Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Passes Away
Senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy, who served as the Chief Minister of Kerala twice, died in Bengaluru. He was 79.
He was the Chief Minister twice for a total of seven years (2004–2006 and again from 2011–2016).
Chandy had also served as Minister of Labour, Home, and Finance in various governments headed by K. Karunakaran and A. K. Antony. He also served as the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.
Representing Puthuppally constituency, Chandy served as the MLA for more than half a century setting the record for the longest tenure.
Eminent Mathematician Dr. Mangala Narlikar Passes Away
Dr. Mangala Narlikar, an eminent mathematician and the wife of Dr. Jayant Narlikar who is the founder director of Pune-based Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), passed away. She was 80.
Dr. Mangala Narlikar carried out research in pure mathematics. She initially worked at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai before joining as a lecturer at Bombay and Pune universities. Her core fields of interest were real and complex analysis, analytic geometry, number theory, algebra and topology.
Jul 13, 2023
Milan Kundera, Author of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being', Passes Away
Czech-born writer Milan Kundera, author of the novel 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' who lived nearly five decades in Paris after emigrating in disillusionment from his Communist-ruled homeland, died at the age of 94.
Kundera won global accolades for the way he depicted themes and characters that floated between the mundane reality of everyday life and the lofty world of ideas.
Kundera was born in Brno in 1929 but immigrated to France in 1975 after being ostracised for criticising the 1968 Soviet invasion of Communist Czechoslovakia that crushed the Prague Spring liberal reform movement.
His best known book, 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' (1984), focused on the Prague Spring and its turbulent demise with Czechs despairing of totalitarianism's grip retreating into obscure private lives or emigrating to the West.
It was made into a film starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche and directed by Philip Kaufman in 1988, earning two Academy Award nominations.
Jul 10, 2023
Legendary Barcelona Midfielder Luis Suarez Passes Away
Luis Suarez, the legendary soccer player, passed away at the age of 88. Suarez, who played for top European football clubs Barcelona and Inter Milan, is the only Spanish-born men's footballer to have won the Ballon d'Or.
Suarez was born in La Coruna in 1935, began his career at Deportivo La Coruna, before moving to Barcelona. Suarez joined Spanish giant Barcelona in 1955. Subsequently, Suarez won the Ballon d'Or, soccer's most prestigious individual trophy, after claiming a league and cup double with the Catalan side in 1959.
He also won 32 caps for Spain and was part of the squad which won the European Championship in 1964, making 32 appearances for the national team.
Suarez joined Inter in 1961, winning three Serie A titles, two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups during his nine years in Milan. Suarez was loved in Italy too after becoming one of the league's most celebrated midfielders at Inter Milan under coach Helenio Herrera in the 1960s.
After retiring from playing in 1973 Suarez went on to manage Inter, Deportivo La Coruna, Cagliari and SPAL. He also took charge of the Spanish national team between 1988-91, leading them past the group stage of the 1990 World Cup.
Jul 08, 2023
Artist Namboothiri, Iconic Illustrator Passes Away
Artist Namboothiri, one of the most prolific literary illustrators in the country, passed away.
During his several decades-long career, Namboothiri illustrated many popular characters for literary publications in the southern states.
A winner of the Raja Ravi Varma Award, Namboothiri is famous for his own style of line sketches.
Namboothiri's contribution stands out as he has done illustrations for almost all important literary works, starting from the 1960s to 2010.
The eminent work for which he drew his illustrations included Jnanpith Award winner M T Vasudevan Nair's famous novel 'Randamoozham'.
Born in 1925 in Kerala's Ponnani, Namboothiri entered the world of painting and sculpture in his childhood.
A disciple of renowned artist K. C. S. Paniker, he also drew inspiration from prominent painters like Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury and S Dhanapal. He studied painting at the Madras School of Fine Arts.
Jul 05, 2023
ASICS Signs Shraddha Kapoor as Brand Ambassador
ASICS India Private Limited, a sports gear company, appointed actress Shraddha Kapoor as its new brand ambassador. The company will focus on the theme of 'Sound Mind, Sound Body' and the actress will endorse the brand's footwear and women's sportswear segment.
As per Rajat Khurana, Managing Director of the company in India and South Asia, Shraddha Kapoor's on screen performances and dedication to fitness align with the brand ethos. With a strong fan base and influential presence, she is the ideal ambassador to inspire and educate people about the importance of nurturing a healthy mind and body.