2 days ago
Veteran film producer Vinay Sinha passed away on 24 January 2020. He directed famous films like Andaz Apna Apna and Rafoo Chakkar. The cause of death was unknown.
Vinay Kumar Sinha:
Vinay Kumar Sinha was the vice president of the Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association. His movie Andaz Apna Apna received a classic status among the Hindi audiences. Vinay Sinha also produced films like Rafoo Chakkar and Chor Police and a few TV shows.
13 days ago
Odia Filmmaker Manmohan Mohapatra passed away on 13 January in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He died due to the prolonged illness. He was 69-years-old.
Manmohan Mohapatra:
Mohapatra was born in 1951. He studied filmmaking at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. He made his first short film 'Anti-Memoirs' in 1975. In 1976, his first film 'Sita Rati' won him the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Odia. Mohapatra directed a few Hindi films including Bits and Pieces. The veteran filmmaker directed documentaries namely Voices of Silence and Konark: The Sun Temple.
Awards:
He had won eight consecutive National Awards for his films Sita Rati, Majhi Pahacha, Nisiddha Swapna, Klanta Aparanha, Niraba Jhada, Bhinna Samaya. His work Niraba Jhada won a National Award. Mohapatra received the Best Director Award for Odia film Bhija Matira Swarga recently.
16 days ago
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman passed away on 10 January 2020. He was 79 years old. He was the Arab world's longest-serving ruler. The cause of death has not been confirmed. His cousin and former culture and heritage minister Haitham bin Tariq Al Said have been sworn in as his successor.
Sultan of Oman:
In Oman, the Sultan is the paramount decision-maker. He also holds the positions of Prime Minister, Supreme Commander of the armed forces, Minister of defence, Minister of foreign affairs, and Minister of finance.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said:
Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said overthrew his father, Said bin Taimur, in a bloodless coup at the age of 29 and ruled Oman for five decades. He was a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. He served in the British army. Being a charismatic and visionary leader he established a modern government and used oil money to develop the country.
16 days ago
The former parliamentarian Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo passed away on 10 January 2020. He died due to prolonged illness. He was 76 years old. In 2017, the Odisha government announced that it would bear all expenses of his treatment.
Gopinath Gajapati Narayan Deo:
Narayan Deo was born on 6 March 1943. He had represented the Berhampur parliamentary constituency for two terms as a Congress member. In 1998, he switched over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joined the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in 2009.
19 days ago
One of India's best-known artists, Akbar Padamsee passed away in Coimbatore on 6 January 2020. He was 91 years old.
Akbar Padamsee:
Akbar Padamsee was born in Mumbai in 1928. He earned a Diploma in Painting from Sir JJ School of Art. He was one of the pioneers of modern Indian art along with S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza, and M.F. Husain. He was also part of the Progressive Artists' Group. He was renowned for his famous artworks like metascape, Syzygy, Portrait of Husain, Jeune femme aux Cheveux noirs, la tête inclinée, Metascape - III. He won many honours, including a gold medal from the Lalit Kala Akademi, and the Padma Bhushan in 2010.
20 days ago
Former Western Army Commander Lieutenant general Prem Nath Hoon passed away on 6 January 2020. He was 90 years old. Lt Gen Hoon was admitted to Command Hospital, Chandimandir, Panchkula due to illness.
Lieutenant general Prem Nath Hoon:
Prem Nath was born in Abbottabad, pre-partition India on 4 October 1929. Lt Gen Prem Nath Hoon started his career in the Indian Army and led Operation Meghdoot, the code-name for the Indian Armed Forces operation to capture the Siachen Glacier in the Kashmir region, precipitating the Siachen Conflict. The operation resulted in Indian troops gained control of the entire Siachen Glacier. He played a very important role in the war against Pakistan in 1984. He commanded the Western Army headquartered at Chandimandir during one of the biggest military exercises of the sub-continent, Operation Brasstacks, through parts of 1986 and 1987.
He authored a book called The Untold Truth wherein he had claimed that a coup d’etat had been planned by certain elements to topple the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's government in 1987. After retirement, he was associated with Balasaheb Thackeray's Shiv Sena. He held the post of the Director-General of Sena's ex-servicemen wing.
