Obituary Current Affairs (Page : 1)

Popular Malayalam actor and folk singer Kalabhavan Mani passed away at hospital in Kochi, Kerala  due to liver and kidney failure. He was 45.

He has acted in over 200 films, including Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films. He was known for his comedy, character and villain roles. 

At a glance: Kalabhavan Mani 

Mani was born in Chalakudy, Kerala on 1 January 1971. He started his career as a mimicry artist with the drama group Kalabhavan, known for being the first organized performing mimicry group in Kerala.

He started his acting career in the Malayalam film Aksharam as an auto driver and later became an active artiste in South Indian films. He had acted in 200-odd Malayalam films.

Awards and honours : National Film Awards (2000), Kerala State Film Awards (1999),  Filmfare Awards (2002).

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Purno Agitok Sangma, passed away in Delhi following brief illness. He was 68. He was elected to the Lower House nine times and served as the Speaker of 11th Lok Sabha from 1996 to 1998.

At a glance: Purno Agitok Sangma

Purno Agitok (P. A.) Sangma was born on September 1, 1947 in Chapahati village in the West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. He earned MA in International Relations from Dibrugarh University in Assam and studied law.

Political career :

In 1973, he became Vice-President of the Pradesh Youth Congress in Meghalaya and he was elected to Lok Sabha for the first time in 1977 from Tura (Lok Sabha constituency) and remained a member of the Lok Sabha until 14th Lok Sabha, except for the 9th Lok Sabha.

He became general secretary of the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee in 1975 and served as Minister of State for Coal (independent charge) in the Narasimha Rao government in the 1990s.

He has served as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya from 1988 to 1990. He has also served as Minister of State of Home Affairs, Labour, Commerce and Coal. 

He was one of the founders of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) along with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar in 1999, after their expulsion. In 2013, Mr. Sangma founded the National People’s Party.

He was expelled from the party in 2012 when he refused to accept its decision to back out of the election for President of India. He had unsuccessfully had contested 13th Presidential election in 2012 against incumbent President of India Pranab Mukherjee.

Described as New Zealand's greatest batsman Martin Crowe passed away in Auckland, New Zealand following long battle with cancer. He was 53. He lost his battle with lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.

Crowe was appointed New Zealand's captain in 1990, and led the team until 1993. He retired in 1996 due to knee injury. Later he went on to become a television commentator and author.

At a Glance :  Martin Crowe 

Crowe was born  on 22 September 1962 in Auckland, New Zealand. His mother, Audrey Crowe, was one of New Zealand's leading female cricketers and his father, Dave Crowe,  played first-class cricket for Canterbury and Wellington.

Crowe made his first-class debut for Auckland at the age of 17, and his Test debut for New Zealand at the age of 19. He was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, and was credited as one of the "best young batsmen in the world".

In his entire career, crowe had played 77 Test matches, 143 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 247 First-class matches. He was right-handed batsman. 

ODI Career: He had played 143 ODI matches and scored 4704 runs at an average of 38.55 including 4 centuries and 34 fifties. His highest score was 107 runs.

Test Career : He had played 77 matches and had scored 5444 runs at an average of 5.36 including 17 centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score was of 299 runs. 

Awards and honours : He was honoured with player of the tournament award in 1992 World Cup Cup after scoring 456 runs in 9 matches. 

Tamil comedian Kumarimuthu (77), who was known for his comic roles, passed away recently in Chennai, Tamil Nadu following age-related ailments.

He was best known for his signature laugh and has starred in nearly 50 films in his career spanning over three-decades. He was associated with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in his brief stint in politics.

Some of his best films : Idhu Namma Aalu, Sahadevan Mahadevan, Oru Oorla Oru Rajakumari and Marumagan.

Academy Award winning US actor George Kennedy who appeared in more than two hundred film and television productions, passed away recently in the city of Boise, Idaho. He was 91. Kennedy had won Oscar in 1968 for Best Supporting Actor in Cool Hand Luke.

At a Glance : George Kennedy

Kennedy was born on 18 February 1925 in New York City where his father worked as a musician and his mother was a dancer.

He  made his stage debut at age 2 in a touring company of Bringing Up Father and at the age of 7, he became New York City radio DJ.

He joined U.S. military during World War II, winning several decorations, and in the 1950s he worked for Armed Forces Radio and Television before moving to Hollywood.

His first notable screen role was a military advisor on the TV sitcom The Phil Silvers Show. His memorable appearances are in  Naked Gun series, Earthquake and Airport 1975.

His first notable screen role was as a military advisor on the TV sitcom The Phil Silvers Show. Since then he had appeared in more than two hundred film and television productions. 

Memorable appearances : His memorable appearances are in Naked Gun series, Earthquake, Airport, The Dirty Dozen and The Eiger Sanction. 

Books authored : He has authored many books including the murder mystery 'Murder on Location' and his 2011 autobiography 'Trust Me.'

Awards and Honours : Academy Award, Laurel Award, Golden Globe Award

India’s oldest first class cricketer from the pre-independence era Bindiganavile Krishnaswamy Garudachar (99),  passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

He had represented Mysore, United province and Bombay first class cricket matches. He was a right-arm leg-spin bowler who played right-handed and played for several teams in Indian domestic cricket.

About BK Garudachar

He was born as Bindiganavile Krishnaswamy Iyengar Garudachar  in Chikmagalur district, Karnataka on January 13, 1917. He made his first-class debut in November 1935, playing for Mysore against Madras  in the 1935–36 edition of the Ranji Trophy.

During his entire first-class cricket career spanning between 1935 and 1946, Garudachar made a tally of 1,126 runs with an average of 29.53 holding 1 century and seven fifties and as a bowler he took 100 wickets at 26.20 average.

He had captained Mysore team in Ranji Trophy. His best figures were 11 wickets for 62 runs when  Mysore won their first Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad during the 1941- 42 season.

In the last match of his career he appeared for the Cricket Club of India against a touring Commonwealth XI in October 1950.  

