In the year 2023, India bid farewell to several prominent personalities whose contributions spanned various fields. Among those who died this year were MS Swaminathan, the father of Green Revolution, Satish Kaushik, a noted actor, and Prakash Singh Badal, a veteran politician from Punjab. These individuals, through their achievements and influence, have played significant roles in shaping India's political, scientific, and artistic landscape.


Let's take a look at the prominent Indian personalities who breathed their last in 2023.


Sharad Yadav: Veteran socialist leader and former Union Minister Sharad Yadav passed away on January 12 at the age of 75. A founder member of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal United, Yadav quit the party after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joined hands with the BJP in 2017. Yadav then went on to launch the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) in May 2018 only to merge it with Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in March 2022. 


Yadav was born on July 1, 1947, in a farmer's family at Akhmau village in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. He had won the first Lok Sabha election from Jabalpur in 1974. He has been elected to Lok Sabha seven times and to Rajya Sabha twice.


Javed Khan Amrohi: Veteran actor Javed Khan Amrohi passed away in Mumbai on February 14. He was seen in films like 'Lagaan', 'Andaz Apna Apna', 'Chak De India', and 'Coolie No 1', among many others. He also appeared in TV shows like 'Mirza Ghalib' and 'Nukkad'.


Satish Kaushik: Actor and director Satish Kaushik passed away due to a heart attack on March 9 in Gurgaon. He was 66 years old. He is known for his comic roles as 'Calendar' in 'Mr. India', 'Pappu Pager' in 'Deewana Mastana' among many others. Kaushik also gave sterling performances in other films like 'Ram Lakhan' and 'Saajan Chale Sasural'.


He directed Sridevi's films, 'Roop Ki Rani, Choron Ka Raja' and later 'Prem', both disasters, but he got his big hit with 'Hum Aapke Dil Me Rehte Hain' and also 'Tere Sang', among many others.


Salim Durani: Former India cricketer Salim Durani passed away on April 2 at the age of 88. The Kabul-born cricketer was renowned for his slow left-arm orthodox and hitting skill as a batter. In 29 Tests, he picked 75 wickets including three five-wicket hauls. The star cricketer also graced Bollywood as he starred opposite renowned actress Praveen Babi in the movie Charitra in 1973.


Parkash Singh Badal: Shiromani Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal passed away on April 25, at the age of 95. Born on December 8, 1927, in Punjab's Abul Khurana village, Badal had been active in Indian politics for over five decades. He was the Chief Minister of Punjab for five times.


Badal first became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in 1957 and was the youngest legislator in the Punjab Assembly at the age of 29.


Srichand P Hinduja: Srichand P Hinduja, the eldest son of P D Hinduja, the founder of the Hinduja Group and the head of the Hinduja Family died at the age of 87 on May 17. Upon completing his education in 1952, SP joined his father in the family business and was head of the Hinduja family, as well as the Chairman of the Hinduja Group and its charitable foundations.


Sylvester daCunha: Advertising veteran Sylvester daCunha, the man behind the iconic Amul Girl 'utterly butterly' campaign, passed away in Mumbai on June 21. Being associated with Amul since the 1960s, daCunha was an integral part of Amul’s advertising department. He was also known to have pioneered the concept of advertising being done based on contemporary events.


Oommen Chandy: Oommen Chandy, a senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, passed away in Bengaluru on July 18. Chandy held the position of Kerala Chief Minister twice, from 2004 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2016. He embarked on his political journey by winning the state assembly elections in 1970 at the age of 27 and went on to secure victory in 11 consecutive polls.


In addition to his tenure as Chief Minister, Chandy served as a minister four times in various cabinets and held the position of Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly on four separate occasions.


Rio Kapadia: Actor Rio Kapadia passed away on September 13, at the age of 66 after battling with cancer. He was seen in films like Dil Chahta Hai, Chak De India, Mardaani, and Happy New Year. He had also acted in series like ‘Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke’ and Siddharth Tewary's ‘Mahabharat’ and others like ‘Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, ‘Kkusum: Ek Aam Ladki Ki Kahaani’.


MS Swaminathan: Indian agronomist MS Swaminathan, who was hailed as the Father of the Green Revolution, passed away due to age-related ailments at the age of 98 years on September 28. Swaminathan was known for being the main architect of the green revolution in India. He was called "The Father of Economic Ecology" by the United Nations Environment Programme.


Bishan Singh Bedi: Bishan Singh Bedi, the cricketing legend, and former captain of the Indian cricket team, passed away on October 23 at the age of 77. 


During his illustrious career, which spanned from 1967 to 1979, Bedi represented India in 67 Test matches, leaving a lasting impact with his remarkable performances. He achieved a total of 266 wickets with his slow left-arm orthodox spin bowling.


Subrata Roy: Sahara India group chief, Subrata Roy Sahara, passed away in Mumbai on November 14. Roy was the founder and chairman of the Sahara India Pariwar, a conglomerate with diversified business interests. However, the owner of the once multi-billion dollar empire, landed in trouble after his company got involved in a legal tussle with SEBI.


Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi: Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi, chairman emeritus of The Oberoi Group and widely known as the doyen of Indian hospitality, passed away on November 14. He was 94.


PRS Oberoi received numerous awards and accolades, including the Padma Vibhushan, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the country in tourism and hospitality. He was also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at ILTM ( International Luxury Travel Market) and was also presented with the 'Corporate Hotelier of the World' award by HOTELS magazine USA.


Leelavathi: Leelavathi, a renowned Kannada actor who had a diverse filmography in Tamil and Telugu, died on December 8, at the age of 85 due to age-related illnesses. Leelavathi made her acting debut at the age of sixteen. She is famous for her roles in 'Bhakta Kumbara,' 'Santha Thukaram,' 'Bhatka Prahlada,' 'Mangalya Yoga,' and Mana Mechchida Madadi'.