Regular Study Note:-
Person In News
SAARC to have first woman Secretary-General
SAARC get its first woman Secretary-General in its silver jubilee year — the former Maldivian
Attorney-General, Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed, is all set to succeed Indian diplomat Sheel Kant Sharma,
who will complete his tenure of three years .
Incidentally, Maldives will host the next SAARC summit in November this year.
Civil rights activist Kannabiran passes away
• Eminent civil rights activist and prominent lawyer K.G. Kannabiran (81) passed away in
Hyderabad after a brief illness.
• Born in 1929, Mr. Kannabiran obtained master's degree in Economics and a degree in law from
the Madras University before shifting to Hyderabad to set up legal practice in 1961. Since the
late 1960s, he began to defend political dissenters that eventually marked the beginning of his
over three-decade-long civil liberties and human rights work.
Sudhir Sopory, JNU VC
• President Pratibha Patil in her capacity as the Visitor of all Central Universities gave her assent
to the appointment of Sudhir K. Sopory as the new Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious
Jawaharlal Nehru University.
• He succeeds B.B. Bhattacharya, whose term ended in June 2010. Professor Sopory is a senior
scientist of molecular biology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology (ICGEB). The Human Resource Development Ministry has already issued a
notification regarding his appointment.
• The three-member committee which shortlisted the names was led by K. Kasturirangan, the
former ISRO chief.
Suchitra Mitra dead
• Suchitra Mitra, the legendary exponent of Rabindra Sangeet (Rabindranath Tagore's songs),
died in her South Kolkata residence after a protracted illness. She was 86.
• Her death in the 150th birth anniversary year of Tagore, the Nobel laureate, did more than just
cast a gloom over the world of culture and art; it marked the end of an era.
Civil rights activist Kannabiran passes away
• Eminent civil rights activist and prominent lawyer K.G. Kannabiran (81) passed away in
Hyderabad after a brief illness on Thursday evening.
• He is survived by wife Vasanta, two daughters and a son. The last rites were performed later in
the evening in the presence of family members as per his wish.
• Born in 1929, Mr. Kannabiran obtained master's degree in Economics and a degree in law from
the Madras University before shifting to Hyderabad to set up legal practice in 1961. Since the
late 1960s, he began to defend political dissenters that eventually marked the beginning of his
over three-decade-long civil liberties and human rights work.
• He was the president of Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee between 1978 and 1994 and
went on to become the national president of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
• With Leftist leanings, he advocated a dialogue between the government and the banned
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) – People's War — later known as CPI (Maoist).
• Mr. Kannabiran was always at hand to negotiate during deadlock between the State and the
extremist organisation. He played a key role in the release of seven IAS officers and others held
hostage by the People's War extremists in East Godavari district in December 1987.
• The Andhra Pradesh government sought his help when P. Sudhir Kumar, Congress MLA and
son of former Union Minister P. Shiv Shanker, was kidnapped by Naxalites from Hyderabad in
1991. Again in January 1993, it was the help rendered by Mr. Kannabiran that ensured the
return of another Congress MLA P. Balaraju, IAS officer D. Srinivasulu and six others, after
they were taken hostage by Naxalites.
• He was a member of Concerned Citizen's Tribunal that inquired into the Gujarat carnage.
Earlier, he was appointed as senior counsel by the CBI in the prosecution of the accused in the
Shankar Guha Niyogi murder case in Madhya Pradesh.
• During the Emergency, he defended numerous political detainees and appeared in four major
conspiracy cases — three of them in Andhra Pradesh — that had been filed to suppress political
dissent.
• In 1971, he filed a writ petition successfully challenging the Andhra Pradesh Preventive
Detention Act, 1970, under which writers, poets and intellectuals had been arrested.
• He was a lover of classical Indian music. He authored a book ‘The wages of impunity: power,
justice and human rights'. Several political parties and people's organisation condoled his
untimely death. Among them were Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu, Lok
Satta Party chief N. Jayaprakash Narayan and CPI (M) State committee secretary B. V.
Raghavulu.
Sudhir Sopory, JNU VC
• President Pratibha Patil in her capacity as the Visitor of all Central Universities gave her assent
to the appointment of Sudhir K. Sopory as the new Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious
Jawaharlal Nehru University.
• He succeeds B.B. Bhattacharya, whose term ended in June 2010. Professor Sopory is a senior
scientist of molecular biology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology (ICGEB). The Human Resource Development Ministry has already issued a
notification regarding his appointment.
• The three-member committee which shortlisted the names was led by K. Kasturirangan, the
former ISRO chief.
Suchitra Mitra dead
• Suchitra Mitra, the legendary exponent of Rabindra Sangeet (Rabindranath Tagore's songs),
died in her South Kolkata residence after a protracted illness. She was 86.
• Her death in the 150 {+t} {+h} birth anniversary year of Tagore, the Nobel laureate, did more
than just cast a gloom over the world of culture and art; it marked the end of an era.
• Eminent personalities from different walks of life flocked to her residence to pay their last
respects on hearing of her passing away.
• President Pratibha Patil, in a condolence message from Goa, described Suchitra Mitra as a
“renowned exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, a great name in the field of the performing arts, a
creative genius and a versatile personality”. “Her death will create a void in the world of culture
and art”, she added.
• Suchitra Mitra, through her inimitable renditions of Tagore's songs, had enthralled music lovers
worldwide, not just Bengalis or those in the country, Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,
said in his condolence message.
• “The soul of Tagore's songs was well and deeply manifest in her own style of rendition…I was
acquainted with her for a long period….Along with her numerous admirers, students, close
relatives and the ordinary people, I too mourn her passing away”, he added.
• Recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1973, she was also presented the Tagore Hymn Prize in
1945 from the London Tagore Hymn Society, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986 and
several others including the ‘Desikottam' conferred on her by the Visva Bharati University.