After retiring from playing, Garudachar remained involved with the Mysore State Cricket Association  (Now Karnataka State Cricket Association) in administrative roles.

American novelist, Harper Lee, whose 1961 novel To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature, passed away at the age of 89. Her book was bestseller during 1961 as more than 40 million copies of her novel were sold. The novel tells the story of justice and race in a small Southern town .

About Harper Lee

She was born as Nelle Harper Lee on  April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Harper Lee was her pen name. She was widely known for her most acclaimed novel "To Kill a Mockingbird". In 2015, nearly 55 years after her first novel was published she had released its sequel, Go Set a Watchman. 

Her novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" was  adopted as movie which bagged  Academy Award (Oscars) for best picture in 1963 while Gregory Peck, who played role of Atticus in the movie was named best actor. 

Awards and Honours: Pulitzer Prize (1961) and Presidential Medal of Freedom (2007) for her contribution to literature.

Renowned classical singer Bhubaneshwari Mishra passed in New Delhi, following a sudden cardiac arrest. She was 67.The classical singer began her career with the song ‘Tiki Mora Naa Ti’ for the mythological Odia movie Krushna Sudama in the 1970s.

Awards and Honours : She was conferred with the Odisha State Film Award for best playback singer (female) for two consecutive terms in 1979 and 1980 for the movies Srikrushna Rasalila and Jay Ma Mangala respectively.

Eminent Hindustani classical singer Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan passed away in Kolkata, following old-age related ailments. He was 107. He was also a prolific writer and poet and has writtern around 2,000 compositions under the pseudonym 'Rasan Piya'.

Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan

Khan was born on 19 August 1908, in Gwalior gharana gayaki. His father Chhote Yusuf Khan was his guru. He got extensive taleem from his family elders and later developed this style suiting his own artistic sensitivity.

Khan's traditional compositions have been recorded by the BBC and Iraq Radio. Organizations like Uttar Pradesh Sangeet Natak Academi, Lucknow and ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata have recorded and preserved many compositions. He was a resident guru at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy in the city for the past 20 years.

Awards and honours : He was the recipient of Padma Bhushan in 2013 and Sangeet Natak Akademi award (2009), Lifetime achievement award (2013) by Government of NCT of Delhi.

Noted Malayalam novelist and short story writer Akbar Kakkattil passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala due to cancer. He was 62. His writings reflects a unique combination of narration and humour, where readers can feel the naive innocence of his village folk, and experience sensation of compassion and simplicity.

Facts to know about Akbar Kakkattil

Akbar Kakkattil was born on 7 July 1954 at Kakkattil in Kozhikode District. He did his Postgraduate education in Malayalam Language & Literature from Kerala Varma College Trichur.

He started creative writing at the age of fourteen by publishing short stories in a regular column for children in the leading Malayalam weekly Mathrubhumi.His first story Pothichoru was published in 1969 through the weekly. 

He has 54 books to his credit which includes, 27 short stories, 6 collections of essays, 7 novelettes, 4 novels, a play, among others. He had served as the Vice-President of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and  Member of Malayalam Advisory Panel of National Book Trust.

His work, 'Sarga Sameeksha', a creative and critical interface of a young writer with the iconic writers of the old generation is perhaps the first of its kind among Indian languages.

Awards and Honours : He has prestigious Kerala Sahitiya Akademi award two times in 1992 and 2003. He was also recipient of the first-ever award in humour section in 1992 for his ‘School Diary  and in the year 2004 his ‘Vadakkuninnoru Kudumba Vrithantham’ was awarded as the best novel.

The sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) Boutros Boutros-Ghali died at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt. He was 93.

He was Egyptian politician and diplomat and first Arab to serve as the chief of United Nations. Boutros-Ghali oversaw the UN at a time when it dealt with several world crises, including the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Rwandan Genocide.

Facts about Boutros Boutros-Ghali :

• He was Born on November 14, 1922 into a Coptic Christian family in Cairo. His grandfather Boutros Ghali had been Prime Minister of Egypt . He was educated at Cairo University and University of Paris.
• He later studied international relations at Columbia University in New York and became Egypt’s foreign minister in 1977 and President of the African Society of Political Studies in 1980.
• In 1991 he was elected as the sixth Secretary-General of the UN. In 1992, he submitted An Agenda for Peace, a suggestion for how the UN could respond to violent conflict.
• During his tenure as Secretary-General of the UN he was criticised for the UN's failure to act during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, which officially left over one million people dead.One of the hardest tasks during his term was dealing with the crisis of the Yugoslav Wars after the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia.
• After leaving the UN, Boutros-Ghali served from 1998 to 2002 as secretary-general of La Francophonie, a grouping of French-speaking nations. In 2004, he was named president of Egypt’s human rights council, a body created by then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Popular musician Rajamani, well-known for his background scores in Malayalam movies passed away due to cardiac arrest in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was 60. He had predominantly worked in Malayalam film industry and  composed songs for more than 70 Malayalam movies in his over three-decade long career.

Facts about Rajamani

Rajamani was the son of late musician B A Chidambaranath and his first tryst with music happened when he accompanied his father on a devotional album “Gangayar Pirakkunnu". He was just 13 years old.

His first independent venture was 1983 Tamil film “Gramathu Kiligal”, followed by “Kalloori Kanavugal” in the same year. He made his Malayalam debut with the film "Nullinovikkathe" in 1985.

He composed the background score for successful Malayalam films like The King, Ekalavyan, Commissioner, Aram Thampuran and Narasimham. He rendered background score for over 700 films. 

His famous score music for Malayalam films are The King, Ekalavyan, Commissioner, Aram Thampuran and Narasimham. He had rendered background score for over 700 films and as a composer his last film was Malayalam romantic-drama Hide n’ Seek (2012). His last film as a composer was 2012 Malayalam romantic-drama “Hide n’ Seek”. 

India's Ambassador to Tajikistan Biraja Prasad passed away following a massive cardiac arrest. He was a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and the youngest IFS officer to be appointed as India's Ambassador to any country.

