Veteran music director Raamlaxman dies at 78
Mumbai, May 22: Veteran music director Raamlaxman, best known for his work on Rajshri Productions' blockbuster movies -- "Maine Pyar Kiya", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!" and "Hum Saath Saath Hain" -- died due to a cardiac arrest. He was 78.
The composer, whose real name was Vijay Patil, passed away at his residence in Nagpur in the early hours of Saturday, his son Amar said.
"He had taken second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, six days ago. There was no problem at that time... But when he came home he developed weakness. His parameters were dropping. Doctors were attending at home. He passed away at around 2 am on Saturday. He had a cardiac arrest," Amar told PTI.
Patil, known by cinema aficionados as 'Laxman' of duo composers "Raam-Laxman", started his journey in films with Marathi actor-comedian Dada Kondke's 1975 film "Pandu Hawaldar" .
He gave the music for the movie with his collaborator Surendra under the name Raam-Laxman.
Surendra passed away in 1976, but Patil continued to compose under the same name, slightly changing it to Raamlaxman.
Patil took his initial lessons in music from his father and uncle. He later studied music at the Bhatkhande Shikshan Sanstha.
In his over four decades-long career, he composed music for over 150 films in Hindi, Marathi and Bhojpuri and worked with famous film directors such as Manmohan Desai, Mahesh Bhatt, GP Sippy, Anil Ganguly and Sooraj Barjatya.
Some of his other memorable works are "Agent Vinod", "100 Days", "Anmol", "Tarana", "Patthar Ke Phool" and "Hum Se Badhkar Kaun".
Legendary playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was one of the first film personalities to pay tributes to Patil.
"I got to know now about the demise of the very talented Raam Laxman ji (Vijay Patil). I am deeply saddened. He was a very good person. I have sung many songs composed by him which had become quite popular. My heartfelt condolences," she wrote on Twitter.
The official Twitter handle of production banner Rajshri also mourn the loss.
"Music Composer Vijay Patil aka Laxman of the iconic #RaamLaxman duo passed away. Our deepest condolences to his family in this tough time. Rajshri will always remember him for his immense contribution to the music industry. May his soul Rest In Peace," the post read.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India harbouring big and bold dreams in space sector: Shubhanshu Shukla
Kolkata (PTI): Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station, on Wednesday said the country is harbouring “big and bold dreams”, foraying into human spaceflight after a hiatus of 41 years.
Shukla was the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned to India from the US on August 17, 2025, after the 18-day mission.
The space is a “great place to be”, marked by deep peace and an “amazing view” that becomes more captivating with time, he said, interacting with schoolchildren at an event organised by the Indian Centre for Space Physics here.
“The longer you stay, the more you enjoy it,” Shukla said, adding on a lighter note that he “actually kind of did not want to come back”.
Shukla said the hands-on experience in space was very different from what he had learnt during training.
He said the future of India’s space science was “very bright”, with the country harbouring “very big and bold dreams”.
ALSO READ: Didn't answer any questions, completely defensive response': Rahul on Shah's speech in LS
Shukla described his ISS flight, undertaken with support from the US, as a crucial “stepping stone” towards realising India’s ‘Vision Gaganyaan’.
“The experience gained is a national asset. It is already being used by internal committees and design teams to ensure ongoing missions are on the right track,” he said.
Shukla said the country’s space ambitions include the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Bharatiya Station (India’s own space station), and eventually a human landing on the Moon.
While the Moon mission is targeted for 2040, he said these projects are already in the pipeline, and the field will evolve at a “very rapid pace” over the next 10-20 years.
He told the students that though these targets are challenging, they are “achievable by people like you”, urging them to take ownership of India’s aspirations.
The sector will generate “a lot of employment opportunities” as India expands its human spaceflight capabilities, he noted.
Echoing the iconic words of India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, Shukla said that from orbit, “India is still the best in the world”.
Shukla also asserted that the achievement was not his alone, but that of the entire country.
“The youth of India are extremely talented. They must stay focused, remain curious and work hard. It is their responsibility to help build a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Highlighting a shift from Sharma’s era, Shukla said India is now developing a full-fledged astronaut ecosystem.
With Gaganyaan and future missions, children in India will be able to not only dream of becoming astronauts, but also achieving it within the country, he said.
“Space missions help a village kid believe he can go to space someday. When you send one person to space, you lift million hopes. That is why such programmes must continue... The sky is not the limit,” Shukla said.
“Scientists must prepare for systems that will last 20-30 years, while ensuring they can integrate technologies that will emerge a decade from now,” he said.
Shukla added that he looked forward to more space missions, and was keen to undertake a space walk, which will require him to "train for another two years".
