Current Affairs - Obituary

Renowned paediatrician Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis, who saved millions of lives through his Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) - simple solution consisting of sugar, salts, and water has passed away on 16 October 2022.

• Mahalanabis saved umpteen lives during an outbreak of cholera while serving in a refugee camp at Bangaon in West Bengal during the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.

Temsüla Ao was a Naga poet, fiction writer, and ethnographer who passed away on 9 October 2022.

• She had served in several key positions, including the chairperson of the Nagaland State Commission for Women.
• She was awarded the Padma Shri award for her contribution to Literature and Education.
• Her book ‘Laburnum For My Head’ received the Sahitya Akademi Award for English writing in the short story category.

Noted Indian musician, writer and Villupattu theatre art exponent Subbu Arumugam has passed away on 10 October 2022.

• While villupaatu is performed in the temples of folk deities such as Sudalai Madan, Esakki Amman, and Mutharamman during kodai — festival during summer — Subbu Arumugam modernised the singing methods, the texts and introduced stories with social themes.
• Subbu Arumugam was conferred with Padma Shri — India’s fourth highest civilian award, by the Centre in 2021. Earlier, he was presented the Sangeetha Natak Akademi Award by the President of India. He was also honoured with Kalaimamani Award and Bharathi Award by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1975 and 2017 respectively.

Shyam Saran Negi, Independent India’s first voter, passed away in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur on 5^th November 2022. He was 105.

• Negi, who first voted in 1952, had even cast his postal ballot vote for the 2022 Assembly elections just two days before his death.
• In independent India’s first General election, Negi cast his vote at Kalpa and became the first voter in free India.

The first edition of India-Mozambique-Tanzania Trilateral Exercise (IMT TRILAT), a joint maritime exercise among the Indian, Mozambique and Tanzanian navies was held at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from 27-29 Oct.

• Indian Navy was represented by the guided missile frigate, INS Tarkash, a Chetak helicopter and MARCOS (Special Forces).

Jamshed J Irani, the “Steel Man of India” who “reinvented” Tata Steel and made it the “lowest-cost steel producer in the world” competing in the international market, passed away on 31 October 2022.

• Irani, conferred with the Padma Bhushan in 2007 for his contribution to industry.
• Irani also received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II in 1997 for his contributions to India-British trade and cooperation.

Elaben Bhatt, noted Gandhian, leading women’s empowerment activist and renowned founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has passed away on 2^nd November 2022.

• She was globally recognised as a woman leader and was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, Ramon Magsaysay award, and the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, among other accolades.
• Elaben was the Chairperson of Sabarmati Ashram and recently resigned as the Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi-founded Gujarat Vidhyapith.
• In 2007, she became the part of a group of world leaders called the Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human rights and peace across the world.
• She was also a Member of the Rajya Sabha and of the Planning Commission of India in the 1980s.
• She served in many international organisations, including Women’s World Banking, a global network of microfinance organisations, of which she was co-founder and had served as Chairperson. She also served as an advisor to the World Bank, and addressed the United Nations General Assembly.

Naresh Kumar, the former tennis player who had reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1955, has passed away on 14^th September 2022.

• In Davis Cup, he represented India for eight consecutive years and later went on to become the captain.
• He made it to the singles main draw at Wimbledon for nine consecutive years with his best coming in 1955 when he reached the pre-quarterfinals.
• He also reached the third round of the French Open in 1958.
• He did well in the doubles, reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1953, 1955 and 1958.
• Kumar was the only tennis coach to have been awarded the Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.
• A recipient of Arjuna Award, Naresh Kumar became the first tennis coach to receive Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.
• He was also the second lawn tennis player, after Ramanathan Krishnan, to win the Arjuna Award, in 1962.

Former Chief Justice of India Kamal Narain Singh passed away on 8th September 2022.

• Justice Narain had tenure of only 17 days (November 25, 1991 to December 12, 1991) as the CJI, making him the chief justice with the shortest tenure. He was the 22nd Chief Justice of India, with a term from.

Archaeologist B. B. Lal, who is considered as India’s most senior archaeologist, has passed away on 10^th September 2022.

• He was trained by British archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler at Taxila in 1944, after which he joined the Archaeological Survey of India and served it as Director-General from 1968 to 1972.
• Born in 1921 in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, Lal worked extensively on archaeological sites associated with the Harappan civilisation and those said to be linked to the epic ‘Mahabharata’ in the 1950s.
• He led excavation at Ramjanmabhoomi site and wrote of the ‘pillar-base theory’ and claimed to have found temple-like pillars which would have formed the foundation of the Babri Masjid.
• He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and Padma Vibhushan in 2021.