About Biraja Prasad

Biraja Prasad had Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Electronics and Communication Engineering.     He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1998. 

He had held different diplomatic assignments such as third secretary and then second secretary (Political) in Embassy of India, Moscow (Russian Federation) from 2000 to 2002 and Second Secretary (Political and Commercial).

He had also served as under secretary (Russia) in the Ministry of External Affairs , New Delhi, from 2004 to 2005 and under secretary (Europe West) from 2005 to 2007.

He  had also worked as undersecretary (Europe West) from 2005 to 2007 in MEA where had handled work related to India’s bilateral relations with Russia, France, Germany and Spain.  He had also worked as Deputy Chief of Mission in Embassy of India at Madrid (Spain).

The celebrated Malayalam poet and lyricist O N V Kurup (84), passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala due to age-related ailments. He was the face of the Malayalam cultural world through his works and also a leading person of progressive movement in Kerala.

About O N V Kurup

He was born on 27 May 1931 at Chavara, Kollam. He graduated in Economics from SN College, Kollam and later pursued Master of Arts in Malayalam literature from  Travancore University. His first poem “Munnottu” (Forward) about his patriotic feelings was published in 1946.

He was much-loved and respected teacher of Malayalam literature and started his career as a lecturer in Maharajas College, Ernakulam  later he taught at the different colleges and retired from service in 1986. O. N. V. Kurup was also a lyricist in Malayalam cinema. He has penned a lot of lyrics for dramas and TV serials also.

• Notable works : His notable works include Agnishalabhangal (1971), Aksharam (1974), Uppu (1980), Bhoomikkoru Charamageetham (1984), Ujjayini (1994) and Swayamvaram (1995). He had served as Chairman of the Kerala Kalamdandalam and also held several top positions in various arts and literary bodies.
• Awards and Honours: He was awarded Padma Shri in 1998, Padma Vibhushan in 2011, Jnanpith Award in 2007.

Soviet football legend Anatoly Ilyin passed away on 10 February 2016 in Moscow, Russia. He was 84. He played for the Spartak Moscow club for the majority of his professional career (1949-1962).

He mostly played at striker position and was capped 31 times by the then Sovietbetween 1952-59 and scored 16 goals and was best known for scoring winning goal that had helped Russia  to win gold medal in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics against Yugoslavia. Ilyin also participated in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. 

Anatoli Ilyin was the member of  Grigory Fedotov club. He was Soviet Top League winner in 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962 and  Top League top scorer in  1954 (11 goals) and 1958 (20 goals).

Leslie Bassett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer passed away on 4 February 2016 in Oakwood, Georgia. He was 93. As a legendary composer he was known for his lush sonorities and ecumenical instrumentation and for compositions of coaxing a vast range of tonal colours from the bits of wood and brass.

Facts about Leslie Bassett :

Leslie Bassett was born on January 22, 1923, in Hanford, California. He played piano and trombone during his childhood days. He served US Army as trombonist, composer and arranger during World War II. 

Bassett wrote works for symphony orchestra, chamber and choral ensembles, solo instruments and voice. In his work, he strongly favoured chromatic language mainly at the intersection of tonality and atonality. 

Even during last phase of his life he was serving as Albert A. Stanley Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Composition.

His music was known for lucid clarity and deep meaning. His compositions were performed by the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Juilliard String Quartet.

Awards and honours : Bassett was bestowed with the Pulitzer in 1966 for Variations for Orchestra.

Veteran filmmaker Aurobindo Mukherjee passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was 97. Mukherjee was ailing from geriatric problems for some time. Mukherjee was the maker of cult Bengali classics like 'Agniswar', 'Mouchak' and 'Nishipadma' all starring matinee idol Uttam Kumar in the early 70s. 

He was younger brother of famous novelist Balaichand Mukhopadhyay who is popularly known as Bonophool. He joined Tollywood in 1950s. Shakti Samanta's 'Amar Prem', starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore, was inspired by 'Nishipadma'. 

Aurobindo Mukherjee had given debut role to than young Jaya Bhaduri in 'Dhanyee Meye' in 1971. She later became famous Bollywood actress and married superstar Amitabh Bachchan .

US astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who was the sixth man to walk on the Moon, passed away at a hospice in West Palm Beach, Florida, one day before the 45th anniversary of his Moon landing, He was 85. He was the part of  Apollo 14 mission in 1971 and had spent more than nine hours on the Moon conducting experiments.

About Edgar Mitchell 

Mitchell was born on September 17, 1930, in Hereford, Texas, was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aeronautical engineer and NASA astronaut. He joined NASA as an astronaut in 1966. 

Mitchell was designated as backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 10 and had served as Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 14. Mitchell's mission to the Moon was the fourth in the US Apollo series, and first after the ill-fated Apollo 13 which aborted its attempt to land after an oxygen tank explosion.

Mitchell and his crewmate, landed safely to the lunar surface on Fra Mauro Highlands, which  was the target of the failed Apollo 13 mission. He stayed on the surface of moon  33 hours and  collected 45kg (94lb) of Moonrock for examination back on earth and completed the longest moonwalk in history.

Mitchell left Nasa in 1972 and set up the Institute of Noetic Sciences, which aimed to support "individual and collective transformation through consciousness research".

Former Lok Sabha Speaker and veteran Congress leader Balram Jakhar passed away  in New Delhi. He was 92. Jakhar served as Speaker of Lok Sabha from 1980 to 1989 during which he contributed to the establishment of Parliament Museum and computerization of Parliamentary works.

Balram Jakhar
Born on August 23, 1923 at Panjkosi village in Ferozepur district of Punjab, Jakhar graduated from a college in Lahore before the partition. He then took up the family profession of farming and introduced modem techniques that helped increase the yield.

