Satyadev Dubey (75)-Theatre director, screenplay writer and actor passed away on 25 December 2011. Dubey was called as theatre guru.
S.Bangarappa -Veteran politician and former Chief Minister of Karnataka who was the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1990-92 died on 26 December 2011.
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan - Indian-American Nobel laureate was conferred knighthood by Britain.
Vaclav Havel- Former Czech president, who had been suffering from chronic respiratory problems died on 18 December 2011 at the age of 75. He was one of the leading anti-Communist dissidents of the 1970s and 1980s.He was the tenth and last president of Czechoslovakia (1989–92) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003).He was his country`s first democratically elected president after the Velvet Revolution. The non-violent Velvet Revolution ended four decades of repression by a regime which Havel ridiculed as Absurdistan.
Kim Jong-il- The leader of North Korea passed away on 17 December 2011 after he suffered a massive heart attack on a train. The news of his death was announced by the state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang on 19 December 2011. Kim Jong-il led his nation for 17 years and through a devastating famine while frustrating the United States and other global powers with approach to talks on giving up nuclear arms in return for food and other assistance.His longtime pursuit of nuclear weapons and his military’s repeated threats to South Korea and the United States caused worries that fighting might break out again on the Korean peninsula or that North Korea might provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorist movements.
PK Iyengar- India`s top nuclear scientist and nuclear physicist, who designed India’s first atomic bomb and was a staunch opponent of the Indo-US nuclear deal, passed away at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) hospital in Trombay. He was one of the mainstream scientists in the development of India`s first nuclear device under the code name Smiling Buddha.
MS Reddy -Veteran Telugu film producer and noted lyricist, passed away on 11 December 2011. He was popularly known as Mallemala. Reddy, during a career that spanned about 60 years, produced hit films like Ankusam, Talambralu, Ahuti, Baala Ramayanam, Ankusam, Ammoru, Agraham and the more recent Arundhati. He worked with some of the industry`s most popular heroes, including NTR Jr who made his debut in Baala Ramayanam, which Reddy made with 3000 child artistes. The film had bagged the Best Children`s Film Award.
Jacques Chirac - A French court sentenced former French President, to a two-year suspended jail term following his conviction on graft charges. He was held guilty for misappropriation of public funds and embezzlement. This is the first time a French Head of State has been convicted since the trial in 1945 of Marshal Philippe Petain who collaborated with the Nazis.
The 85-year-old eminent cartoonist and Padma Bhushan awardee Mario Miranda passed away at Panaji in Goa. He worked for Illustrated Weekly of India, Times of India, Economic Times and Femina.
Vinod Rai- The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India was on 8 December 2011 elected chairperson of the United Nations panel of external auditors. Rai succeeded Norbert Hauser, vice-president of Germany`s Federal Court of Auditors as chairman of the United Nations panel of external auditors. As chairperson Rai will oversee the audit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), besides setting audit agenda for all UN specialized agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), World Food Programme and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Dev Anand, an icon of Indian cinema and evergreen star, died at the age of 88 in London on 3 December 2011 (4 December according to IST) after suffering a massive cardiac arrest.
Mario Miranda, the world renowned cartoonist, died in Goa on 11 December 2011. Miranda was the recipient of the Padma Bhushan (2002) and Padma Shri (1988) awards. He started his career as a cartoonist for the Times of India Group in 1953 and later moved into illustration and fine art. His creations such as Miss Nimbupani and Miss Fonseca which appeared on a regular basis in Femina, Economic Times, and The Illustrated Weekly of India brought him fame.