IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES -- INFO
IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES -- INFO
Elected/Appointed
Donald Trump
America’s Electoral College on December 21,
2016 confirmed Donald Trump’s election as the 45th President of the
United States. Six weeks after his upset victory over the Democrat Hillary
Clinton, Trump sailed as expected past the 270 votes needed to make his victory
official.
Praful Patel
Praful Patel was on December 21, 2016
re-elected unopposed the President of All India Football Federation (AIFF) for
a four-year term-his third successive.
Justice J S Khehar
Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar was on December
19, 2016 appointed the next Chief Justice of India with President Pranab
Mukherjee signing his warrant of appointment. He will be the 44th
CJI.
Lt General Bipin Rawat
The government on December 17, 2016 appointed
Lt General Bipin Rawat the next Army chief superseding two Lieutenant Generals.
He replaced General Dalbir Singh Suhag on December 31.
Air Marshal BS Dhanoa
The government on December 17, 2016
appointed Air Marshal Birendra Singh Dhanoa the next IAF Chief. Dhanoa replaced
Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on December 31.
Rajiv Jain
Jharkhand cadre 1980-batch IPS officer and a
J & K hand Rajiv Jain was on December 17, 2016 appointed the next Chief of
Intelligence Bureau (IB). He will serve as chief for the next two years.
Anil Dhasmana
1981-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre IPS officer
Anil Kumar Dhasmana, an expert on Pakistan, was on December 17, 2016 appointed
the next Chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). He will serve as chief for
the next two years.
Pankaj Patel
Zydus Cadila Healthcare Chairman and
Managing Director Pankaj R Patel on December 17, 2016 took over as the President
of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) for 2016-17
at the conclusion of the chamber’s 89th annual general meeting in
New Delhi.
Amina Mohammed
Income United Nations chief Antonio Guterres
on December 15, 2016 appointed Nigeria’s Environment Minister Amina Mohammed
his deputy secretary-general amid a push by more than a third of the 193 UN member states for
gender parity at the world body.
Bindeshwar Pathak
Noted social reformer and founder of Sulabh
International, Bindeshwar Pathak, was on December 15, 2016 nominated as a Member
of the Central Authority of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
V K Sharma
The Government on December 14, 2016
appointed V K Sharma the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) for five
years. Managing Director at LIC, Sharma was already acting as Chairman since
September 16 when the then chairman S K Roy was relieved of his duties.
VG Kannan
VG Kannan on December 14, 2016 took over as
Chief Executive of the Indian Banks Association (IBA). He succeeds MV Tanksale
who demitted office as Chief Executive on August 9, 2016, after being at the
helm for three years.
Indra Nooyi
US
President-elect Donald Trump on December 14, 2016 named Indian-American PepsiCo
CEO Indra Nooyi to Strategic and Policy Forum, a team that aims to assist him
in implementing his economic agenda. Nooyi (61) is the only Indian-origin
executive in the 19-member Forum.
Rick Perry
US President-elect Donald Trump on December
14, 2016 picked former Texas Governor Rick Perry as the energy secretary.
Perry, 66, was a former Republican presidential aspirant in 2008 and 2012.
Rx Tillerson
Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO who has no
formal foreign policy experience, was on December 13, 2016 chosen as the new US
Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump, amid bipartisan concerns
about the veteran oliman’s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Antonio Guterres
Former Portuguese PM Antonio Guterres was on
December 12, 2016 sworn in as the 9th UN Secretary General.
Guterres, who will take over from current SG Banki-moon on Jan. 1, pledged to
reach gender parity among senior leadership within his five-year term.
Bill English
New Zealand’s ruling National Party on
December 12, 2016 appointed Bill English the country’s new prime minister,
following the resignation of his predecessor John Key. Paula Bennett was sworn
in as deputy prime minister.
Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar
Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar was on December 12,
2016 appointed Chief of Pakistan’s powerful spy agency Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) as part of the first major reshuffle in the military’s top
brass after new army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa took over the reins recently.