Jakhar was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly in 1972 and was re-elected in 1977 becoming the Leader of the Opposition. He played pivotal role in the enrichment of Indian Parliamentary democracy during his long political journey.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha four times and served as Central Agriculture minister in 1991with P. V. Narasimha Rao Ministry. He was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly for two terms in 1972 and 1977 and served as the  Leader of Opposition in the state.

Mr Jakhar was the first Asian to be elected as Chairman of Commonwealth Parliamentarian Executive Forum. He also served as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.

Awards and Honours  In 1975, Jakhar was conferred with 'All India Udyan Pandit' award by the President for his contribution to Horticulture.

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Former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and a noted economist, S.S. Tarapore, passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 80. Tarapore was well-regarded central banker who will always be remembered as a crusader in fight against inflation and his strong views on capital account convertibility.

S.S. Tarapore 

S.S. Tarapore started his career with RBI as a research officer in 1961 and demitted office as Deputy Governor in September 1996. He served RBI as it's Deputy Governor from 1992 to 1996 when C. Rangarajan was the governor. 

Indian economy saw crucial structural changes at the time when he was serving RBI as it's Deputy Governor as economic reforms were introduced by the government in 1991.

Based on the recommendations of the committee, Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) was replaced with Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in June 2000. 

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Veteran BBC broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan passed away in London after long battle with cancer. He was 77. Wogan was a leading media personality in the UK on both radio and television for several decades and was often referred to as a "national treasure". He was granted a British knighthood in 2005.

Terry Wogan

Terry Wogan was born as Michael Terence Wogan on 3 August 1938 in Limerick City, Ireland. Initially he worked as a banker than switched his career and joined Ireland's national Radio Eireann as a newsreader and announcer. Later he moved into light entertainment, as a DJ and host of TV quiz and variety shows in Ireland. Later he joined BBC where stayed for the rest of his career.

He presented the breakfast show from 1972 to 1984, as The Terry Wogan Show, and then from 1993 to 2009 as Wake Up To Wogan which had eight million regular listeners, making him the most listened-to radio broadcaster in Europe.Apart from weekly radio show's, he was also known for his work for television, including the BBC One chat show Wogan, game show Blankety Blank and Come Dancing and BBC commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest from 1971 to 2008.

Awards and honours : British knighthood (Knight Commander of the British Empire) in 2005 and Officer of British Empire (OBE) in 1997

The former Army chief General K.V. Krishna Rao, who was also the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for two terms when militancy was at it's peak in the state, passed away in New Delhi following a cardiac arrest at the military hospital. He was 92. Rao was the 14th Chief of the Army Staff of Indian Army and had an illustrious career spanning over four decades in the forces. He had played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

K V Krishna Rao 

K.V. Krishna Rao born on July 16, 1923, was commissioned into the Indian Army on  August 9, 1942 and served the forces for career spanning over four decades. As a young Officer, he served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan during the World War II.

He also participated in the first war against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, 1947-48. He was a founder Instructor of the Pune based National Defence Academy (NDA) during 1949-51.

He was expert in dealing with militancy and he proved it when he served as the  Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (1989-1990 and 1993-1998), Nagaland (1984 to 1989), Manipur (1984 to 1989) and Tripura (May to July 1989) by curbing militancy in these states.

Awards and honours : For displaying outstanding leadership, determination, courage and drive during Jammu and Kashmir war he was awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM)

Noted Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani, known as Kalpana,  passed away in Hyderabad, Telangana due to heart attack. She was 51.Kalpana, who had acted in 300-odd films in South Indian languages and was known for her  comic roles in South Indian films, primarily Malayalam and Tamil films.

About Kalpana Ranjani 

• Kalpana Ranjani was born on 5 October 1965  to theater artists Chavara V.P.Nair and Vijayalakshmi. She started off her career as a child artist in the film Vidarunna Mottukal in the late 1970s.
• She made mainstream debut  in the 1980 film Pokkuveyil directed by G. Aravindan after which she appeared in more than 300 movies in various South Indian languages. 
• Among her other Malayalam hits are “Ennum Eppuzhum”, “Karnavar”, “Dolfins”, “Bangalore Days” and “Spirit“. “Kakki Sattai”, “Idhaya Thiruda”, “Sathi Leelavathi” and “Chinna Veedu” are among her Tamil films.

Awards and honours : She won National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 60th National Film Awards  for her performance in Thanichala Njan (2012)

American film and television actor Abe Vigoda best known for roles in The Godfather and Barney Miller, and in the 1970s TV series "Barney Miller"  passed away in New Jersey, US. He was 94. He was known for a number of roles, especially his role as the grumpy and deadpan Detective Sergeant Phil Fish in the Barney Miller police comedy series.

 About Abe Vigoda 

• Abe Vigoda was born as Abraham Charles Vigoda on February 24, 1921  in Brooklyn, New York. He was a child prodigy began acting while in his teens, working with the American Theatre Wing. 
• He started his career as a professional actor in 1947 in very early television episodes of Suspense and Studio One 1949. His debut in the cinema was in Three Rooms in Manhattan in 1965. His best-known film role is that of elder mobster Salvatore Tessio in Oscar-winning film The Godfather (1972). 

Eminent tabla player Pandit Shankar Ghosh passed away on 22nd Jan, 2016 at a private city hospital in Kolkata following a prolonged illness. He was 80 years old. Pandit Shankar Ghosh was one of the best tabla players in the country. He was from the Farukhabad gharana of Hindustani classical music.

Facts about Pandit Shankar Ghosh 

He started learning taleem  in 1953 under Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh of Calcutta, who pioneered the concept of tabla ensembles. His other gurus were Pt. Gyan Prakash Ghosh,Ustad Feroz Khan, Pandit Anath Nath Bose and Pandit Sudarshan Adhikari.

Musical Career : He started his career in 1960s with sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and won rave reviews for his ‘jugalbandi’ performances . He also performed with vocalists such as Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Girija Devi, Pandit Vinayakrao Patwardhan and Akhtari Bai. At international level, he had collaborated with artists like Pete Lockett, Greg Ellis and John Bergamo.

