C K Prahlad- Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad was a Professor of Corporate Strategy at the University of Michigan.He died in April 2010.He is famous as the father of the concepts of Core competency and BoP - Bottom of the pyramid.
Jehangir Sabavala- painter, passed away in Sep 2011.
MITs Top under-35 Innovators, 2011- listed by 'Technology Review' the world's oldest technology magazine.
Ajit Narayanan, Invention Labs - work on affordable speech synthesizers. He is currently working with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, to improve the quality of the speech synthesis.
Aishwarya Ratan, Yale University- was working with Microsoft Research in Bangalore when she won the prestigious honour for her work on converting paper records to digital in real time. Ratan has since moved to Yale University, but the NGO that she was partnering with continues to test the slate in villages.
Bhaskar Krishnamachari, 33, PIO- University of Southern California who has been selected for his work on smarter wireless networks
Piya Sorcar, 33, for Teachaids software that can be localised to teach taboo topics.
Oscar Pistorius- double-amputee athlete- runs with the help of carbon-flex artificial limbs- holds the world record for 100,200 and 400 metres in double-amputee athletics- regularly competing against able-bodied athletes in international sports from 2008. Presently competing in the World Athletics Championship and has also qualified for the London Olympics.
Ram Sharan Sharma- Marxist historian and Indologist- specialised in Ancient and Medieval Indian history - campaigned against communalisation of education- recipient of Jawaharlal Nehru Award 1989 - died in August 2011.
Mohan Kohli- Indian agricultural scientist honoured by Paraguay for transforming their country into a net wheat exporter. Dr. Kohli trained under Norman Borlaug and has worked extensively in S.America.
Tintu Luka- national record holder for 800m race from Kerala - Won two golds in the European circuit in August 2011. - waiting to qualify for London Olympics.
N S Prabhakar Naidu- distinguished technocrat, aeronautical engineer - created innovative concepts that contributed to aircraft design, performance, safety and reliability. Died August 2011.
Nancy Wake- World War 2 spy active - led 7000 French resistance fighters in weakening German defences before the D-Day invasion - codenamed "white mouse" by Gestapo - highly decorated - died August 2011.
John Willard Milnor- was conferred the Abel Prize in mathematics for 2011, for his discoveries in topology, algebra and geometry. The award is conferred by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters - is considered the Nobel Prize for mathematics.
Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothari- noted Sanskrit and Bhagavatham scholar. Died in August 2011. Bhagavatham refers to Bhagvatha Purana which is a Purana, sacred Hindu text, focused on devotion to the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Sangeet Natak Akademi- is the National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. Created in 1952 to conserve and promote the country’s cultural heritage. It also guides the govt in policy making and has a function of increasing cultural exchange within the country and with other countries and cultures. Leela Samson is the current chairperson of the Akademi (2011).
Lucian Freud:realist painter - died July 2011 - grandson of the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
Arjuna Awards: The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of र500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll indicative of the person who has won the award. The award is also given to a wide number of disciplines like indigenous games and also, the physically handicapped category. To be eligible for the award, a sportsperson should not only have had good performance consistently for the previous three years at the international level with excellence for the year for which the award is recommended, but should also have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
Dronacharya Awards- The Award is intended to honour Coaches who have done outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled sports persons to excel in International events. The award shall comprise of a plaque, a scroll of honour, and a cash prize of Rs.3,00,000/.
Goran Hadzic: Yugoslav war crimes suspect arrested by Serbian govt in July 2011. Was leader of the Croatian Serbs during the Serbian war- accused of massacring 260 people (non-Serbs) taken from Vukovar hospital in 1991. He is the last of the 161 people indicted by the Hague War Crimes Tribunal to be arrested. His arrest will remove one of the main impediments in Serbia's quest for EU membership.
Ghulam Nabi Fai: Proponent of Kashmiri secessionism - chief of Kashmiri American Council, an NGO based in US promoting the cause of Kashmiri secessionism - arrested by FBI in July 2011 for unauthorized lobbying for the Pakistani state (under US laws all lobbyist have to be registered- Fai was not). Evidence gathered by FBI shows that his NGO and Fai's activities were long being funded by the ISI.
