By Chanakya
Renowned comedian Raju Srivastav passes away at 10.20am on September 21. He was 58 and was undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences following a cardiac arrest. He was in and out of the ventilator for 42 long days. The news about his demise was confirmed by his family. Srivastava is survived by his wife Shikha and two children, Antara and Ayushman.
He was admitted to AIIMS Delhi on August 10 after experiencing chest pain and collapsing while working out at the gym.
Srivastava’s cousin Ashok Srivastava had earlier confirmed that he had suffered a heart attack while exercising. “He was doing his routine exercise and while he was on the treadmill, he suddenly fell down. He suffered a heart attack and was immediately taken to the AIIMS hospital,” Ashok had been quoted as saying.
Media reports said doctors recently changed the pipe of Raju Srivastava’s ventilator to avert infection. At the same time, due to infection, his wife Shikha and daughter Antara were also not allowed to meet the comedian due to recurrent fever.
Born Satya Prakash Srivastava on December 25, 1963, he took Raju as his stage name. He was often credited as Gajodhar due to his popular acts, and hailing from a middle-class family, Raju always wanted to become a comedian. He began his stint as a stand-up comedian with the talent show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge and finished as second runner-up. Post that he participated in, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge – Champions, and won the title of “The King of Comedy”.
Raju also gained many fans when he participated in Bigg Boss Season 3 and Nach Baliye season 6. He has also appeared on Comedy Nights with Kapil.
He was also the chairman of the Film Development Council Uttar Pradesh.
He has also featured in films like ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’, ‘Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya’, ‘Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon’ and in several others.
Srivastava joined Bharatiya Janata Party on March 19, 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated him to be part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
President Droupadi Murmu remembered Raju Srivastav. “The untimely demise of eminent comedian Raju Srivastava ji is extremely sad. He had an uncanny talent to enthrall the audience with his comical performances. Due to his influence, the staging of comedy in India got a new identity. My condolences to his family and fans,” she said
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh extended condolences on the demise of comedian Srivastava. “Apart from being an accomplished artist, he was also a very lively person,” the minister wrote.
Taking to Twitter Rajnath Singh added, “I am deeply saddened by the passing away of renowned comedian, Raju Srivastava ji. Apart from being an accomplished artist, he was also a very lively person. He was also very active in the social field. I extend my condolences to his bereaved family and fans. Shanti!”.
“Raju bhai finally took a break from the worldly journey to fight the gloom of God’s world. Hundreds of memoirs of his journey from the days of struggle to the pinnacle of fame are floating before the eyes. Last salute to the Sikandar who made people smile,” said poet Kumar Vishvas in a tweet.