21 days ago
Former Karnataka Governor TN Chaturvedi passed away on 5 January 2020. He was 90 years old. He was appointed as the 14th Governor of Karnataka in 2002 by the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
TN Chaturvedi:
Triloki Nath Chaturvedi was an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). After retirement from IAS, Chaturvedi held the office of Comptroller and Auditor General of India from 1984 to 1989.
In 1991, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. He became Governor of Karnataka on 21 August 2002. He served as the Governor of Karnataka from 2002-2007. He also served as the Governor of Kerala from 25 February 2004, following the death of Sikander Bakht, until June 2004, when he was replaced by a newly appointed governor. Chaturvedi was highly recognized for his role as Karnataka Governor.
40 days ago
Veteran actor Shriram Lagoo passed away on 17 December. Lagoo died of cardiac arrest in Pune. He was 92 years old.
Shriram Lagoo:
Lagoo was born in 1927 in Satara, Maharashtra. He was trained as an ENT surgeon by profession. He played an important role in the growth of theatre movement in Maharashtra along with Vijay Tendulkar, Vijaya Mehta, and Arvind Deshpande.
Lagoo essayed memorable roles in Bollywood films like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Ek Din Achanak, Gharonda, and Laawaris. He played Gopal Krishna Gokhale in the movie Gandhi. He has also been a part of various TV shows. Gulmohar West, Karamati, Thhoda Sa Aasman, Waqt Ki Raftar, Lokmanya, Jugal Bandhi, and Uppanyas are some of his notable works on television.
41 days ago
The former Union minister and veteran BJP leader Ishwar Dayal Swami passed away on 15 December. He died due to a brief ailment. He was 90-years-old. He is survived by a son and 3 daughters.
Ishwar Dayal Swami:
Swami was a bureaucrat-turned- politician. He served as the Union minister of state for home affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999.
Ishwar Dayal Swami won his first Lok Sabha election in 1996. He was re-elected in 1999 and made Union Minister of State for Home in A.B. Vajpayee's National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
46 days ago
Tara Sinha, the founder of ad agencies Clarion and Tara Sinha Associates, passed away on 11 December 2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She was 88 years old. She was the first woman to set up a national advertising agency in India.
Tara Sinha:
Sinha completed the advertising diploma in the early 1950s from London. She joined DJ Keymer, Kolkata. In 1955, Sinha and others launched Clarion. She became its first director at 23.
Sinha had good client and agency experience having worked at Coca-Cola in the 1970s and early 1980s. Tara Sinha Associates was launched in 1985. Sinha was a fearless woman, who spoke her mind and never hesitated to take tough decisions. Her career acquired skills across the marketing, advertising, and research spectrum, working with some of the best brands in fast-moving consumer goods.
46 days ago
George Laurer, the US engineer who helped develop the barcode, has passed away at the age of 94.
George Laurer:
Mr. Laurer has been recognized as the co-inventor of the Universal Product Code (UPC) or barcode. It is found on millions of products, services, and other items for identification. When he was working as an electrical engineer with IBM, he developed UPC or barcode. He developed a scanner that could digitally read codes. He used stripes to print the codes.
The first product that was scanned was a packet of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum. It took place in June 1974 in Ohio.
58 days ago
American rock climber Brad Gobright passed away after falling off a mountain in Mexico. He was 31 years old. He fell on an almost sheer face known as El Sendero Luminoso on the El Toro Mountain in the El Portrero Chico, Monterrey. He fell about 300 metres (1,000ft). The area was marked as inaccessible by the civil defense office.
Brad Gobright:
Brad was one of the world's most renowned rock climbers. He began climbing when he was 6 years old. He set a speed record of 2 hours 19 minutes and 44 seconds for The Nose on El Capitan in 2017 along with Jim Reynolds.
59 days ago
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone passed away. He was 101 years old. He is known for his friendship with the 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan. He was one of Japan's longest-reigning premiers.
Yasuhiro Nakasone:
Nakasone served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1982 to 1987. His reign boosted Japan's global profile. He was on 27 May 1918 in Takasaki, northwest of Tokyo. He was graduated from Tokyo University. He entered the Home Ministry in 1941.