John Kelly
US President-elect Donald Trump on December
12, 2016 nominated retired general John Kelly to head the Department of
Homeland Security, the third ex-military man tapped for a top job in his presidential
administration.
Priyanka Chopra
Actress Priyanka Chopra was on December 12,
2016 appointed UNICEF’s newest global Goowill Ambassador at the United Nations
in New York. The “Quantico” star was joined by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors
Ishmael Beah, Beckham, actors Orlando Bloom and Jackie Chan at a celebration to
commemorate 70 years of the world body’s children’s agency.
Paolo Gentiloni
Paolo Gentiloni was named on December 11,
2016 Italy’s new Prime Minister, following reformist leader Matteo Renzi’s
resignation in the wake of a crushing referendum defeat.
Savita Vaidhyanathan
In a first, Savita Vaidhyanathan, and
Indian-American woman, was on December 8, 2016 elected the new mayor of
Californian city Cupertino, the worldwide headquarters of Apple. She has been a
Cupertino resident for more than 20 years.
Nana Akufo-Addo
Ghana’s main opposition leader Nana
Akufo-Addo on December 9, 2016 won the Presidential election. Current President
John Mahama conceded defeat. Akufo-Addo received 53.8% of the vote, with Mahama
on 44.4%.
Hwang Kyo-ahn
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn on
December 9, 2016, became the country’s interim President, after Parliament
voted to impeach the country’s first female President Park Geun-hye over a
corruption scandal.
Bernard Cazeneuve
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve
was on December 6, 2016 appointed the new Prime Minister, after Manuel Valls
resigned to seek the Socialist nomination in the presidential election.
Czeneuve will take control of the Socialist government until legislative
elections in June 2017.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev
Interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev on
December 5, 2016 won the election to become the new president of Uzbekistan.
Mirziyoyev, who secured 88.6 percent of the votes, would succeed late Islam
Karimov.
O. Panneerselvam
Following the demise of Chief Minister J
Jayalalithaa, O. Paneerselvam was on December 5, 2016 sworn in as the new Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Vidyasagar Rao. This was his third
swearing-in as Chief Minister. All 31 members of the outgoing Ministry were
sworn in along with him.
B S Bhullar
Senior bureaucrat B S Bhullar was on
December 5, 2016 appointed Chief of aviation regulator Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA). The post has been lying vacant after M Sathiyavathy,
first woman chief of the aviation regulator, was named as new Union Labour
Secretary in July 2016.
Alexander Van der Bellen
Greens-backed independent Alexander Van der
Bellen on December 4, 2016 won Presidential election in Austria. Bellen got
53.6% of the votes, while his rival of the anti-immigration Freedom Party
candidate Norbert Hofer received 46.4%t.
Adama Barrow
The Gambia’s opposition candidate Adama
Barrow on December 2, 2016 took 45.54 per cent of the vote in a stunning
victory over the president of 22 years, Yahya Jammeh. Barrow won 263,515 votes,
while Jammeh took 212,099 votes (36.66 per cent) and third party candidate Mama
Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 per cent).
General James Mattis
US President-elect Donald Trump on December
2, 2016 announced to nominate retired Marine General James Mattis, renowned for
his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be his
Secretary of Defence.
Rakesh Asthana
Central Bureau of Investigation’s Additional
Director Rakesh Asthana was on December 2, 2016 named as the agency’s interim
director replacing incumbent Anil Sinha whose tenure has ended.
Dr. Anil Kumar Jain
Dr. Anil Kumar Jain on December 2, 2016 took
oath of the office of National President of The Bharat Scouts and Guides in New
Delhi. Bharat Scouts and Guides came into existence on November 7, 1950. The
Girl Guides Association formally joined the organization a little later on
August 15, 1951.
Praveen Mahajan
Senior bureaucrat Praveen Mahajan on
December 1, 2016 became the first woman President of the All India Tennis
Association, replacing veteran administrator Anil Khanna who was forced to quit
by the Sports Ministry. Mahajan was the first woman chief of the Central Board
of Excise and Customs (CBEC), the apex policy-making body for indirect taxes.