Awards and Honours :  Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2000, ITC Sangeet Research Academy award and the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan award.

Reputed social worker and former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly Nirmala Gajwani (87) passed away in Rajkot, Gujarat. She was the first lady Deputy Speaker of Gujarat legislative Assembly and one of the leading lights of the Sindhi community in the state.

Nirmala Gajwani:

• Born in Rohri Sindh (now in Pakistan) on December 28 1928. She came to India after partition of India and Pakistan. She was first woman MLA from Kutch district in Gujarat Assembly and also served as deputy speaker of the house.
• As a social worker she had worked in education field and was responsible for starting many educational institutions in the state. She has also served as the Chairperson of Sindhu Resettlement Corporation (SRC) which is responsible for all the land development in the Gandhidham-Adipur metropolitan area.

Legendary Bharatnatyam dancer, Mrinalini Sarabhai, died recently in Ahmadabad following complications related to old age. She was, 97.

Mrinalini Sarabhai :

• Mrinalini was Trained in Bharatnatyam, Kathakali and Mohiniyattom, she was educated at Shantiniketan under Rabindranath Tagore.  She was married to the architect of India's space programme, Dr Vikram Sarabhai.
• She was not only a classical dancer but also a  poet, writer, environmentalist and philanthropist. She played a leading role in the social and art scene in Ahmedabad.She was one of the first classical dancer to turn to choreography.
• In 1948, Ms Sarabhai set up  Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute of dance in Ahmadabad where she trained thousands of dancers and choreographers. She has trained over 18,000 students in Bharatnatyam and Kathakali.

Awards and Honours : Padma Bhushan Award (1992), Padma Shri (1965) and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1994). 

Senior journalist and scholar Aroon Tikekar (72) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Tikekar was a man of expertise in Marathi  and English writing and was associated with different various newspaper groups. He has authored over 20 books.

 Know more about Aroon Tikekar : 

• He was born in a renowned family of litterateurs and journalists in 1944. Before starting his  jornalistic career he worked as a college  teacher for some years. He has also worked as a Language and Literature Expert and  Acquisitions Specialist at the US Library of  Congress Office, New Delhi. 
• He was the Editor of Loksatta, Marathi newspaper of the Indian Express Group Newspaper, for over a decade (1992-2002). He was also reference chief of the Times of India and a senior assistant editor for Maharashtra Times.
• He had authored over 20 books in Marathi as well as in English  including The cloister’s pale: A Biography of the University of Mumbai .He is the recipient of several literary and journalism awards, and was a adjunct professor in the Department of Journalism and Communications, University of Pune.

Well-known filmmaker and lyricist Geethapriya, 84, passed away after a battle with throat cancer in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He has directed 40 films and penned over 250 songs in Kannada films.

Facts to know about Geethapriya :

• Geethapriya was born as Lakshman Rao Mohite in 1931, and Marathi was his mother tongue.
• He started to work in the Kannada film industry in the mid-1960 but soon started film directiopn.
• He was christened 'Geethapriya' meaning 'lover of songs' as a result of his work as a song-writer.
• Geethapriya directed many top stars in the Kannada film industry like Rajkumar and worked in the film industry for over five decades

Popular works : Some of his best works include Yaava Janmada Maithri (1972), Beluvalada Madilalli (1975), Besuge (1976), Hombisilu (1978), Putani Agent 123 (1979), Preethisi Nodu (1981) and Mouna Geethe (1985). He directed his last film Shravana Sambhrama in 2003.

Awards and Honours : Puttanna Kanagal award (1986) for lifetime achievement and Karnataka Rajyotsava award.

Veteran leader of BJP and former governor of Sikkim Ventrapragada Rama Rao (81) passed away in Hyderabad after prolonged illnes.

Political career of  V Rama Rao :

• V Rama Rao born on 12 December 1935,  in Machilipatnam in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, was a lawyer by profession and practised at the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
• He joined Jana Sangh in 1956 as a member and went on to serve as a Member of the National Executive of Bharatiya Jana Sangh for a number of years. 
• Bharatiya Jana Sangh later became BJP, in which he went on to serve as State Unit President for Andhra Pradesh for two consecutive terms (1993-2001) and as Party National Vice President (2002 - 2007).
• Rama Rao was elected for a record four times in a row to the AP Legislative Council during 1966 to 1984 from the Hyderabad Graduates Constituency.
• In October 2002, he was appointed by President of India as the Governor of Sikkim. He served as Governor of Sikkim from 2002 to 2007. He also served as a senate member of Osmania University.

Bollywood actor Rajesh Vivek, who was mainly known for his role of the astrologer Guran in Aamir Khan-starrer 'Lagaan', and as the postman in Shah Rukh Khan's 'Swades',  died due to a heart attack in Hyderabad on January 14. He was 66. 

Rajesh Vivek was basically a theatre actor, he had also acted in popular television series ‘Mahabharata’, ‘Bharat Ek Khoj’ and in ‘Aghori’. Rajesh Vivek was first introduced by Shyam Benegal in his film ‘Junoon’ (1978). 

Some of his latest films include ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, ‘Bhoot Unkle’, ‘What is Your Rashee’, ‘Agneepath’, ‘Son of Sardaar’, ‘Dishkiyaaun’. 

Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors of the past 30 years passed away in London, England. He was 69 and was suffering from cancer. He was well known for his role in films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

About Alan Rickman :

• Alan Rickman was born on 21 February 1946  in Acton, London, to a working class family . He excelled at calligraphy and watercolour painting.
• His first major appearance was in 1985 in the film Vicomte de Valmont which was the stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. For this he was nominated for a Tony Award.
• Rickman's major films included  the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply, Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, Harry in Love Actually, P. L. O'Hara in An Awfully Big Adventure, e.tc.
• Rickaman was globally praised for his complex antagonist acting for playing numerous roles of villains in films like Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Awards and Honours: Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award and Screen Actors Guild Award and BAFTA Award.

Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd), who played a key role in India's victory in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and the Liberation of Bangladesh passed away in New Delhi. He was 92.