He broke the unwritten rule on limiting the annual defence budget to 1% of gross national product (GNP). Nakasone was the first Japanese premier to officially visit South Korea in 1983.
Nakasone pursued domestic reforms by privatizing Japan's state-run railway, tobacco, and telecommunications monopolies. He won a rare fifth year in office after leading his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 1986 elections. In 2003, he was forced to retire when he was 85 along with other elder statesmen by then-prime minister Junichiro Koizumi along with the elderly politicians.
60 days ago
Former Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar passed away at a military hospital in New Delhi on 27 November 2019. He was 79-years-old.
Sushil Kumar:
♦ Admiral Sushil Kumar was the 16th Chief of Naval Staff. He served as the Navy Chief from 1998 to 2001. He oversaw the Naval operations during the Kargil conflict of 1999. He was the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee when India planned Operation Parakram, in 2000-2001, in the wake of the terror attack on Parliament.
♦ He recently authored a book titled A Prime Minister to Remember- Memories of a Military Chief on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In the book, Sushil Kumar credited Mr. Vajpayee for turning a strategic tactical loss into a massive victory.
63 days ago
Former Madhya Pradesh and BJP leader Chief Minister Kailash Joshi died at a private hospital after a prolonged illness. He was 90. The last rites will be at his native Hatpipliya in Dewas district on Monday.Mr. Joshi served as the first
Janata Party Chief Minister of the State from 1977 to 1978. He represented the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency from 2004 to 2014. He served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2000 to 2004. Besides, he served the Bagli Assembly seat from 1962 to 1998.
74 days ago
Famous mathematician Vashishth Narayan Singh passed away in Patna on 14 November 2019. He was 77 years old. He was suffering from mental illness schizophrenia for 40 years. He earned world recognition as he challenged Einstein's theory of relativity.
Vashishth Narayan Singh:
Vashishth Narayan Singh was born on 2 April 1942. He moved to America in 1965 after his talent was recognized by Professor John Kelly of the University of California. He worked as an associate professor at Washington University. He worked at NASA, where he surprised many people with his mathematical skills. In 1971, he returned to India and worked at IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, and ISI Kolkata.
77 days ago
Former Union Secretary PS Krishnan passed away in New Delhi on 10 December 2019. He was 86 years old. He was regarded as a champion of the oppressed and exploited sections of society.
PS Krishnan:
PS Krishnan is an IAS officer of batch 1956. He served in Andhra Pradesh. He sought to take the government to the people, especially the Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, and other oppressed communities, and worked towards eliminating caste inequalities. In 1990, he served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Welfare during the VP Singh government implemented the Mandal Commission Report, which sought to provide 27% reservations to socially and educationally backward classes.
He was an outstanding champion of the oppressed and exploited sections of Indian society. He held various positions, including Secretary to the Government of India. Later, during his post-retirement phase, he worked for the advancement and empowerment of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEdBC), including religious minorities among them.
77 days ago
Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan, 86 years old, passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on 10 November 2019. He died due to cardiac arrest.
TN Seshan:
TN Seshan was a 1995 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre. He served as the tenth Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) from 12 December 1990 to 11 December 1996. He reformed elections by largely ending its malpractices in India. He is known for enforcing the model code of conduct. He led the game-changing electoral reforms in the 1990s. He redefined the status and visibility of the Election Commission of India (ECI). He was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1996 for his service to the government.
89 days ago
Former judge of the Supreme Court (SC), Justice N Venkatachala, has passed away at the age of 89.
Justice N Venkatachala:
Venkatachala was born in July 1930. Justice Nanje Gowda Venkatachala obtained his law degree from Mysore University. In November 1955, he enrolled as an advocate in the then High Court of Mysore (now Karnataka). He practiced civil, criminal and constitutional matters in Bangalore.
From 1963 to 1973, he served as a Legal Adviser to the University of Agricultural Sciences, Hebbal, Bangalore. From 1968 to 1973, he worked as a Government Pleader. From 1973 to 1977, he served as a High Court Government Advocate. In November 1977, he was appointed an Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court and as a Permanent Judge in September 1978.