Upendra Prasad Singh
The government on December 1, 2016 appointed
senior IAS officer Upendra Prasad Singh the Director General (DG) of the
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
Steven Mnuchin
US president-elect Donald Trump on November
30, 2016 picked former banker and trusted campaign ally Steven Mnuchin as his
Treasury Secretary. Mnuchin has decades of financial management experience
including serving as Chief Information Officer at Goldman Sachs.
Wilbur Ross Jr
US president-elect Donald Trump on November
30, 2016 selected Wilbur Ross Jr as his Commerce Secretary and Todd Ricketts as
Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
Justice Manmohan Sarin
Former Delhi Lokayukta Justice Manmohan
Sarin was on November 30, 2016 appointed Chairperson of the Film Certification
Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) which hears appeals against the decisions of censor
board.
Jovenel Moise
Haitian businessman Jovenel Moise, the
candidate backed by former president Michel Martelly, on November 29, 2016 won
the presidential vote in the first round. Moise came ahead of Jude Celestin,
candidate of the opposition LAPEH.
Prince Vajiralongkorn
Thailand’s Parliament on November 29, 2016
proclaimed Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn as the new king of Thailand. The
Crown Prince has become King Rama X, or the 10th king of the Chakri
dynasty founded in 1782.
Lt Gen Qamar Bajwa
Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has extensive
experience of handling affairs in PoK and the northern areas, was on November
26, 2016 appointed Pakistan’s new army chief to succeed Gen Raheel Sharif.
Gopal Jiwarajka
Gopi Jiwarajka, CMD of Salora International
Limited, on November 26, 2016 took over as the new President of PHD Chamber of
Commerce and Industry. Prior to becoming the President of PHD Chamber,
Jiwarajka was its Senior Vice President.
Mariamma Koshy
Mariamma Koshy on November 24, 2016 took
charge of Hockey India (HI) as President with immediate effect, replacing
Narinder Dhruv Batra who was recently elected the first ever non-European chief
of the sport’s governing body FIH.
N V Srinivasan
N V Srinivasan NVS and Associates Managing
Partner, was on November 24, 2016 elected National President of Trade body
Indo-American Chamber of Commerce for the period 2016-17.
Nikki Haley
President-elect Donald Trump on November 23,
2016 picked South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to be the US ambassador to the
United Nations. Haley, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants, has already
carved out a legacy for herself, serving as her home state’s first female and
first minority governor.
Yudhvir Singh Malik
Yudhvir Singh Malik, the Special Secretary
with NITI Aayog, was on November 23, 2016 appointed new Chairman of National
Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Malik, an 83 batch Haryana cadre IAS
officer, had joined NITI Aayog as its Additional Secretary in September 2015.
Awards/Prizes
Bihari Puraskar 2015
Noted writer and poet Bhagwati Lal Vyas was
on December 22, 2016 awarded the 25th Bihari Puraskar-2015 by the KK
Birla Foundation in Jaipur. The award was given to Vyas for his poetry
collection ‘Katha Soon Aave Hai Sabad’.
Sahitya Akademi Awards 2016
Eight books of poetry, seven of short
stories, five novels, two books of criticism, one book each of essays and play
on December 21, 2016. Won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi awards this year.
Nasira Sharma has been selected for her
Hindi novel “Paarijat”, while Jerry Pinto is in the list of winners for his
English novel “Em and the Big Hoom”, Gita Upadhyay for her novel “Janmabhumi
Mero Swadesh” in Nepali, Kannada novelist Boluwaru Mohammad Kunhi for
“Swatantryada Ota” and Edwin JF D’souza for Konkani novel “Kale Bhangar”.
The poets who feature in the list of winners
are Jnan Pujari (Assamese), Anju (Bodo), Kamal Vora (Gujarati), Prabha Varma
(Malayalam), Sitanath Acharya (Sanskrit), Gobinda Chandra Majhi (Santali), Nand
Javeri (Sindhi) and Papini Svasankar (Telugu).
