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PERSONS IN NEWS - May 2022

May 2022

Oct 17, 2023

Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, Passes Away

Martti Ahitsaari, Finland's 10th President and renowned peace mediator, passed away at the age of 86. Ahitsaari was known for his exceptional work in brokering peace in conflict zones, including Kosovo, Indonesia and Northern Ireland. His lifelong commitment to resolving conflicts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008.
Although Ahitsaari was considered a political outsider in his home country, it was precisely his lack of political ties that helped him secure Finland's first direct presidential election in 1994. As President, he supported Finland's EU membership and encouraged voters to support the 1994 accession referendum. In 1965, he joined Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs and later became Finnish Ambassador to Tanzania.
One of his early diplomatic achievements was helping Namibia gain independence after a prolonged conflict with South Africa. Ahtisaari served as the U.N. commissioner for Namibia and played a vital role in ending the Kosovo air campaign in 1999 by persuading Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to accept NATO's terms.
Even after leaving the presidency in 2000, Ahtisaari remained dedicated to conflict resolution. He played a pivotal role in advancing the Northern Ireland peace progress and founded Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), an independent organization focused on conflict resolution. CMI facilitated a peace process in Aceh, Indonesia, leading to the end of a three-decade-long-conflict.

Oct 16, 2023

Veteran Journalist Sachidananda Murthy Passes Away

Veteran journalist K. S. Sachidananda Murthy, who had served as the former Delhi Resident Editor of The Week magazine and Malayala Manorama daily, died. He was 668 years old.
He was popularly known as 'Sachi' among friends and in the media fraternity.
Murthy had joined The Week in November 1982 as its Bangalore correspondent and stayed with the Malayala Manorama group until his retirement in September 2022.
In February 1989, he became the magazine's special correspondent in Bangalore, and moved to Delhi in April 1990 as the chief of the national capital bureau. In April 2000, he was appointed resident editor.
Murthy was a recipient of the Durlabh Singh Media Award and the Karnataka Media Academy Award for lifetime contribution to journalism at the national level, among others.

Former Chief Election Commissioner Manohar Singh Gill Passes Away

Former Chief Election Commissioner and ex-Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Manohar Singh Gill passed away at the age of 87.
A former Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, Gill served as Chief Election Commissioner from 1996 to 2001. He joined the Congress in 2004 and represented Punjab in the Rajya Sabha from 2004 to 2016, during which he held positions as youth affairs and sports minister and minister of statistics and programme implementation.
Gill was a prolific writer and scholar, known for his sharp intellect. He penned books such as "Himalayan Wonder: Travels in Lahaul and Spiti", and "An Indian Success Story". His work "Agriculture Cooperatives: A Case Study of Punjab" is among his best-known work on Punjab and farm issues in India.
Awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his tenure as Election Commissioner, his major achievement was introducing electronic voting machines in India, an idea that largely helped curb polling malpractices in the country. He was also awarded the Nishan-e-Khalsa on the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa.

Oct 15, 2023

Puma India Onboards Mohammed Shami as Brand Ambassador

Puma India added Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami to its list of brand ambassadors as the sports brand launched spikes crafted for pacers.
Shami joined Puma's star-studded roster, which consists of some of the greatest names from the world of sports, including Indian batting icon Virat Kohli, eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, football stars Neymar Jr and Sunil Chhetri, six-time World amateur boxing champion MC Mary Kom, and celebrated women cricketers like Harmanpreet Kaur and Harleen Deol.
Shami will endorse Puma's footwear, apparel and accessories through multiple activities and campaigns throughout the year.

Oct 14, 2023

Noted Film Producer P. V. Gangadharan Passes Away

Noted Malayalam film producer and director of Mathrubhumi Group of publications P.V. Gangadharan passed away in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was 80.
Fondly referred to as PVG, Gangadharan had made his mark in the realm of cinema and politics. An active member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), he had contested in the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections from the Kozhikode North constituency in 2011.
Mr. Gangadharan, through his Grihalakshmi productions, has been instrumental in the making of several historic movies in Malayalam, including some that bagged State and national awards. He began with the movie Sujatha in 1977 and several hits followed, including Manassa Vacha Karmana, Angadi, Ahimsa, Chiriyo Chiri, Kattathe Kilikkodu, Vartha, Adwaitham and Ekalavyan, besides award winners such as Kanakkinavu (Nargis Dutt Award for National Integration, 1997), Santham (national award for best film, 2000), Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha, Veendum Chila Veettu Karyanagal, Achuvinte Amma and Notebook (State awards in various categories).
Throughout his illustrious career, P. V. Gangadharan achieved numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards and five Kerala State Film Awards, underscoring his dedication to quality filmmaking.

Oct 09, 2023

M. S. Dhoni is Brand Ambassador of Reliance Retail's JioMart

Reliance Retail's JioMart signed up M. S. Dhoni, India's most iconic cricketer, as its brand ambassador. Dhoni's association came alongside the rebranding of their festive campaign JioMart to 'JioUtsav, Celebrations of India'.
JioMart currently works with over 1000 artisans, selling 150,000 unique products.

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