In 1990, he was part of a tribunal under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. In July 1992, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court. In 1995, he retired from the post. After his retirement, he served as Lokayukta for the State of Karnataka.
90 days ago
Japanese academic and diplomat Sadako Ogata died at the age of 92. She was the first female to be appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Sadako Ogata:
Ogata was born in Tokyo in 1927. She is the daughter of a Japanese diplomat father. She became the first woman, the first Japanese person, and the first academic to be installed as the (UNHCR) in 1991.
Ogata worked on some of the largest crises of the decade during her time in service from 1991 to 2000. She was faced with one of the biggest crises of the 1990s; millions of Kurdish refugees had fled to Iran after the Gulf Wars. She oversaw large-scale operations in areas including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and the Great Lakes region of Africa.
107 days ago
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi condoled the passing away of veteran Carnatic musician Shri Kadri Gopalnath. He excelled with exceptional diligence and talent, he made a valuable contribution to Carnatic music. His works were popular across continents. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and admirers.
Kadri Gopalnath
Kadri Gopalnath, the first to introduce the Western instrument to Carnatic music passed away at a private hospital here early on Friday. A native of Mangaluru region, he had settled in Chennai.
A Padmashree awardee, Gopalnath, 69, is survived by his wife Sarojini, two sons, Manikanth Kadri who is a noted music director, and Guruprasad Kadri, who works in Kuwait, and a daughter Ambika Mohan.
115 days ago
Padma Shri awardee and renowned kidney transplant surgeon Dr. Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi passed away on 2 October. He was 87-years old. He died due to age-related illnesses.
HL Trivedi:
Trivedi was hailed as an expert in handling kidney transplant surgeries. He left his career in Canada and set up the Kidney Diseases and Research Center at Ahmedabad with an aim to serve the people of this country. He was the founder-director of the city-based Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center. He also established a dialysis centre network in district hospitals across Gujarat with the help of the state government. In 2015, he was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for his contribution to society as a nephrologist.
123 days ago
The former French president President Jacques Chirac died on 26 September 2019. He has suffered memory loss, a form of Alzheimer’s disease.
Jacques Chirac:
Jacques Chirac was born on 29 November 1932. Chirac served as President for two terms, one as prime minister. He took France into the single European currency. Chirac was the head of state from 17 May 1995 to 16 May 2007. He was previously the PMr of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988. Also he was the Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.
France:
President: Emmanuel Macron
Prime Minister: Édouard Philippe
Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro (€) (EUR), CFP franc (XPF)
Official and national language: French
125 days ago
Former Indian Test opener Madhav Apte passed away at the age of 86 in Mumbai. He died due to the suffering of a cardiac arrest on 23 September.
Madhav Apte:
Madhav Apte was born on 5 October 1932. The right-hand batsman played 7 Test matches for India from 1952 to 1953. He was the fourth-oldest living Indian Test cricketer, younger only to DK Gaekwad, CD Gopinath and Chandrakant Patankar. In 1989, he was elected to the office of the president of the Cricket Club of India. He served as the president of the Club's Legend's Club. He was also the chairman of his family's company, Apte Group.
126 days ago
Veteran actor and multi-faceted artiste S.K. Padmadevi passed away. She was part of the first Kannada talkie film Bhakta Dhruva (1934). She starred in Samsara Nouke. It is the first Kannada social film (1936). She was the recipient of R. Nagendra Rao award for lifetime achievement by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy in 2016.
Bhakta Dhruva
Bhakta Dhruva is a 1934 Indian Kannada language Mythological devotional film directed by Parshwanath Altekar and produced by U. L. Narayana Rao.
Director: Parshwanath Yeshwant Altekar
Screenplay: Devudu Narasimha Sastri
Music director: Harmonium Sheshadri Rao
128 days ago
Former Rangers and Netherlands football player Fernando Ricksen passed away at the age of 43.
He earned 12 caps for the Netherlands between 2000 and 2003.
Around six years (2000-2006) with the club of Rangers Glasgow.
Scotland won 2 Scottish Premier League titles, 2 Scottish Cups and 3 Scottish League Cups.