For an interesting insight on the impact of Fai's arrest on US-Pak ties read: http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/another-challenge-us-pakistan-ties/p25523
ICAR awards – 3 scientists of the Directorate of Rice Research( DRR) have been given the ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) awards. They are:
Jehangir Sabavala- painter, passed away in Sep 2011.
MITs Top under-35 Innovators, 2011- listed by 'Technology Review' the world's oldest technology magazine.
Ajit Narayanan, Invention Labs - work on affordable speech synthesizers. He is currently working with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, to improve the quality of the speech synthesis.
Aishwarya Ratan, Yale University- was working with Microsoft Research in Bangalore when she won the prestigious honour for her work on converting paper records to digital in real time. Ratan has since moved to Yale University, but the NGO that she was partnering with continues to test the slate in villages.
Bhaskar Krishnamachari, 33, PIO- University of Southern California who has been selected for his work on smarter wireless networks
Piya Sorcar, 33, for Teachaids software that can be localised to teach taboo topics.
Oscar Pistorius- double-amputee athlete- runs with the help of carbon-flex artificial limbs- holds the world record for 100,200 and 400 metres in double-amputee athletics- regularly competing against able-bodied athletes in international sports from 2008. Presently competing in the World Athletics Championship and has also qualified for the London Olympics.
Ram Sharan Sharma- Marxist historian and Indologist- specialised in Ancient and Medieval Indian history - campaigned against communalisation of education- recipient of Jawaharlal Nehru Award 1989 - died in August 2011.
Mohan Kohli- Indian agricultural scientist honoured by Paraguay for transforming their country into a net wheat exporter. Dr. Kohli trained under Norman Borlaug and has worked extensively in S.America.
Tintu Luka- national record holder for 800m race from Kerala - Won two golds in the European circuit in August 2011. - waiting to qualify for London Olympics.
N S Prabhakar Naidu- distinguished technocrat, aeronautical engineer - created innovative concepts that contributed to aircraft design, performance, safety and reliability. Died August 2011.
Nancy Wake- World War 2 spy active - led 7000 French resistance fighters in weakening German defences before the D-Day invasion - codenamed "white mouse" by Gestapo - highly decorated - died August 2011.
John Willard Milnor- was conferred the Abel Prize in mathematics for 2011, for his discoveries in topology, algebra and geometry. The award is conferred by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters - is considered the Nobel Prize for mathematics.
Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothari- noted Sanskrit and Bhagavatham scholar. Died in August 2011. Bhagavatham refers to Bhagvatha Purana which is a Purana, sacred Hindu text, focused on devotion to the incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Sangeet Natak Akademi- is the National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama. Created in 1952 to conserve and promote the country’s cultural heritage. It also guides the govt in policy making and has a function of increasing cultural exchange within the country and with other countries and cultures. Leela Samson is the current chairperson of the Akademi (2011).
Sangeet Natak Sadasyata (highest honour of the Akademi) – involves a cash award of
Rs 3 lakh, an angavastram and a tamrapatra - bestowed in 2011 on:
o Girija Devi: Hindustani classical vocalist of Banaras gharana- elevated the profile of thumri - also sings the semi-classical genres, folk music- her style combines the regional characteristics of somgs of eastern UP and Bihar
o Nataraja Ramakrishna- renowned dance guru of Andhra Natyam, a devotional temple-dance tradition – played a big role in revival of Andhra Natyam, Perini Shivatandavam, Kuchipudi, and several folk traditions like Chindu Yakshaganam and Tappetagullu- awarded Padma Shri – was head of AP Sangeet Natak Akademi - died in June 2011.
o Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar- Dhrupad maestro – Dhrupad is a vocal tradition originating from the chanting of Vedic hymns, sometimes also played on the Rudraveena- Ustad Rahim belongs to the Dagar family that has excelled in this genre for generations- awarded Padma Bhushan in 2008.
o T.K. Murthy- Mirdangam exponent – followed the Tanjhavur style (developed by his teacher Tanjhavur Vaidyanatha Iyer- Tanjhavur style is the dominant style of mridangam playing today)- his career has spanned 8 decades and he continues to play.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2010 –cash award of Rs. 1 lakh, angavastram, tamrapatra – were given to exponents of music (vocal and instrumental), dance, theatre: all in both classical and folk category.