Seven writers awarded for their short
stories are Chhatrapal in Dongri language, Shyam Darihare (Maithili),
Moirangthem Rajen (Manipuri), Asaram Lomate (Marathi), Paramamita Satpathy
(Odia), Bulaki Sharma (Rajasthani) and Vannadhasan (Tamil).
Aziz Hajini (Kashmiri) and Nizam Siddiqui
(Urdu) have been recognized for their books criticism; Nrisinghaprasad Bhaduri
(Bengali) for his essays and Swarajbir (Punjabi) for his play are also among
the winners.
Miss World 2016
Stephanie Del Valle of Puerto Rico was
crowned Miss World 2016 on December 18, 2016. Crowined by Miss World 2015
Mireia Lalaguna of Spain, Del Valle became the second titleholder from the
island after Wilnelia Merced won the title in 1975. Puerto Rico becomes the 17th
country with multiple winners since Miss World started in 1951.
Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2015
Former PM Manmohan Singh on December 16,
2016 presented ‘Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for
2015’ to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a
function in New Delhi.
Moortidevi Award 2016
Eminent writer and journalist M P Veerendra
Kumar was on December 16, 2016 chosen for the prestigious Moortidevi award for
2016 for his Malayalam travelogue ‘Haimavatha Bhoomiyil’ which unravels ancient
trails of Indian culture and literature.
Dayawati Modi Award 2016
In a first, UAE-based artist Sheikha Wafa
bint Hasher Al Maktoum was on December 14, 2016 honoured with the prestigious
‘Dayawati Modi Award’ for her significant contributions for promoting the Gulf
region’s art and culture. She became the first recipient of this coveted trophy
in the entire Middle East.
Ballon d’Or 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo on December 13, 2016 won
his fourth Ballond d’Or for the title of best player in the world. It was the
perfect ending to another fantastic year for the Portuguese Real Madrid star,
who won the Champions League for the second time in three seasons and then Led
Portugal to their first major title at Euro 2016.
Turner Prize 2016
Helen Maten on December 6, 2016 sealed her
position as one of the UK’s most exciting young artists after being named the
winner of the 2016 Turner prize.
Children Peace Prize 2016
Kehkashan Basu, a 16-year-old Indian
schoolgirl based in UAE, on December 3, 2016 won this year’s International
Children’s Peace Prize for her fight to save the planet. She was presented the
award by Nobel Peace laureate Mohammad Yunus at a ceremony held in The Hague.
Miss Supranational 2016
India’s Srinidhi Shetty on December 3, 2016
clinched the title of Miss Supranational 2016 at the beauty pageant held in the
resort town of Krynica-Zdroj in Poland.
UNEP ‘Champions of the Earth’ Prizes 2016
- For Policy
Leadership: Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
- For Science
And Innovation: Leyla Acaroglu, founder of Disrupt Design, New York
- For
Entrepreneurial Vision: Masen-the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy
- For
Inspiration And Action: Afroz Shah, Mumbai and Berta Caceres, Honduras
- Lifetime
Achievement Award: Jose Sarukhan Kermez, Mexico
Distinguished Indologist Award 2016
President Pranab Mukherjee on December 1,
2016 presented the second ICCR ‘Distinguished Indologist’ Award to Prof. Yu
Long Yu of China. The first ‘Distinguished Indologist’ Award was presented to
Prof. Heinrich Freiher Von Stietencron of Germany last year.
2016 Crossword Book Awards conferred
Ruskin Bond on November 29, 2016 received
the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th Raymond Crossword Book
Awards in Mumbai. ‘Scion of Ikshvaku’ by Amish Tripathi that won the Popular
Fiction award while ‘Mrs Funnybones’ by Twinkle Khanna took the Popular
Non-Fiction award. ‘Playing It My Way’ by Sachin Tendulkar (co-author Boria
Majumdar) was given the award for Popular Biography while Radhakrishnan Pillai bagged
the award in Popular Business and Management category for his book ‘Chanakya in
You’.