Fernando Ricksen
Fernando Jacob Hubert Hendrika Ricksen a Dutch professional footballer played as a right-back and right midfielder.He joined Rangers for £3.75 million in 2000.
140 days ago
Former Union minister and eminent lawyer Shri Ram Jethmalani passed away on 8 September at his official residence in New Delhi. He was 95 years old. He was suffering from prolonged illness.
Shri Ram Jethmalani:
Ram Jethmalani was born in Sikhapur of Sindh province on 14 September 1923. He finished his schooling at the age of 13 and secured an LLB degree at the age of 17. At the age of 18, he became a lawyer.
Ram Jethmalani fought several high-profile cases, including Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parekh in the Securities scam of 1992, the defence of Rajiv Gandhi's killer in Madras High Cout in 2001, Jessica Lall murder case, in the Supreme Court (SC), high courts and trial courts. One of the cases he will be remembered for is the KM Nanavati vs State of Maharashtra case in which he was the prosecutor.
Jethmalani was elected as the president of Supreme Court Bar Association in 2010. He was elected as a BJP MP in the 6th and 7th Lok Sabha. He served as Union law minister and urban development minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government.
142 days ago
Zimbabwe's former President Robert Mugabe passed away in Singapore at the age of 95 on 6 September. Mugabe is a country's independence struggler. He was receiving treatment in a hospital in Singapore since April.
Robert Mugabe:
Mugabe was born on 21 February 1924, in the capital of Zimbabwe. Mugabe was educated by Jesuit priest and worked as a school teacher before attending to South Africa's University of Fort Hare. He was imprisoned, for more than a decade without trial, for criticizing the government of Rhodesia in 1964.
While he was still in prison he was chosen as president of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu) in 1973. After the independence movement resulted in 1980, Mugabe was elected as the nation's 1st black prime minister until 1987. He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 after 37 years in power.
143 days ago
The Novelist Kiran Nagarkar passed away in hospital at the age of 77. He suffered from a massive brain hemorrhage. He was one of India’s greatest writers.
Nagarkar:
Nagarkar was born in Mumbai in 1942. He worked in journalism, advertising and education. He published his novel Saat Sakkam Trechalis in Marathi in 1974 at the age of thirty-two. He worked as a screenplay, journalist, a book author, and within the advertising trade.
Awards:
Nagarkar was distinguished with the HN Apte Award for the most effective first novel. He won Sahitya Akademi Award for his epic novel Cuckold, which he wrote in 1997, in 2001 and the Dalmia Award for communicative harmony through literature. He received a philanthropist grant award of a scholarship by the town of Munich.
153 days ago
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya, a Director General of Police in Uttarakhand, passed away on 27th August in Mumbai. She died due to prolonged illness.
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya:
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya was a 1973 batch IPS officer. She created history when she became the Director-General of Police (DGP) of Uttarakhand in the year 2004. After her retirement, she stepped into politics by contesting the 2014 Lok Sabha election.
She contested from Haridwar seat in Uttarakhand on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) seat. Even after her retirement, she served the country till her final working with Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
About Kanchan Chaudhary:
Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya was the second woman IPS officer within the country after Kiran Bedi. She completed her PG degree in English Literature from a science school, urban center University.
She was appointed as a Deputy General Inspector of Police in the state. She was promoted to the primary ladies gamma globulin of UP Police. She had 33 years of career span and handled varied sensitive cases like Syed Modi murder case in 1987 and Reliance-Bombay coloring case.
Award: She was awarded President's laurels for long and meritable services in 1989 and Rajiv Gandhi Award in 2004.
154 days ago
India's former Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley passed away on 24th August. He died at the 66 due to prolonged illness.
The Minister had triple heart-bypass surgery when he was 52. He was a diabetic and had bariatric weight-loss surgery in 2014. He underwent a kidney transplant in 2018 and travelled to the United States in 2018 for unspecified medical care.
Political Career:
Arun Jaitley passed his Law degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi and Faculty of Law, University of Delhi. In the 1970s, Mr.Jaitley got involved in politics as a student leader. In 1974, he became the President of the University Students' Union. The lawyer-turned-politician is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since 2000, he has been the party leader of BJP and a member of Rajya Sabha. In 2003, he served as the law minister during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure. He held various posts such as Ministries of Commerce, Industry, Law & Justice, Information & Broadcasting, Finance, and Defence.
