reported after his death that he had COVID complications. He will be remembered for his contribution to the Tamil film industry with movies like Kana Kandean, Ayan, Maattrraan, Anegan and Kavan.
Rohit Sardana
Renowned journalist and TV anchor Rohit Sardana died of heart attack on April 30. His condition had deteriorated a lot after suffering from COVID. He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Noida.
Jagdish Lad
Of Mr India fame and international bodybuilder, Jagdish Lad passed away after contracting COVID on April 30 at the mere age of 34. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
Sripada
Bhojpuri and Bollywood starlet Sripada passed away on May 6 due to COVID complications. She had worked with Dharmendra and Vinod Khanna in her career, being part of films like Aag ke Sholay and Bewafa Sanam.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri awardee and eminent cardiologist Dr KK Aggarwal died of COVID on May 18. He was the former president of the Indian Medical Association and even during the pandemic, he made constant efforts to educate the masses, reaching more than 100 million people through numerous videos and educational programmes.
Sunderlal Bahuguna
A Padma Bhusan awardee and founding member of the tree-hugging Chipko Movement, environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna passed away at the age of 94 on May 21, while undergoing treatment for COVID at Rishikesh’s All India Institute of Medical Science.
Milkha Singh
Popularly known as the “Flying Sikh” for winning four Asian Gold Medals and finishing fourth in the 400m final at the 1960 Rome Olympics, Milkha Singh passed away on June 18 at the age of 91, just a few days after the death of his wife, Nirmal Kaur, also due to COVID complications.