Lucian Freud:realist painter - died July 2011 - grandson of the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud.
Arjuna Awards: The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of र500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll indicative of the person who has won the award. The award is also given to a wide number of disciplines like indigenous games and also, the physically handicapped category. To be eligible for the award, a sportsperson should not only have had good performance consistently for the previous three years at the international level with excellence for the year for which the award is recommended, but should also have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.
Jwala Gutta- Shuttler – gold medal in womens doubles in Commonwealth. 10-times
senior national doubles champion.
Tejaswini Bai- Womens Kabaddi team captain, Asian Games Gold-medal winner
Rakesh Kumar – Men’s Kabaddi team captian,
Tejaswini Sawant – shooter – world championship gold.
Zaheer Khan- cricketer (bowler)
Ashish Kumar- gymnast-won first medal for India in gymnastics, a bronze in Men’s
Floor Exercise and Silver in Men’s Vault, in Commonwealth Games
(2010)
Virdhawal Khade- swimmer – won Bronze in, 50m butterfly stroke, in Asian Games
(Guangzhou 2010) – the last medal was won in 1986 (Seoul games)
Prasanta Karmakar- swimmer- won Commonwealth and Asian Games medals-
paralympic category
Preeja Sreedharan- athelete- won Gold (10000m) and Silver (5000m) in
Commonwealth Games (2010).
Vikas Gowda- discus thrower –silver in Commonwealth Games 2010, Bronze in Asain
Games 2010.
Rahul Banerjee – Archer – Gold medal in World Cup, Medalist in Commonwealth
Suranjoy Singh – boxer – Asian champion, gold medalist in Commonwealth.
Ravinder Singh – Graeco-Roman wrestler – gold medal in Commonwealth games.
K. Ravi Kumar – Weightlifter – won gold medal in 69Kg category in Commonwealth
Rajpal Singh – hockey captain –
Sanjay Kumar – volleyball player – captain of Indian team- highest scorer in
Commonwealth Games and Asia Cup 2010.
Sunil Chhetri – football – currently plays for Mohun Bagan
Sandhyarani Devi Wangkhem– Wushu – silver medalist at Asain Games 2010,
Commonwealth games. Wushu is a full-contact sport derived from
traditional Chinese martial arts. The sport combines kick boxing’s
punches and kicks and wrestling’s ‘patak’ throwing techniques.
Sandhyarani is from Thoubal (Manipur) where the sport is quite popular.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award- is India’s highest honour given for achievement in sports. The words "Khel Ratna" literally mean "Sports Gem" in Hindi. It carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. Up to 2004-05, the cash component is Rs750,000. The award was instituted in the year 1991-92. Predating the RGKR are the Arjuna awards. The Khel Ratna was devised to be an overarching honour, conferred for outstanding sporting performance, whether by an individual or a team,across all sporting disciplines in a given year.
Gagan Narang- Rifle-shooter – Double world record holder - won 3 World Cup Gold medals, Commonwealth gold medals (at Melbourne 2006 and Delhi 2010), Asian Games Silver (2011).
Ram Phal- wrestling
Devendra Kumar Rathore- gymnastics
Venkateshwara Rao- boxing
Rajendra Singh- hockey
Kunthal Kumar Roy – athletics
Ghulam Nabi Fai: Proponent of Kashmiri secessionism - chief of Kashmiri American Council, an NGO based in US promoting the cause of Kashmiri secessionism - arrested by FBI in July 2011 for unauthorized lobbying for the Pakistani state (under US laws all lobbyist have to be registered- Fai was not). Evidence gathered by FBI shows that his NGO and Fai's activities were long being funded by the ISI.