Jaitley led the enactment of bankruptcy code and a national goods-and-services tax (GST) law during his tenure as Finance Minister.
159 days ago
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Babulal Gaur passed away on 21 August. He was 89 years old. He died due to various old-age ailments followed by cardiac arrest.
The veteran BJP leader served as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister from 2004-2005. He represented his traditional Govindpura Vidhan Sabha seat 10 times.
About Babulal:
Mr.Babulal Gaur was born on June 2 in 1930 at Naugeer village in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. He worked at the Bhopal Textiles Mill and led agitations for labour rights. His political carrer started in 1946 as he entered in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He was a founder-member of the Rashtriya Mazdoor Sangh. He served as the secretary of the Jana Sangh in 1956.
Babulal took part in several national-level movements such as the agitation against the Emergency and for Goa Independence. During the Emergency, he was detained for 19 months under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act.
160 days ago
The eminent composer Mohammed Zahur Hashmi passed away on 19 August. He was 92 years old. He died because of prolonged illnesses. He was famously is known as Khayyam. He is best known for his music in classic films such as 'Kabhi Kabhie' and 'Umrao Jaan'.
His career:
Khayyam started his musical career at the age of 17. Hashmi's other notable works include films such as 'Trishul', 'Noorie' and 'Shola Aur Shabnam'. Mohammed Zahur Hashmi was also a recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Padma Bhushan. He was also honored with the National Award and Filmfare Award. He had also composed music for actress Meena Kumari's album I Write, I Recite. His non-film songs include Paaon Padun Tore Shyam, Ghazab Kiya Tere Vaade Pe Aitbaar Kiya, and Brij Mein Laut Chalo.
163 days ago
Social worker and Padma Shri awardee Damodar Ganesh Bapat passed away on 16 August in Chhattisgarh. He was 84 years old. He died due to illness. He was known for his social work among the tribal areas in Chhattisgarh.
Damodar Ganesh Bapat:
Bapat dedicated his life to serve the leprosy patients at Bhartiya Kushta Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) in Janjgir–Champa district Chhattisgarh. He also was worker of Vanvashi aashram in Jaspur (CG). In 2018, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award. He was awarded by President Ram Nath Kovind in 2018 for his service to the society.
173 days ago
Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, 67 years old, passed away on 6th August. She suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at AIIMS. She underwent a kidney transplant in 2016.
Sushma Swaraj Career:
Sushma Swaraj was educated at Sanatan Dharma College in Ambala Cantonment. She earned a bachelor's degree with majors in Sanskrit and Political Science. She studied law at Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Political Career:
Swaraj's political career started at her age of 25 in 1977. She became the youngest cabinet minister in Haryana in 1977. She served as the 5th Chief Minister of Delhi from 13th October to 3rd December 1998. She was a seven-time Member of Parliament. She served as MLA for three terms.
Sushma Swaraj won from Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh for a second term in 2014. Swaraj took charge as Foreign Minister on 26th May, 2014. After Indira Gandhi, she was the second woman to hold the External Affairs Ministry. She was popularly known as the People’s Minister. She introduced a new sensitivity and sensibility in the functioning of the External Affairs Ministry.
174 days ago
Gujarati journalist author and columnist Kanti Bhatt passed away in Mumbai on 5th August. He was 88 years old. He passed away after a prolonged illness.
Kanti Bhatt:
Kanti was born on 15th July, 1931 in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. He did his Bachelor of Commerce from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (Vadodara). Kanti Bhatt joined journalism in 1966 in Mumbai.
Kanti was a good columnist, writer and journalist. His writings were informative that enriched the culture of Gujarati. He has written more than 45,000 articles.
182 days ago
The Congress leader and former Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy, 77, passed away on July 28. He was suffering from pneumonia.