About Jacob-Farj-Rafael "JFR" Jacob :

Lt Gen Jacob was born in the Bengal Presidency under British India, in 1923. He joined the army at the age of 19 and fought in World War II and the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 before he retired in 1978.

Jacob was the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Eastern Command during the 1971 India-Pakistan war that led to Pakistan's eastern wing seceding and becoming an independent Bangladesh.

Books authored : Surrender at Dacca: Birth of a Nation, An Odyssey in War and Peace: An Autobiography Lt Gen. J.F.R. Jacob.

Awards and Honours : Commendation of Merit, Param Vishisht Seva Medal

One of the most influential musicians of his era, David Bowie passed away on 10 January 2015 in New York, United States following his 18-month long battle with liver cancer. He was 69.

He was a renowned figure in music for over five decades, and was considered by critics and other musicians as an innovator. He was singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, arranger, painter and actor .

Facts about David Bowie : 

• David Bowie was born as David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 in  Brixton, south London. When he is was only six years old,  he acquiried a reputation as a gifted and single-minded child—and a defiant brawler.
• His career spanned around 51 year his first album eas released in 1972 of which around 140 million albums were sold. In 1972 he became a soinger of International fame after the release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.
• He just released his 25th album, Blackstar, Jan. 8, which was his birthday. His last live music performance was in 2006 at a New York charity concert.
• His hits include Let's Dance, Changes, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel Rebel and Life on Mars. He was also well known for creating his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

Maria Teresa de Filippis, the first woman to compete in a world championship Formula One Grand Prix, passed away on 8 January 2016 in Italy. She was 89. She participated in five World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1958, but scored no championship points. Though largely unsuccessful in her Formula One racing career but she is remembered as a pioneer in the moto sport which is mainly dominated by men.

About Maria Teresa de Filippis :

• De Filippis was born on 11 November 1926 in Naples, Italy. She was a  keen horse rider in her young age.
• At the age of 22, de Filippis began her racing career and won first race on a 10 km drive between Salerno and Cava de’ Tirreni by driving a Fiat 500
• De Filippis was a founding member of the Maserati Club and also the honorary president of the former drivers’ association.

Female drivers in F1 :  Maria Teresa de Filippis, Lella Lombardi, Divina Galica, Desire Wilson, Giovanna Amati

Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away today in New Delhi following multiple organ failure. He was 79. He was undertreatment at the hospital since Decemeber 24, 2015. He was detected with sepsis, decreased blood counts and pneumonia.

Since he was the serving as the Chief Minister of J&K the post lies vaccant after his death. Sayeed's other daughter Mehbooba Mufti is considered his political heir who will hopefully succeed the chief minister's chair in Jammu and Kashmir.

Facts about Mufti Mohammad Sayeed :

• Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was born on 12 January 1936 in Bijbehara district of South Kashmir.
• Mr Sayeed, was a two time chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and had started his second tenure on March 1st, 2015 in alliance with the BJP. 
• He had previously led J&K as it's chief minister between 2002-05.  He was also Home Minister of India from December 1989 to November 1990.

Political party : 

• Mohammad Sayeed had been a member of the Indian National Congress party until 1987 but  in 1987, he parted away with the Congress party to join V. P. Singh's Jan Morcha, after which he became  the first Muslim Minister for Home Affairs in the Union Cabinet of India in 1989.
• He was the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party (JKPDP) that he founded in 1999 to persuade "the Indian government into an unconditional dialogue with the Kashmiri people."

Sarosh Homi Kapadia, the 38th Chief Justice of India, passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was He was 68. A strict disciplinarian with interests ranging from Theoretical Physics to Buddhist Philosophy, Justice Kapadia was best known for his statistical acumen.

Facts to know about SH Kapadia :

Sarosh Homi Kapadia was born on 29 September 1947. He graduated from Government Law College, Mumbai which is the oldest law college in Asia.

Legal career :

• Kapadia started his career as a class IV employee. He later became a law clerk in a lawyer's office in Mumbai. He  joined as an advocate in the Bombay High Court on 10 September 1974.
• Kapadia was appointed as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court in 1991 and in 1993 he was appointed as a permanent judge. On 5 August 2003 he became the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.
• In December 2003 he was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court. On 12 May 2010 he was sworn in as the Chief Justice of India by the then President Pratibha Patil.
• Kapadia has also served as the Chairman of the General Council of the Gujarat National Law University during his tenure as CJI. He was also the Visitor of the National Law School of India University.

Famous Rulings : Having authored over 250 judgments, Justice Kapadia is most remembered for his verdict in the Vodafone tax verdict.  

Veteran Communist Party of India leader Ardhendu Bhushan Bardhan (92) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Bardhan was a leading figure of the trade union movement and left politics in India.  He had had played a crucial role in maintaining the space for Communists in national politics.

Facts to know about A.B. Bardhan :

• A.B. Bardhan was born on 25 September, 1924  in Barisal, Bengal Presidency, British India (now Bangladesh). He had embraced Communism at the age of 15 after he moved to Nagpur and had joined All India Students’ Federation (AISF) at Nagpur University in 1940.
• Bardhan entered national politics and moved to Delhi where he became the General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress in 1994 and became the Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of India in 1995. He had held the post of general secretary for over a record number of years from 1996 to 2012.    
• Bardhan played a key role in the formation of the United Progressive Alliance government which was supported by the Communist Party of India.  He is rememebred for the campaign he initiated in response to Lal Krishna Advani’s Rath Yatra

Noted Marathi poet Mangesh Keshav Padgaonkar (86) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra after a brief illness. He was a iconic poet  and was known for many poetry recitation programmes.He had also written lyrics for many Marathi films.

