PERSONS MARCH 2011

PERSONS MARCH 2011

• B.DHARMA BHIKSHAM(89), Veteran Communist leader, died after prolonged illness at a private hospital in Hyderabad. The 89-year-old CPI State council member, an active member of the Telangana armed struggle, was elected to Lok Sabha and was a member of the Assembly for three times. He was born in Suryapet in Nalgonda district in 1922. 
• MJ AKBAR, Noted Journalist, wrote a book recently, “Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan” and was released by Honorable Vice President of India Dr. Hamid Ansari . 
• Microsoft Corporation announced the appointment of ex-Oracle chief Bhaskar Pramanik as the chairman for Microsoft India. As Chairman, Pramanik will oversee Microsoft's sales, marketing and services subsidiary, provide overall leadership on all Microsoft assets in India. 
• The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has selected noted Bharatanatyam dancer Leela Samson, currently chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and director of the Kalakshetra dance school in Chennai, as the new chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). 
• Popular Telugu villain, comedy and character artiste Nutan Prasad, born Tadinada Vara Prasad is no more. He was ailing for some time and breathed his last on30 march in Hyderabad. He is survived by wife, a daughter and a son. 
• ADI GODREJ, Godrej Group chairman has taken over as the new chairman of the Indian School of Business, executive board on 2nd March in Hyderabad. He replaced the former chairman Rajat Gupta who is facing an inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States on the charges of “insider trading”. 
• Chhavi Rajawat, an MBA, becoming the sarpanch of Soda village, 60 km from Japura raised the same kind of awe at the 11th Info-Poverty World Conference held at the UN. The two-day panel discussion at the UN held on March 24 and 25 was to highlight how civil society can implement its actions and discussed at length the role of society in fighting poverty and promoting development. 
• Bob Christ(72), Australian born, who played villain roles in several films, died at a hospital in Bangalore. He acted in several bollywood hits such as Kaalia, Mard and Mr India. Mr. Christ has also acted in more than 200 films in many languages, including Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. 
• Rajat Gupta, chairman, Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, who faces charges of insider trading in the United States, has decided to step down from his post. Mr. Gupta asked the ISB executive board to relieve him of the responsibilities as its chairman and managing director emeritus until the matter pending with the Securities and Exchange Commission was resolved. 
• Moshe Katsav, the former Israeli President, was sentenced to seven years behind bars after being convicted on two counts of rape and other offences in a scandal which has rocked Israel. The judges also handed him a two-year suspended sentence and ordered him to pay compensation of 100,000 shekels ($28,000). 
• Elizabeth Taylor (79), Legendary Hollywood actress who captured hearts in National Velvet to launch a film career that spanned five decades, died in Los Angeles. Ms. Taylor won two Academy Awards for best actress, including in the 1966 classic who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, one of the many films she played opposite Richard Burton. 
• Asha Bhosle, Indian playback singer was felicitated in the U.K’s House of Commons in London for her outstanding achievements in music. NRI Labour MP Keith Vaz, who organised the felicitation dinner, described the 77-year-old Padma Vibhushan awardee as an “icon” who has made India proud. 
• Navin Nischol(65) -Bollywood actor passed away in Mumbai, after a massive heart attack. A product of the Film and Television Institute of India, Mr. Nischol made a successful debut with Sawan Bhadon in 1970 and went on to star in several films like Victoria No 203, Dhund, Chhalia, Parwana, Budda Mil Gaya and later as a character actor in The Burning Train, and Major Saab among others. 
• Jacques Chirac became the First French President since 1958 to go on trial on criminal charges. The 78-year-old former Head of States is accused of embezzlement, breach of trust and conflict of interest, based on allegations linked to his tenure as Paris Mayor — before he began his presidency (1995 to 2007). 
• Surekha Yadav became the Asia's first woman railway engine driver.
• Dr.karan singh -Dr.Manmohan Singh has released Dr. Karan Singh's book titled “Kashmir and Beyond: 1966-84,” a compilation of letters written by Dr. Karan Singh and Indira Gandhi to each other on the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971, the Emergency and other burning issues of the time. 
• Arjun Singh, 81-senior Congress M.P.and Former Union HRD Minister died on 4 February in New Delhi. He was the triple time chief minister for Madhya Pradesh. 
• P.C. Chacko-congress leader from Kerala has been named Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the alleged scam in the grant of 2G spectrum and telecom licences from 1998 to 2009. > Krishna Prasad Bhattarai- The former Nepal Prime Minister and founding member of the Nepali Congress,died on 5 February. He was 87. 
• Nirmal Chandra Jha took over as Chairman of Coal India Limited (CIL). He took over from P. S. Bhattacharyya who laid down office on February 28. 
• Joeman Thomas-The government has appointed Joeman Thomas as the acting managing director of ONGC Videsh (OVL), the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).Thomas is director (exploration) in OVL and will hold the additional charge of the company after R S Butola moved to Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) as chairman, the company said in a press statement here. 
• Alberto Granado - an Argentine,the companion of "Che" Guevara died on March 5 in Cuba. He was 88. 
• Prem chopra-veteran Hindi film actor was honoured with the Mother Teresa Award for his humanitarian work and five-decade-long career. The previous recipients include Rajeev Gandhi and the Dalai Lama. 
• Shahbaz Bhattm, Pakistan’s minister for Minority Affairs was gunned down near his residence in Islamabad on 2 March. The assassination is being linked to the Blasphemy issue that consumed the life of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer in the federal capital itself just two months ago as Mr. Bhatti advocated changes in the blasphemy law. 
• Harish C.Mariwala elected as New FICCI President. 
• Venkatraman Radhakrishnan, Eminent Astrophysicist, who is known for his work on pulsars, passed away in Bangalore. He will be the most remembered by the scientific community for his work on pulsars [neutron stars] and the structure of interstellar medium [the matter that makes up the space between stars]. He is the son of the great C.V.Raman.