Jaipal's Career:
S Jaipal Reddy was a five-time member of Lok Sabha, four-time MLA and two-time Rajya Sabha member. He was known for his oratory skills. He held the petroleum portfolio but was shifted to science and technology. In 1977, the former Minister quit the Congress in protest against former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s imposition of the Emergency. In 1998, in IK Gujral cabinet he served as a Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting. After 21 years in 1999 he returned to Indian National Congress, he was elected as a Union Minister for the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Technology from 29 October 2012 to 18 May 2014.
196 days ago
Bangladesh’s former military dictator H.M. Ershad passed away at the age of 89. He had long been suffering from multiple complications including infections in his lungs and kidneys.
Ershad seized power in a 1982 and ruled the country from 1982 to 1990.
H.M. Ershad:
Ershad was born in 1930 in Coochbehar district, West Bengal state. He was commissioned into the Pakistan Army in 1952 and became the adjutant in the East Bengal Regiment. Ershad returned to Bangladesh in 1973. He took over as the chief martial law administrator, during the 1982 bloodless coup, by removing the elected government.
He became the president of Bangladesh in December 1983. He continued until 1990. Under his reign, Bangladesh improved relations with the United States and Middle East nations. He was ousted by Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia in 1991. He was arrested and released on bail in 1997.
226 days ago
Poet and lyricist Pazhavila Ramesan passed away on 13 June 2019 at Thiruvananthapuram. He was 83. He was ailing for some time.
Pazhavila Ramesan:
Ramesan had received the 2017 Kerala Sahithya Akademi award for overall contributions. He wrote lyrics for Malayalam movies such as Njattadi, Aashamsakalode, Uncle Bun, Malootty, and Vasudha. He was co-editor of K. Balakrishnan’s Kaumudi Weekly in the sixties. He worked at the State Institute of Languages in various capacities till 1993.
He is a recipient of various awards, Ramesan brought out poetry collections such as Mazhayude Jalakam, Njan Ente Kadukalelikku, and Pazhavila Ramesante Kavithakal, besides collections of his writings such as Ormayude Varthamanam, Mayatha Varakal, and Nervara.
230 days ago
Veteran director, playwright and actor Girish Karnad passed away at the age of 81 on 10th June 2019. Karnad died due to a prolonged illness.
His career:
Karnad made his acting and screenwriting debut in a 1970 on a release called 'Samskara' which won the President's Golden Lotus Award.
He served as the Director of the Film and Television Institute of India during 1974-1975. He was also the Chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of the Performing Arts from 1988 to 1993. In the early 1990s, he hosted the Turning Point, a science magazine, on Doordarshan.
The Jnanpith awardee's plays have been translated into English and several Indian languages. His plays have been directed by directors like Alyque Padamsee, Ebrahim Alkazi, Arvind Gaur, BV Karanth, Zafer Mohiuddin, Satyadev Dubey, Shyamanand Jalan, Amal Allana, Vijaya Mehta and Prasanna.
Awards:
Girish Karnad was conferred with Padma Shri award in 1974 for contributions to theatre. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan for literature.
232 days ago
Ex-UEFA chief Johansson, also known as the father of Champions League, passed away due to a short illness. He was 89.
He oversaw the introduction of the Champions League during a 17-year reign as president of European soccer’s governing body. He led UEFA from 1990-2007. He was succeeded by former France great Michel Platini in a presidential election.
His career as a sports administrator began in the 1960s. He became president of elite Swedish football club AIK, and then head of the Swedish football federation prior to his election as UEFA chief in 1990. In 1998, he was defeated by Sepp Blatter in his bid to become head of football’s global federation FIFA.
Under Johansson’s leadership at UEFA, the Champions League was born. It replaced the old European Cup tournament and became the world’s most prestigious club competition. He has also presided over the growth of the European Football Championship, with the number of finalists doubling from eight to 16.
238 days ago
Veteran industrialist and Williamson Magor Group patriarch Brij Mohan Khaitan died on 1 June 2019 at his residence in Kolkata. He was 92. Khaitan is survived by his younger son Aditya and daughter Divya Jalan. Also known as the “evergreen tea man of India” globally, he had made the tea industry “Indian-owned” in the twilight era of independence.
