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PERSONS IN NEWS - October 2021

Oct 2021

Dec 07, 2022

Noted Economist and Former Union Minister Yoginder K. Alagh Passes Away

Noted economist and former Union Minister Yoginder K. Alagh passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 83.
Professor Alagh was an emeritus professor at the Sardar Patel Institute of Economic and Social Research (SPIESR).
Born in present-day Pakistan, he studied at the University of Rajasthan and received a doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Alagh had stints as a faculty member in Indian and foreign universities, including the IIM-Calcutta, and was Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
In 1996, the United Front government appointed him Minister of Power, Planning and Programme Implementation. He also served as a member of the Planning Commission.
Professor Alagh was also Chairman of the Institute of Rural Management Anand for six years and Chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar.

Dec 05, 2022

'City of Joy' Author Dominique Lapierre Passes Away

Freedom at Midnight author Dominique Lapierre died at the age of 91.
Born in July 30, 1931, at Chatelaillon in France, Lapierre began his career as a reporter of Paris-Match.
He went on to write several volumes, six in partnership with the US journalist Larry Collins. Among those six is the noted book on the liberation of Paris during the World War II, Is Paris Burning?
Collins also partnered with Lapierre for O Jerusalem! in 1972, Freedom at Midnight in 1975 and the novels The Fifth Horseman in 1980 and Is New York Burning? in 2005.
Other books like Beyond Love (1990) and A Thousand Suns (1999) have been international best-sellers.
The book which made him a household name in India, The City of Joy, was published in 1985. It showcased with humane attention, the debilitating poverty of Kolkata, then called Calcutta.
Like Is Paris Burning? which was directed by René Clément, City of Joy too was adapted as a film. Directed by Roland Joffé, the 1992 film starred Patrick Swayze, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and Pauline Collins.
The author was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2008.

Wearable Brand Noise Signs Virat Kohli as Brand Ambassador

Nexxbase Marketing Pvt Ltd-owned Noise, a wearable technology company, roped in cricketer Virat Kohli as its new brand ambassador for its smartwatch range. Over the tenure, the cricketer will be involved in a campaign that entails all touchpoints.
Kohli was earlier the brand ambassador of Boltt Games Pvt. Ltd owned Fire-Boltt. The former Indian cricket captain saw his brand value drop by 21% to $185.7 million in 2021. However, he still topped the rankings in a survey of most valuable Indian celebrities by consultant Kroll Inc.

Dec 02, 2022

Veteran Odia Film Actress Jharana Das Passes Away

Veteran Odia film actress Jharana Das died at her house. She was 77.
Das, a winner of the state government's prestigious 'Jaydev Puraskar' for her lifetime contribution to Odia film industry, was suffering from old age-related aliment.
Born in 1945, Das started her acting career in the '60s and had won several accolades for her brilliant performance in landmark films like 'Shree Jagannath', 'Nari', 'Adinamegha', 'Hisabnikas', 'Pujafula', 'Amadabata', 'Abhinetri', 'Malajanha' and 'Heera Nella'.
Das had also worked as a child artiste and announcer with the All India Radio, Cuttack. She had also worked as an assistant station director of Doordarshan in Cuttack. Her direction in the biographical documentary on former Odisha Chief Minister Harekrushna Mahtab was lauded by many.

Dec 01, 2022

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin Passes Away

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who led the country for a decade of rapid economic growth after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, died at the age of 96.
A surprise choice to lead a divided Communist Party after the 1989 turmoil, Jiang saw China through history-making changes including a revival of market-oriented reforms, the return of Hong Kong from British rule in 1997 and Beijing's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001.
Jiang gave up his last official title in 2004 but remained a force behind the scenes in the wrangling that led to the rise of current President Xi Jinping, who took power in 2012.

Uttarakhand Government Names Prasoon Joshi as its Brand Ambassador

The Uttarakhand government named Prasoon Joshi, the CEO and CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, the state's brand ambassador.
Padma Shri awardee Prasoon Joshi is currently the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board). He is a famous and highly awarded member of the Indian advertising and media fraternity. Joshi has also written the lyrics for songs in popular Bollywood movies such as Rang De Basanti, Fanaa and Taare Zameen Par. He has also written the script for the award-winning 2013 film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Earlier this month, the Uttarakhand government bestowed the Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman honour to Joshi for his contributions to art, literature, culture and advertising. He has received several prestigious international honours such as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2006. He was also the first Asian to become the jury president at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity in 2014 for the prestigious Titanium category.

Nov 30, 2022

Renowned Yakshagana Artiste Kumble Sundar Rao Passes Away

Popular Yakshagana dancer Kumble Sundar Rao passed away at his residence in Karnataka's Mangaluru. Rao had also served as president of the state's Yakshagana and Bayalata Academy.
Apart from his work in the Yakshagana and Talamaddale art forms, Rao also served as a BJP MLA from Surathkal constituency from 1994 to 1999.
He was awarded the Yakshamangala Award from P. Dayananda Pai and P. Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra at Mangalore University for the year 2018-2019.

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