Person in News Current Affairs February 2016

  Sharad Joshi

■    Economist, agriculturist, prolific journalist and stalwart farmer leader Sharad Joshi, who founded the Shetkari Sangathana, passed away on December 12, 2015 at the ageof 81.

■    Joshi had a term in the Rajya Sabha as an elected member from 2004-10, when he served on as many 16 Parliamentary Committees.

•    Joshi hailed from Satara district in Western Maharashtra. He was a trained economist and briefly lectured in Economics and Statistics at the University of Pune in 1957.

■    He worked with the Indian Postal Services for nearly a decade and served with the United Nations for as nearly as long.

Newsmakers

Harpal Singh Kumar

■    K-based cancer expert Harpal Singh Kumar was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on December 31, 2015 for his “influential work in preventing and treating cancer”, while six other Sikhs were awarded New Year’s Honours.

■    Kumar’s parents came to India after Partition and later moved to England.

■    Kumar attended St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, where he gained an M Eng degree and an MA degree.

•    Then, he enrolled for an MBA at Harvard Business School where he won the Ford Prize and the Wolfe Prize.

•    He joined the Cancer Research Technology Limited as chief executive in 2002, was elevated to Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Cancer Research UK in 2004 and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in April, 2007.

Raghuveer Chaudhary

*    Noted Gujarati writer Raghuveer Chaudhary has been selected on December 29, 2015 for the 51st Jnanpith award for his contribution to Indian literature.

■    He is a Gandhian and worked as a columnist for many newspapers, such as Sandesh, Janmabhumi, Nirikshaka and Divya Bhaskar.

» A novelist, poet and critic, Chaudhary is a recipient of Sahitya Academi Award for his novel, ‘Trilogy Uparvaas’ in 1977.

■    His popular novels include ‘Amrita’, ‘Venu Vatsala’, ‘Purvarang’, ‘Laagni Samjyaa Vinaa Chuuta Padvanu’ and others.

■    He has authored more than 80 books and received numerous literary awards for his significant contributions in Gujarati. Chaudhary is the fourth Gujarati writer to receive this prestigious award after Uma Shankar Joshi, Pannalal Patel and Rajendra Shah.

Syed Kirmani

■    The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on December 24, 2015 that the former Indian wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani was nominated for the Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2015.

•    He played 88 Tests and 49 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1976 and 1986.

■    He was best known for keeping wickets during the reign of India’s famous spin quartet (Bishan Singh Bedi, B. Chandrasekhar, Erapalli Prasanna, S. Venkataraghvan) and did the job remarkably well.

■    The award comprises a trophy, citation and cheque for Rs. 25 lakh.

Satyavati Berera

■    Satyavati Berera of PwC India is the first woman-to become the COO of a Big Four accounting firm in India on December 27, 2015, a sector known to be largely male-dominated at the top rungs.

■    Berera, currently the regional managing partner for north at PwC India, will take charge as COO on January 1, 2016. Berera will replace Neil Wilson, who is moving to London as global operations partner with PwC.

•    Berera has been with PwC for 35 years and has held various positions across diverse industries and domains. She started her career at PwC in 1980 in audit practice. She has been a partner with the firm since 1995.

Mother Teresa

■    Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be give Sainthood. She will be made a saint the Roman Catholic Church in September, 2016. Pope Francis as on December 18, 2015 approved a decre recognising a miracle attributed to h intercession with God.

■    Mother Teresa, who died in 1997 at age of 87, was beatified in 2003 by f late Pope John Paul. Beatification, which requires one miracle is the la step before sainthood. The second miracle attributed to the intercessi of Mother Teresa, which is required for canonisation.

■    The second miracle involved the inexplicable healing of a man who suffering from a deadly brain dise Mother founded the Missionaries Charity to help the poor on the sti of Kolkata and wop the Nobel Pe Prize in 1979.

Itzhak Perlman

■    The Genesis Prize Foundation announced that world renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman has been Laureate on December 14, 2015.

•    The inaugural Genesis Prize du Time magazine as ‘The Jewish was awarded in 2014 to New Y Mayor and one of the world’s 1 philanthropists, Michael Bloo Academy-award winning actor, producer and peace activist Douglas received this prestigious award in 2015.

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