From Jayalalithaa to Sulabha; India Lost These Legends to 2016

India lost a legendary actress, a dancer, a Carnatic musician, and a few well known politicians in 2016.

Mrinalini Sarabhai, M Balamuralikrishna and Mahasweta Devi. (Photo: The Quint)

It was a year when India lost many prominent personalities from all walks of life, with politics receiving a particularly severe blow.

The year started with the demise of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. He had presided over the state's first coalition regime with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a junior ally.

But no death triggered mass grief like that which followed the demise of J Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. It marked the end of an era in the state's cinema-dominated politics and claimed one of India's most charismatic leaders. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets, many openly weeping.

The world of arts and music lost some stalwarts too: Legendary dancer and choreographer Mrinalini Sarabhai on 21 January, Carnatic music legend M Balamuralikrishna on 22 November, and painter Syed Haider Raza on 23 July. The three maestros left a major deficit in the world of art.

(With IANS inputs)