About Mangesh Padgaonkar :

• Padgaonkar was born on 10 March 1929 in Vengurla, Sindhudurg District of Maharashtra. He received a Master of Arts degree in Marathi and Sanskrit from the University of Bombay.
• Padgaonkar taught Marathi at Matushree Mithibai College in Mumbai for several years, than he served as an editor at the US Information Service (USIS) from 1970–1990.
• Padgaonkar started writing poems at the age of 14 and has 40 publications to his credit of which US Library of Congress has acquired 31 publications.
• He was well known for writing 'Ya Janmawar, Ya Jagnyavar', 'Shukratara Manda Waara' and 'Bhatuklichya Khelamadhe' which were sung by Arun Date
• Padgaonkar also had penned University of Pune’s theme song Punyamayee De Amha Akshar Vardaan in 1983.

Translations :  He had translated works of Mirabai and published a book Mira in 1965. He also had translated Bible: The New Testament in Marathi in 2008. He translated works of Surdas and Kabir in Marathi and also Shakespeare’s plays The Julius Ceasar, Tempest and Romeo and Juliet.

Awards and Honours:  Sahitya Academy Award (1980) , Maharashtra Bhushan Award (2008), Padma Bhushan (2013) 

World famous  science-fiction writer George Clayton Johnson, who penned the script for the first Star Trek episode, The Man Trap, passed away in Los Angeles, US. He was 86. Clayton was best known for dystopian novel Logan’s Run, which adapted into a 1976 film starring Michael York and was nominated for two Oscars.

George Clayton Johnson :

• George Clayton Johnson, was born on July 10, 1929 in Cheyenne, United States. He was forced to repeat the sixth grade, and dropped out of school entirely in the eighth. Prior to becoming a full time writer he had served as a telegraph operator and draftsman in the United States Army.
• He has co-written the novel Logan's Run with William F. Nolan, that was adapted in film and was nominated for best cinematography and art direction Oscars.
• He had penned television scripts for The Twilight Zone including Nothing in the Dark, Kick the Can, A Game of Pool, and A Penny for Your Thoughts that earned him immense fame.

Noted writer and theatre artiste Chatla Sriramulu, (84) has passed away at Secunderabad Railway Hospital. He was instrumental in the establishment of popular literary and cultural organization Rasaranjani which is dedicated to the field of theatre arts.

Key facts about Chatla Sriramulu :

• Born in Vijayawada on December 5, 1931, he worked with the Railways in early days of his career. But his interest in acting drew him towards the theatre, where he grew as one of the well known personalities of his generation. 
• He acted in and directed more than 100 plays and wrote several books on a wide range of subjects. He also acted in two Tollywood movies, ‘Swpana’ and Chiranjeevi’s ‘Nyayam Kavali’. He had trained popular Telugu actors Venkatesh and Nagarjuna in acting.

Awards and Honours:

• He was awarded as the Best Actor twice by Andhra Nataka Kala Parishad and was also a recipient of Union Government’s Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982. 
• He was the first artiste from Andhra Pradesh to receive Emeritus Fellowship from the Human Resources Department of Union Government.
• He was awarded the certificate of Producer and Teacher by the British Drama League, London in 1970.

Renowned British Novelist Peter Dickinson passed away in Winchester, Hampshire. He was 88.He was a prolific novelist best known for children’s books and 
detective stories.Dickinson holds the distinction of being the first author to receive twice the prestigious Carnegie medal awarded annually in Britain by librarians for the outstanding new children's book.

About Peter Dickinson:

• He wrote almost 60 books which have been translated into 53 different languages.
• His debut novel for children The Weathermonger was published in 1968 of Changes trilogy and was followed by Heartsease (1969) and The Devil’s Children (1970). His last novel In The Palace Of The Khans was published in 2012.

Awards and Honours:

He was the first and so far only author to win the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger award for two consecutive novels for his detective books Skin Deep in 1968 and A Pride Of Heroes in 1969. His two novels Tulku (1979) and City of Gold (1980) had won the Carnegie Medal.

Renowned economist, agriculturist, prolific journalist, and noted farmers’ leader Sharad Joshi passed away on 12 December 2015 in Pune, Maharashtra. Joshi had been suffering from cancer for the past few years. He was 80.

Joshi was the founder of Shetakari Sanghtana (farmers’ Organisation) an NGO dedicated to the cause of farmers in Maharashtra. As the news of his demise spread across the state, thousands of his grief-stricken supporters, mainly farmers came to attend his funeral. He was also the founder of Swatantra Bharat party.

From bureaucrat to a farmer 

• Born on 3 September 1935 in Satara, Sharad Joshi obtained his formal education in Mumbai after which he worked in the Savitribai Phule Pune University as a lecturer in economics.
• Joshi subsequently joined the Indian Postal Services and later moved to Berne, Switerzland, to work with Chief Informatics Service International Bureau, a UN organisation.
• After 10 years, he left the job and returned to India to work on agrarian issues and formed the Shetkari Sanghatana in the late 1970s. In order to learn first-hand the issues facing the farmers, Joshi purchased 27 acres of land in Ambethan village near Chakan in Pune district to practise rain-fed agriculture 
• Shetkari Sanghatana, in its heyday, was known for the innovative methods of agitation to draw attention to the problems of the farmers. He also founded an organisation of rural women, Shetkari Mahila Aghadi (SMA), which was known for  its work for women's property rights.

Veteran industrialist, former parliamentarian and the last King of Chettinad, M A M Ramaswamy, passed away in Chennai following brief illness. He was 84 years old.

MAM Ramaswamy was born into a respected family in the Nattukottai Chettiar community, also known as ‘The Rajah Family’. He was renowned businessman, sports personality, educationist, philanthropist and politician.