International Press Freedom Award 2016
Indian journalist Malini Subramaniam was on
November 23, 2016 conferred with the International Press Freedom Award 2016 for
her reporting from the Naxal-infested Bastar area.
World Sanskrit Awards 2015-2016
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
and George Cardona, Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania, USA, were
on November 21, 2016 presented with the World Sanskrit Award by the Indian
Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in New Delhi.
While Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of
Thailand received the award for 2015, Prof. George Cardona, an American
linguist and Indologist received the award for 2016.
News Makers
Christine Lagarde
International Monetary Fund (IMF) head
Christine Lagarde was on December 19, 2016 convicted for negligence over a
massive state payout to a tycoon in 2008 when she was French finance minister.
Though convicted, Lagarde, who was France’s Finance Minister from 2007 to 2011,
was not handed a sentence by the French court. The IMF chief is likely to
appeal to the French court now.
Cyrus Mistry
After a bitter eight-week boardroom battle
against Ratan Tata’s “illegal coup”, ousted Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry on
December 19, 2016 quit from the boards of six listed companies including Tata
Motors and Indian Hotels and vowed to shift his fight to a “larger platform”.
Mistry, who was unceremoniously removed as director from Tata Teleservices
Board on December 14.
Tijan Bai
Renowned Pandavani folk singer Tijan Bai was
on December 16, 2016 conferred Bharatmuni Samman 2016 in Bhubaneswar. The award
has been instituted by Bhubaneswar-based cultural Organisation Kalingayana
Touryatrikam.
Shobhana Bhartia
Chairperson and Editorial Director of
Hindustan Times, Shobhana Bhartia was on December 14, 2016 conferred France’s
top civilian honour – ‘Officier de la Legion d’Honneur’.
Jayaben Desai
Jayaben Desai, a Gujarat-born activist who
led a campaign against low pay for women workers at a UK factory in the 1970s,
made it the BBC’s most influential women of the past 70 years list on December
14, 2016.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Apoorva Mehta
Two Indian-origin men Vivek Ramaswamy and
Apporva Mehta were on December 13, 2016 figured in Forbes magazine’s second
annual list of wealthiest entrepreneurs under the age of 40 which is topped by
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Park Geun-hye
South Korea’s Parliament on December 9, 2016
voted to impeach the country’s first female President Park Geun-hye over a
corruption scandal. The motion was passed in the National Assembly by 234 votes
to 56 means. Some members of the President’s ruling Saenuri party voted in
favour of the impeachment resolution brought in by the opposition in
Parliament.
SP Tyagi
In a sudden and first of its kind action,
CBI on December 9, 2016 arrested former Air Force Chief S P Tyagi, his cousin
Sanjeev, and a lawyer in the sensational Rs 450 crore bribery case in the
procurement of 12 VVIP helicopters from UK-based AgustaWestland during the
UPA-2 government.
Matteo Renzi
Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi formally
submitted his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella in Rome on December 8,
2016 after a crushing defeat in a referendum on constitutional reform. On
December 4, Italians voted decisively against changes to the constitution put
forward by Renzi, a vote that became a poll on the prime minister’s leadership.
The 41-year-old Renzi was appointed to office in 2014.
TIME’s Person of the Year 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump was on
December 7, 2016 named by Time magazine as its ‘Person of the Year 2016’ for
his stunning victory in the presidential polls. Trump, who has appeared on
various covers of Time magazine, will now be on its cover as ‘Person of the
Year’, with the sub-headline ‘President of the Divided States of America.’
John Key
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on
December 5, 2016 announced his resignation. John Key had been in power since
2008, and leader of the ruling National Party since 2006. His resignation
became effective on December 12, when his party meet to select a new leader.
Chitra Ramkrishna
Chitra Ramkrishna on December 2, 2016 quit
as Managing Director and CEO of the National Stock Exchange with immediate
effect. Her tenure was scheduled to end in March 2018. Senior executive J.
Ravichandran was given the interim charge till the NSE board.