From childhood, Suchitra Mitra cultivated her love for the songs and poetry of Tagore. She was
given her first lessons in Rabindra Sangeet by Pankaj Mullick.
French director Claude Chabrol dead
• French filmmaker Claude Chabrol, who helped start the New Wave movement in the
1950s and created some of the darkest portrayals on the silver screen, died aged 80.
Filmmaker Vijay Kumar leaving for India
• Vijay Kumar, Indian filmmaker arrested in the United States and jailed for 20 days for
carrying brass knuckles and “jihadi literature” in his baggage, will be leaving for India,
his lawyer has confirmed.
Narayanan passes away
• Narayanan, the former Chairman of Goodyear India and Founder Trustee of Chennai
Willingdon Corporate Foundation, passed away morning at his residence.
• Born on November 7, 1918, in a small village near Chidambaram, Mr. Narayanan rose to
become an elected member in the board of directors of Goodyear India, a company he
joined as a junior staff member. He eventually became the Chairman and Managing
Director.
• On his retirement from Goodyear in 1988, Mr. Narayanan
Chechen exile leader held
• Polish police arrested Chechen independence leader Akhmed Zakayev, wanted by
Russia on terror charges, paving the way for a legal and diplomatic battle over his
possible extradition.
Sandeep Nair new MAIT chief
• The Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT) said it had
appointed Sandeep Nair as its President for 2010-11, while Canon India Senior Vice-
President Alok Bharadwaj would be the new Vice-President. Mr. Nair, President of
Emerson Network Power, was earlier serving as MAIT Vice-President. He takes over
from HP India President (IPG) Ravi Aggarwal.
3 more Indian-Americans in Team Obama
• After a slight lull over the summer, President Barack Obama's drive to recruit persons of
Indian origin into his government is back to full throttle.
• This week the White House announced a string of appointments to the President's
Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and they included three
Indian-Americans: Farooq Kathwari, Amardeep Singh and Sunil Puri.
Husain's works fetch Rs.11.69 crore
• Fifteen works of art by painter M.F. Husain, including a canvas work he gifted to Italian
film director Roberto Rossellini and his Indian wife, have fetched Rs.11.69 crore at a
Sotheby's auction.
• The highlight of the South Asian Art sale was undoubtedly Cinq Sens (Five Senses) by
Husain, who celebrated his 95th birthday on September 16. The large canvas, painted
at the Italian home of Rossellini and his wife Sonali Sen Roy Dasgupta in 1958, went for
Rs.3.6 crore.
• Husain spent an extended period of time in Italy with the Rossellinis during the late
1950s and gifted this painting to the couple, from whom it was acquired by the current
owner.
New record:-
• Cinq Sens apart, some other Husain paintings fetched high prices. That Obscure Object
of Desire, Diptych secured $482,500 and Untitled (Benares) went for $362,500.
Sirpurkar quits probe panel
• In a sudden development, Justice V.S. Sirpurkar recused himself from the three-member
committee investigating allegations of corruption and land-grab against Justice P.D.
Dinakaran.
R. Chandrashekhar is new Telecom Secretary
• R. Chandrashekhar has been appointed as the new Telecom Secretary.
• Mr. Chandrashekhar, who was till now Secretary in the Department of Information and
Technology, has been given the charge of Department of Telecom, following the
appointment of his predecessor P. J. Thomas as Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).
Judge disposes of 270 cases in a day, sets a record
• Senior Civil Judge M. Yesu Ratnam of the Venkatagiri Court in Sri Potti Sri Ramulu
Nellore district created a record by disposing of 270 cases in a single day. Of the 270
cases, 167 were criminal and 103 civil.
Actor Lindsay Lohan out of jail on bail
• U.S. starlet Lindsay Lohan has bailed out of jail where she spent only about 15 hours for
failing another court-ordered drug test.
Yashvir chosen as FILA coach of the year
• World champion wrestler Sushil Kumar's coach Yashvir Singh has been chosen by the
International Wrestling Federation (FILA) as the Coach of the Year 2010.
• Yashvir is the first Indian to be selected for the prestigious award. He will be honoured
during the Freestyle 2010 Advanced School of Coaches programme, in Murcia (Spain)
on December 12.
Economist Arjun Sengupta cremated
• The body of Arjun K. Sengupta, a developmental economist of repute and Rajya Sabha
member from West Bengal, was cremated at the Lodhi Crematorium. He was 73.
Viswanathan is new Lok Sabha Secretary-General
• The former Law Secretary, T.K. Viswanathan, has been appointed new Secretary-General
of the Lok Sabha with effect from October 1.
• Mr. Viswanathan, 62, will succeed P.D.T. Achary, who relinquishes office on September
30,
Aftab Alam replaces Sirpurkar
• Supreme Court judge Aftab Alam will replace Justice V.S. Sirpurkar as head of the threemember
committee investigating corruption and land-grab charges against Justice P.D.
Dinakaran, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat announced. The allegations were levelled against
Justice Dinakaran when he was Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court. He has since
been transferred to the Sikkim High Court.
A.N. Tiwari is new Chief Information Commissioner
• Information Commissioner A. N. Tiwari will take over as the new Chief Information
Commissioner, succeeding Wajahat Habibullah.
R. S. Butola to head IOC
• Managing Director of the State-run ONGC Videsh (OVL), Ranbir Singh Butola was
selected to head Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), nation's largest refining and fuel
marketing firm.
Chakrabarti elevated to Axis Bank's Deputy MD
• Axis Bank announced the elevation of its Executive Director S. K. Chakrabarti to
Deputy Managing Director of the bank with effect from September 27.
Ashok Bhatt cremated
• Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt, who died was cremated with State honours. He
was 71.
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