1. Political career :- He was a politician from Janata Dal (Secular) party and was a Member of the Parliament of India representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha
2. Business career :- He was a veteran industrialist and founder of the Rs 10,000 crore business empire Chettinad Group. The Chettinad Group has diverse interests in cement, granite, engineering among others
3. Sports career :- As he was building his business empire, he also developed a passion for horses and horse racing. He was the first to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for having won 100 Classics. The tally later went up to 400 classics. His love for sports did not end with horses; he had a great interest in tennis and hockey too. MAMR was the president of the Indian Hockey Federation and it was during his stewardship in 1975, India won its World Cup hockey championship.
4. Educationist :- MAMR transformed the Annamalai University (in Chidambaram), founded by his family in 1929. From a mere seven departments, he developed it into an institution with 48 departments.
5. Philanthropist :- He and his wife Sigappi Aachi were very generous. Anyone who knocked on their gates seeking help walked away with what they wished for

Renowned sarangi maestro and Padma Bhushan award winner Ustad Sabri Khan died following a brief illness. He was 88.

About Ustad Sabri Khan :-

• Ustad Sabri Khan was born on 21 May 1927 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh. He was Sainia Gharana which traces the tradition of its music back to Mian Tansen, the great vocalist in the court of Moghul Emperor Akbar.
• Khan learnt Sarangi – playing by his grandfather, Ustad Haji Mohammed Khan and later continued his training under his father Ustad Chajju Khan, both accomplished Sarangi exponents of their time. 
• Khan had a prodigious command over the Sarangi which is considered to be a difficult instrument to master in Indian instrumental music. He had generated his own style in Sarangi and combined it with traditional form of sarangi-playing.

Awards and Honours :- 

He has received numerous honours and awards, including the Sahitya Kala Parishad Award, UP Sangeet Natak Academy Award, National Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the prestigious Padma Shree (1992) and Padma Bhushan (2006).

Music career :-  

Khan had performed in Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Japan, the erstwhile USSR, Russia, the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Mexico.  He had also played a duet with legend Yehudi Menuhin and had been a visiting professor to the University of Washington.

Japanese Tamil scholar and former president of the International Tamil Research Association, Noboru Karashima passed away in Tokyo. He was 82. His body of research has rewritten the economic and social history of medieval South India.He was a prominent scholar of Asia in the studies of South Indian and South Asian histories.

Position held :- 

At the time of his death, Professor Karashima was Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and Taisho University. He was instrumental in setting up the International Association of Tamil Research (IATR) and was its president from 1989 to 2010. He resigned from the post of president in 201o due to political interferences.

He was the principal organiser of the 8th World Tamil Conference in Thanjavur in 1995. He had been the president of the Japan Association for South Asian Studies from 1996 to 2000, helping to build it into a vibrant and scholarly organisation.

Literary works :- He has rewritten historical accounts on medieval South India and published a number of writings, some of his opular writings are :-

1. Kingship in Indian history
2. Towards a New Formation: South Indian Society under Vijayanagar Rule
3. A concordance of the names in Cola inscriptions
4. History and society in South India
5. Ancient to Medieval: South Indian Society in Transition

Awards and Honours:- He was conferred the Padma Shri award in 2013, one of India's highest civilian award, for his contribution in the field of Literature and Education. He was also awarded with Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize (1995), Japan Academy Prize (2003), Person of Cultural Merit (2007).

Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland Khekiho Zhimomi passed away at  All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He was  69 years old.

Political career of  Khekiho Zhimomi :-

Zhimomi started his political career as a student leader and was the founding member of Nagaland Students' Federation (NFA). He was first elected to the Nagaland Legsilative Assembly in 1989 then again in 1993 and again in 2003 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland, as the Naga People's Front candidate in the constituency Ghaspani-I (ST) he served as a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the parliament of India) from 2008 onwards till his death in 2015. He was appointed Cabinet Minister in charge of Industries and Commerce in the Nagaland People`s Council Government headed by Chief Minister Vamuzo in 1990.

Renowned litterateur and former chairman of Rajasthan Brijbhasha Academy, Professor Surendra Upadhyay passed away in Jaipur due to cardiac arrest. He was 74.

Facts about Professor Surendra Upadhyay :-

• Upadhyay has authored at least three dozens of books, mainly short fiction, critic and poetry. 
• He was engaged with a TV serial 'Yamuna Kinare' as director and writer at the time of his death.
• He had also served as chairman of Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee Intellectual Cell. 
• He had also worked on analysing 'Kamayani' (an epic Hindi poem) written by yesteryears novelist, playwright and poet Jaishankar Prasad.
• He was the recipient of Doctor of Literature (DLit) at the university of Rajasthan where he was head of the department. 

Writer, columnist and journalist Mahip Singh is no more as he passed  at a private hospital in Gurgaon . He was 85. 

Mahip Singh who was born on August 15, 1930 at a village in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh and later shifted to Kanpur was a renowned writer. His famous novels include  'Ye Bhi Nhi', Abhi Shesh Hai' and 'Bich ki Dhoop'.

Collection of his first short stories 'Subah ke Phool' was published in 1959 and later on more than 20 short stories collections were published. He had been editing literary magazine 'Sanchetna' for the past 45 years. He established Bhartiya Lekhak Sangathan in 1978.

Awards and honours :- His contribution to the literature was incredible. He was honoured by the central and state governments and various literary organisation for his contribution.

One of the long-standing and distinguished football administrators of Tamil Nadu, T. R. Govindarajan passed away recently. He was 90. T. R. Govindarajan was fondly known as TRG, he  served Tamil Nadu Football Association in many capacities as Secretary for 24 years (1975-78, 1980-82 & 1990-2008), Vice-President, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer. TRG retired as Office Superintendent in Southern Railway.

About TR Govindarajan :-

• TRG was the first Secretary of Madras Football Association when it was formed in 1978. He was one of the founders of Netaji Sports Club and had served as the Secretary of club for 56 years till 2006.
• He was a National referee from 1958. He has officiated as a referee in the finals of 1967 Santosh Trophy at Cuttack and the quadrangular tournament in Colombo in 1968.
• After active refereeing, he was a match commissioner, referee's instructor and examiner of All India Football Federation (AIFF) and officiated in Santosh Trophy, National Football league and other National Championships
• Later, he was the member of the AIFF Referees Board Committee for more than a decade. He was also its Deputy Chairman and Chairman. At the State level (TFA), he was the President and Secretary of TFA's Referees Board.