Manoj Bajpayee
Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee on November 24,
2016 won the best performance award by an actor at the 10th Asia
Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane. Nawazudding Siddiqui was awarded a
special mention in the same category.
Antonio Costa
Portugal PM Antonio Costa on November 24,
2016 accepted an invitation from PM Narendra Modi to be the Chief Guest at the
14th Pravasti Bharatiya Divas convention to be held from January 7
to 9, 2017 in Bengaluru.
Radhika Menon
Radhika Menon, India’s first woman captain
in the Merchant Navy, on November 21, 2016 became the first woman to be awarded
by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for her exceptional bravery in
the dramatic rescue of seven fishermen from a sinking fishing boat in the
tumultuous Bay of Bengal waters in 2015.
Obituary
Auupam Mishra
Environmentalist Anupam Mishra, whose
seminal work on water conservation, “Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talab”, fired the
imagination of common people and ecology warriors alike and gave wings to
India’s indigenous wisdom on the subject, passed away at AIIMS on December 19,
2016. He was 68.
Thomas Schelling
Nobel Prize-winning economist Thomas
Schelling, who used game theory to explain nuclear strategy, passed away in
Bethesda, Maryland on December 15, 2016. The former Harvard University and
University of Maryland professor was 95. Schelling was awarded the Nobel Prize
in economics in 2005 along with Robert Aumann.
Hafdan T Mahler
Former World Health Organisation Director General
Halfdan T Mahler did in Compenhagen on Decemebr 14, 2016 at the age of 93. He
headed the agency’s Tuberculosis Unit in Geneva, Swtizerland and served as its
director-general from 1973 until 1988.
Bernard Fox
Bernard Fox, best known for his roles on the
ABC series “Bewitched” and James Cameron’s Oscar-winning picture “Titanic”,
passed away at 89 in Van Nuys, California on December 14, 2016.
John Glenn
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the
Earth and former US senator, died at the age of 95 in Ohio on December 8, 2016.
Glenn is primarily famous for his 1962 ride in the Friendship 7 space capsule
that circled the Earth, making him the first American to do so.
Cho Ramaswamy
Political satirist and founder editor of
‘Thuglak’ magazine, Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy popularly known as Cho Ramaswamy
passed away due in Chennai on December 7, 2016. He was 82 years old.
J. Jayalalithaa
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK
President, J. Jayalalithaa died on December 5, 2016 after undergoing treatment
at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai for 75 days. She was 68.
Jayalalithaa first came into prominence as a
leading film actor in the mid-1960s. She appeared in 140 films from 1961 to
1980, primarily in the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film industries. Among her
frequent co-stars was M. G. Ramachandran, or MGR, a Tamil cultural icon who
leveraged his immense popularity with the masses into a successful political
career.
In 1982, when MGR was chief minister,
Jayalalithaa joined the AIADMK, the party MGR founded. After MGR’s death in
1987, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself his political heir and, having fought off
the faction headed by Janaki Ramachandran, MGR’s widow, emerged as the sole
leader of the AIADMK. Following the 1989 election, she became Leader of the
Opposition to the DMK government headed by Karunanidhi. In 1991 Jayalalithaa
became chief minister, Tamil Nadu’s youngest, for the first time.
Syed Abdus Salam
Former India footballer and Coach Syed Abdhus
Salam, who was awarded Best Defender in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died at
the age of 77 in Hyderabad on December 3, 2016. He represented India under
Badru Banerjee at the Melbourne Games where India finished fourth and was the
last football team to have made the Olympics.
Bhai Mahavir
Former Madhya Pradesh governor Bhai Mahavir
passed away in Delhi on December 3, 2016. He was 94. Mahavir served as the
Madhya Pradesh governor from April 1998 to May 2003. Mahavir had also served as
the member of the Rajya Sabha for two terms.
Phulel Singh Sujlana
Former international hockey umpire and
veteran administrator, Phulel Singh Sujlana, passed away in Mumbai on December
2, 2016. Sujlana was the chairman of the erstwhile IHF (Indian Hockey
Federation) Umpires Board from 1985 to 1993 and chairman of its Technical
Committee in 1985.