For an interesting insight on the impact of Fai's arrest on US-Pak ties read: http://www.cfr.org/pakistan/another-challenge-us-pakistan-ties/p25523
ICAR awards – 3 scientists of the Directorate of Rice Research( DRR) have been given the ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) awards. They are:
- Jagdish S. Bentur- bagged the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai award for outstanding research in agricultural sciences – principal scientist at DRR
- N. Sarla- Panjabrao Deshmukh award for research in rice biotechnology
- R. Meenakshi Sundaram – Lal Bahadur Shastri outstanding Young Scientist Award.
Jyotirmoy Dey- Mumbai journalist murdered in June 2011 – crime-reporter with Mid-Day - wrote about underworld and crime in Mumbai – wrote a book called ‘Khallas’ on underworld lingo and was writing another on the oil mafia – suspicions point towards Chhota Rajan gang - Investigation continuing.
Anish Kapoor- sculptor of Indian birth (British citizenship)- commissioned to build the defining sculpture, named Orbit, of the London 2012 Olympics - awarded Turner Prize (UKs most publicized art award) in 1991 – awarded Commander of British Empire in 2003.
Darren Clarke - Golfer from N. Ireland – oldest winner of British Open in 44 years (July 2011).
G. Parthasarthy- renowned horticulturalist – first Indian to be awarded US patents for ornamental plants – specialist in plant propagation – edited book ‘Complete Gardening of India’ acknowledged as outstanding publication on gardening. – died July 2011.
Rebekah Brooks- Chief Executive of News International (the British media group owned by media-magnate Rupert Murdoch) – resigned in July 2011 over the phone-hacking scandal that involved the newspaper News of the World. Brooks was editor of the paper when the phone-hacking was reported to have taken place. This scandal caused Murdoch to close down the newspaper.
Syed Saleem Shahzad- Pakistan journalist who was murdered in May 2011. Suspicions abound that he died/was killed in the custody of the ISI. He had received threats from ISI on previous occasions for writing articles exposing the links between the security establishment and terrorist groups. Most recently he wrote an article about Al-Qaeda infiltration in Pakistan’s navy and that Al-Qaeda had launched an attack on the Mehran Naval Base in retaliation for not releasing several Naval affiliates suspected to have links with Al-Qaeda. His murder caused a furore in the Pak media and civil society and dented the image of the ISI and the military.
Shahzad worked as the bureau chief of Asia Times Online and also for an Italian news agency.
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13599172]Abdel Elah al-Khatib- UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Libya - former foreign minister of Jordan - As envoy guided by the Security Council Resolution 1973, task of encouraging parties to a ceasefire and finding a political solution to the conflict that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people - presently trying to form a board comprising equal no of govt and opposition members, to initiate a political process.
Gopal Subramanium- Was appointed by the GOI as Solicitor General in 2009 - Prior to that he served as Additional Solicitor General from 2004-09 – Was also designated as amicus curiae by the Supreme Court and in this capacity helped devise guidelines for anti-ragging and student-body elections in universities. As Solicitor General he represented the govt in various matters such as Salwa Judum, 2G scam, black money case etc. He resigned in July 2011 when the Law minister appointed another lawyer R F Nariman to represent Min. Kapil Sibal in the 2G case, citing this as a loss of confidence in him.
Pradeep Kumar- Appointed as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) in July 2011. He replaced PJ Thomas whose appointment was held illegal by the Supreme Court. Pradeep Kumar is a 1972 batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre – served as Defence Secretary till before this appointment - he shall have a 3-year term as CVC.
C. Sivasankaran- erstwhile owner of Aircel currently under CBI investigation over selling his company to Maxis. Pioneer in field of telecom and among first to introduce DSL broadband and Wi-Fi technology. Owns multiple companies ranging across different areas.
