The three inspiring men in my life, are gone...

RIP Mario Miranda, Shammi Kapoor and Jagjit Singh

It's eery the way this year (2011) has ended with some of my most inspiring men, going away, forever. Mario Miranda, cartoonist, Shammi Kapoor, actor and Jagjit Singh, singer. These men moulded my thoughts and my aspirations, kept me wacky and humoured. I shall miss them, forever.
A salute to the kings - Mario, Shammi and Jagjit.

Mario Miranda: Acclaimed cartoonist Mario Miranda, who made Goan landscapes and people come alive on canvas, died at his ancestral home in Loutolim on December 11, after a long illness, family sources said. He was 85. “He had been ailing for long and he passed away peacefully in his sleep,” his grieving widow Habiba told.
Miranda is survived by his wife and two sons. Lautolim is 35 km from Panaji, Goa.
Mario had been ill with multiple complications for few years and had not been very active on the art scene though he occasionally made sketches for some publications.

Shammi Kapoor: Tributes have been paid to Indian film star Shammi Kapoor who died of kidney failure in Mumbai, aged 79, on Aug 14, 2011.

The actor belonged to the Indian film industry's famous family of actors which included his father, Prithviraj, and brothers Raj and Shashi Kapoor.
One of the most popular stars of his generation, he starred in hits like Junglee, An Evening in Paris, Chinatown and Kashmir Ki Kali. Search engine Yahoo was his brainchild.

Jagjit Singh: Renowned ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, 70, passed away on October 10, 2011, in Mumbai. He suffered from brain haemorrhage. He is survived by his wife Chitra Singh.

Jagjit Singh was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. He had four sisters and two brothers and he is known as Jeet by his family. Popularly known as "The Ghazal King", he gained acclaim together with his wife in the 1970s and 1980s, as the first ever successful duo act (husband-wife) in the history of recorded Indian music.

Recipient of Padma Bhushan award, he has sung in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali. His popular ghazals include, Meri zindagi kisi aur ki, mere naam ka koi aur hai, Apni marzi se kahan apne safar ke hum hain, Wo jo hum mein tumme qaraar tha, Patta-patta boota-boota haal hamaara jaane hai, Hoshwalo ko khabar, etc.

Jagjjit Singh has also sung for popular movies like Arth, Prem Geet, Sarfarosh and Tarqeeb