Mr.Khaitan's career:
Khaitan had recently resigned as nonexecutive chairman from the boards of Eveready Industries and McLeod Russel. He continued to serve as chairman emeritus in both these firms. Considered a visionary, he has left an indelible mark on the world of entrepreneurship, education, business ethics, and service to mankind.
Khaitan developed the Williamson Magor Group as the largest tea producer in the world. After making his fortune in the tea business, he acquired the Indian business of Union Carbide, Eveready Industries, in 1993, pipping the Wadias of Bombay Dyeing in a $96.5 million deal. It was the largest corporate takeover then. His demise marks the end of an era and loss of a leader and guide for the Indian tea industry.
246 days ago
Vijaya Mulay is best known for her 1974 film Ek Anek Aur Ekta, which won the National Film Award for Best Educational Film.
Mulay founded the Delhi Film Society in 1959, and later on became a joint secretary of the Federation of Film Societies.
In 2002, Vijaya Mulay was honoured with the prestigious V Shantaram Award for her work in documentary filmmaking.
252 days ago
I M Pei, a dominant figure in American architecture for more than three decades who designed the Louvre’s crystal pyramid, has passed away.
Pei’s more than 50 projects included the Musee d’Art Moderne in Luxembourg (2006) and the 72-story Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong (1989).
He was honored with the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal in 1979; the Grande Medaille d’Or from the Academie d’Architecture de France; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the USA.
253 days ago
Australia’s 23rd prime minister and Labor elder statesman Bob Hawke has died.
He served as prime minister between 1983 and 1991, making him the longest serving on the Labor side of politics.
He was the country's third longest-serving leader after Robert Menzies and John Howard.
About Australia:
Capital: Canberra
Currency: Australian dollar
Prime minister: Scott Morrison
President: Malcolm Turnbull
253 days ago
Ieoh Ming Pei, who was the mastermind behind the bold Louvre pyramid in Paris, the landmark 72-story Bank of China tower in Hong Kong and Athens’ Museum of Modern Art, has died at age of 102 years.
About Ieoh Ming Pei:
Born in China in 1917, banker’s son Ieoh Ming Pei came to the US at 17 to study architecture, receiving an undergraduate degree in the field from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1940. He became a naturalized US citizen in 1954.
I M Pei’s Iconic buildings across the globe:
He revived The Louvre with a Giant Glass (about 22-metre) pyramid in Paris.
His revered projects include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio; the Miho Museum of Shigo, Japan; the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas, and The John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts.
Awards and Honours:
He was one of 12 naturalized US citizens then-president Ronald Reagan awarded the Medal of Liberty in 1986.
In 1983 Pei was given the prestigious Pritzker Prize.
258 days ago
Yogesh Chander Deveshwar, ITC’s longest-serving chairman, passed away on 11th May in Delhi. He was 72.
Mr.Deveshwar, an alumnus of IIT Delhi and Harvard Business School, joined ITC in 1968. Between 1991 and 1994, he was invited by the government to serve as the chairman and managing director of Air India. His stewardship over the last two decades has guided ITC to become India’s foremost FMCG marketer, the country’s largest paperboards and packaging company and a corporate enabler in farmer-empowerment, through its wide-ranging agri-business. It also has the second largest hotel chain in India.
271 days ago
Former president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Negasso Gidada passed away in Germany where he was undergoing medical treatment. He was 75 years of age. He was the president of Ethiopia between 1995 and 2001.
He served as president for six years until he fell out with the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s administration. Apart from serving in the role of heads of state, he was a member of the Constitution draft Committee.
273 days ago
Former Indian footballer Pungam Kannan passed away due to prolonged illness. He was 80 years old. Kannan is survived by his wife Antoinette and two daughters.
Kannan played 14 matches for India & was the former Mohun Bagan & East Bengal forward. He won Santosh Trophy for Bengal twice in a row (1971-73) and was the top-scorer. He was known as the ‘Pele of Asia’.
275 days ago
Terry Rawlings, a British film and sound editor has passed away. He was an Oscar nominee for his work on Best Picture winner “Chariots of Fire,”. He was born in 1933. The 5-time BAFTA nominee also received a career achievement award from the American Cinema Editors society in 2006.