Mani Kaul- Film-maker who passed away in July 2011. Graduated from FTII (Film and Television Institute of India). Made critically acclaimed films like Uski Roti, Duvidha and Ashad ka ek din. One of the pioneers of New Indian Cinema portraying the struggles of the common man and a revolt against established tradition.
Rory McIlroy- professional golfer from N.Ireland. Became the youngest golfer to win the US Open.
Omar Al-Bashir- President of Sudan - Came to power in 1989 leading a bloodless military coup – Negotiated an end to the Second Sudanese Civil war by granting first a limited autonomy to South Sudan, holding of referendum, and now eventual separation of South Sudan to emerge as a new independent country. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against him on counts of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in Darfur. He is first sitting head of state to be so accused by ICC. [This arrest warrant is opposed by African Union, NAM, League of Arab States, Russian and Chinese govts].
Salva Kiir Mayardit- First President of Republic of South Sudan- the newest country. Was member of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement and headed its army. He is popular with the populace for his unambiguous support for secession.
Talmiz Ahmad- Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia – conferred the King Abdulaziz Medal of First Class (first Indian diplomat to receive one) for raising Indo-Saudi ties to a “strategic level”, achieved during PM Singhs visit to Riyadh last year and the ‘Riyadh Declaration’. Ahmad recognized the shift in Saudi perceptions of India as a victim of terror and the need to cooperate in counter-terrorism. Thus security cooperation has made most progress and remains the keystone of Indo-Saudi relations.
Bivash Ranjan Mondal- An IA&AS officer who has been posted as the Director of Audit of the Republic of Nauru. Mondal prepared audit reports for the republic facing uphill challenges which were later presented in the Nauru Parliament. His work was lauded by the President of Nauru who commended his invaluable contribution in establishing the Department of Audit for the country.
Muntadhar Al-Zaidi- Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at President Bush in December 2008. Inspired similar protests around the world. He wrote a book, "The Last Salute to President Bush". Was in India to witness the staging of a play based on his book.
Arabinda Rajkhowa- Chairman and Founder-member of ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom). In January 20011 he was released from jail to conduct peace-talks with GOI. In July 2011 declared a unilateral, indefinite ceasefire to help create a peaceful atmosphere for talks.
Ahmed Wali Karzai- Brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Head of Kandahar’s Provincial Council -believed to be one of the most powerful men of the province , defacto governor of Kandahar- Derived his influence and wealth from closeness to the President, narcotics trade, being a powerbroker to various Pashtun tribes, and patron of his Popalzai clan - Pro-US – pivotal to negotiations with Taliban and thus his death will be a setback to the same - Murdered in July 2011, claimed by Taliban. Death to crate political instability in South Afghanistan- Boost to Taliban forces. [13/7/11- The Hindu and The Telegraph]
Prof. S. Chandrashekhar: Subrahmanyam Chandrashekhar (1910-1995) was a Nobel-award winning Astrophysicist. Won Nobel in 1983 with William Fowler for discoveries on the later evolutionary stages of stars. Calculated 'Chandrashekhars Limit' which is the maximum mass of a white-dwarf star (approx. 1.44 solar masses) above which a star will collapse into a black hole. In 1999 NASA named one of its Great Observatories after him- Chandra X-ray Observatory which was deployed by the space-shuttle Columbia. The GOI is celebrating his birth centenary.
Mayookha Johny: Long-Jumper from Kerala. Won the Gold in Long-Jump at the 19th Asian Athletics Championship (Kobe, Japan) with 6.56 metres. This gold will help her automatically qualify for the World Athletic Championship to be held in Daegu (Korea) .Johny also won a Bronze at the Triple-Jump. [11/7/11]
Brahmeshwar Singh: Master-minded the rise of Ranveer Sena in 1990s. Accused in 277 murders of Dalits (Musahars, Dalit Muslims).Ranveer Sena was a upper-caste (Bhumihar) militia that murdered many Dalits in Bihar. It was engaged in a caste-war with the Naxalites in the mid-1990s. [11/7/11]