Anad Yadav
Noted Marathi author and Sahitya Akademi awardee
Anand Yadav passed away in Pune on November 28, 2016 at the age of 80. Yadav’s
autobiography ‘Zombi’ won him the Sahitya Akadmi award in 1991.
Fidel Castro
Cuba’s historic revolutionary leader Fidel
Castro died aged 90 in Havana on November 26, 2016. Castro defied the United
States during a half-century of iron-fisted rule and survived the eclipse of
global communism.
One of the world’s longest-serving rulers and
modern history’s most singular characters, Castro defied 11 US administrations
and hundreds of assassination attempts.
Dileep Padgonkar
Noted journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, who was
a part of the three-member interlocutors group for Jammu and Kashmir in 2008,
passed away in Pune on November 25, 2016. The 72-year-old Padgaonkar was a
former editor of The Times of India. Padagonkar was appointed as one of the
members of the three-member interlocutors group on Jammu and Kashmir, set up by
the government after continuous unrest in the Valley in 2008.
M. Balamuralikrishna
Legendary Carnatic vocalist M.
Balamuralikrishna passed away in Chennai on November 22, 2016 at the age of 86.
The musician featured in the popular national integration song “Miley Sur Mera
Tumhara” in the ‘80s in which he sang Tamil lyrics. A crowd-puller in Carnatic
music concerts, he also starred in a number of films in Tamil and Telugu.
Ram Naresh Yadav
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and
Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav passed away in Lucknow on November 22,
2016. He was 90. Yadav served as Chief Minister of Janata Party Government in
Uttar Pradesh from 1977 to 1979. Though a UPA-II appointee, Yadav was the lone
Governor who completed his full term after the BJP-lend NDA Government came to
power at the Centre in May 2014. The Janata Party leader-turned-Congressman served
as Madhya Pradesh Governor from August 26, 2011 to September 7, 2016.
M G K Menon
Prof. M G K Menon, an acclaimed physicist,
who had played a prominent role in the development of science and technology in
the country over the last five decades, died in New Delhi on November 22, 2016.
He was 88.
Viveki Rai
Eminent Hindi and Bhojpuri writer Viveki Rai
passed away Varanasi on November 22, 2016 at the age of 92. An author and a
columnist for a Hindi daily, he had penned over 50 books during his lifetime.
He was famous for his novel “Sonamati”. His other famous works include “Purush
Puran”, “Lokridn”, “Shwet Patra”, “Samar Shesh Hai” and “Mangal Bhawan”.
Recent Books
- ‘Akhada: The
Authorized Biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat’ by Saurabh Duggal
- ‘War Dogs’ by
Guy Lawson
- ‘Six Four’ by
Hideo Yokoyama
- ‘Black Water
Lilies’ by Michel Bussi
- ‘The Man
Behind The Wheel’ by Tim Bouquet (Industrialist Onkar Kanwar’s biography)
- ‘Ramakant
Achrekar’ by Kunal Purandare
- ‘Standing on
an Apple Box’ by Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush
- ‘Ayodhya
Revisited’ by Kishore Kunal
- ‘Sing time’ by
Zadie Smith
- ‘Feroze Gandhi
– the Forgotten Gandhi’ by Bertil Falk
- ‘The Chaos
Project’ by Nishant Kaushik
- ‘7 Storey’s by
Kaizad Gustad
- ‘Great
Reckoning’ by Louise Penny
- ‘The Story of
a Brief Marriage’ by Anuk Arudpragasam
- ‘A Time to
Burnish’ by Radhika Nathan
- ‘Home’ by
Harlan Coben
- ‘Things to
Leave Behind’ by Namita Gokhale
- ‘Band, Baaja,
Boys!’ by Rachna Singh
- ‘Invincible
Arjuna’ by Debashis Chatterjee
- ‘The Parcel’
by Anosh Irani
- ‘How to steal
a Ghost@Manipal’ by Shweta Taneja
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