Obituary Oct-23

Chairman of Russia’s oil major Lukoil dies

Vladimir Nekrasov, the chairman of Russia’s secondlargest oil producer Lukoil , has died suddenly at the age of 66 after suffering acute heart failure. Nekrasov had worked for almost 50 years in the oil and gas sector.

Renowned political cartoonist Amal Chakraborty passes away in Kolkata

Acclaimed political cartoonist Amal Chakraborty passed away. He was 90. Associated with almost all the leading vernacular newspapers published from Kolkata since the beginning of his career as a political cartoonist, he was a student of nationally acclaimed cartoonist Shankar Pillai, who acted as Chakraborty’s main inspiration of taking up political cartoon as the principal medium of his career. His contemporaries feel that the political cartoons by Chakraborty were equally popular among the rural and urban population of the state.

Noted Malayalam actor Kundara Johny dies at 71

Noted actor Kundara Johny, known for his portrayal of negative characters in Malayalam films, died. He was 71. Johny acted in more than 500 films during his over four-decade-long career.Beginning his film career in 1979 with Nithya Vasantham, Kundara Johny earned acclaim for essaying negative roles in Malayalam films, notably in the blockbusters Kireedam and Chenkol. He also did Tamil films such as Vaazhkai Chakram and Nadigan. Kundara Johny’s character Parameswaran in Mohanlal-starrer Kireedam won wide critical acclaim. Some of his other notable movies are August 15, Hello, Avan Chandiyude Makan, Bhargavacharitham Moonnam Khandam, Balram vs Tharadas, Bharat Chandran IPS, Dada Saheb, Crime File, Thachiledath Chundan, Samantharam, Varnappakitt, Sagaram Sakshi, and Aanaval Mothiram.

Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, Renowned Peace Broker, Dies at 86

Martti Ahtisaari, the former president of Finland who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending conflicts around the globe, has died. Ahtisaari played a key role in negotiating peace on multiple continents, including agreements related to Namibia’s independence in the 1980s, Serbia’s withdrawal from Kosovo in the late 1990s, and autonomy for Aceh province in Indonesia in 2005. When the Norwegian Nobel Committee recognised Ahtisaari in October 2008. Born on June 23, 1937, in Viipuri, which is now part of Russia, Ahtisaari began his career as a primary school teacher before joining Finland’s foreign ministry in 1965. As a diplomat, Ahtisaari served as ambassador to Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia and the United Nations in New York. After being named Namibia’s special representative by UN Secretary- General Kurt Waldheim in 1978, Ahtisaari helped secure the African country’s independence, for which he was granted honorary citizenship.

Finland:

• Capital: Helsinki
• Prime minister: Petteri Orpo
• Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)

Wagh Bakri exec Parag Desai passes away

Businessman Parag Desai of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group, passed away at the age of 49. Desai passed days after he was attacked by stray dogs outside his residence. Parag Desai served as the executive director of Wagh Bakri Group, a renowned tea company established by Narandas Desai in 1892. Desai, a fourth-generation member of the Desai family managing the business, was the son of Rasesh Desai, the managing director of Wagh Bakri Tea Group.

Wagh Bakri:

It is the third-largest packaged tea company in India.

• Founded: 1915
• Founder: Narandas Desai
• Headquarters: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
• Chairman & managing director: Piyush Desai

Indian spinner, former captain Bishan Singh Bedi passes away at 77 years

Former Indian cricketer, regarded as one of the best spin bowlers, former captain and Indian team manager Bishan Singh Bedi has passed away at 77 years. Born in Amritsar on September 25, 1946, Bedi debuted for the Indian team in a test match against West Indies at Eden Gardens on December 31, 1966.His one-day international (ODI) debut was against England at Headingley on July 13, 1974. After playing his last test match for the team on August 30, 1979, Bedi moved to Delhi and represented them till his retirement in 1981. Bedi played 67 test matches for India between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets. He also took seven wickets in 10 ODIs. Bedi succeeded Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to become the captain of the Indian cricket team in 1976. Later, in 1990, Bedi was appointed the first full-time manager of the Indian cricket team. However, after a disastrous tour, he made a controversial comment when he said the Indian team deserved to be dumped in the Pacific Ocean. Bedi made his Bollywood debut in “Ghoomer”. The movie also featured his son, Angad Bedi.

Martin Goetz Dies: Father of Third-Party Software Passes Away

Martin Goetz, who wrote the first software patent in the US and was known as the ‘father of third-party software’, has died at 93. In 1968, nearly a decade after Goetz and his partners started the company called Applied Data Research, he received his patent for data-sorting software for mainframes. Goetz patented his own software so that IBM could not copy it and put it on its machines. In 2007, Goetz was named as the ‘Unsung Innovator’ of the computer industry by ComputerWorld.

Ecom Express founder T A Krishnan passes away

T A Krishnan, cofounder of ecommerce-focused delivery startup Ecom Express, has passed away. Krishnan co-founded Ecom Express in 2012 with K Satyanarayana, Manju Dhawan and Sanjeev Saxena. Krishnan had served as its chief operating officer and chief executive, before relinquishing those roles to become a director. Before starting Ecom Express, he was a senior vice president Blue Dart Express. Founded in 2012, Ecom Express is an end-to-end technology-enabled logistics solutions provider. Headquartered in Gurugram, that startup last raised $39 million from returning investors British International Investment, Warburg Pincus, Partners Group, and CDC Group in October 2022.

MS Swaminathan, driver of India’s transformatory Green Revolution, passes away

M S Swaminathan, hailed as the father of India’s Green Revolution, passed away. He was 98. Swaminathan was instrumental in developing highyielding varieties of paddy that helped ensure India’s low-income farmers produce more yield. In 2004, Swaminathan was appointed as chair of the National Commission on Farmers, a commission setup to look into farmer distress amid alarming suicide cases. The commission submitted its report in 2006 and suggested, among its recommendations, that the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) should be at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production. Swaminathan was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 following which he set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Taramani, Chennai. Swaminathan has been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. He is also the recipient of the H K Firodia award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize, apart from several international awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1971) and the Albert Einstein World Science Award (1986).

Former chief election commissioner MS Gill dies

Former chief election commissioner and Padma Vibhushan (2000) awardee Manohar Singh Gill died after a brief illness. He was 86. A distinguished figure in bureaucracy and politics, Gill’s journey as a civil servant, Punjab-cadre, in 1958. He retired as the Chief Election Commissioner of India, a position he held from 1996 to 2001. It was during his tenure as CEC that the Election Commission introduced Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Gill entered the Rajya Sabha as a Congress member and was made the Union sports minister in 2008.

Former Tamil Nadu coach and BCCI referee DJ Gokulakrishnan passes away

Former Tamil Nadu coach and BCCI referee, D. J. Gokulakrishnan, passed away. The all-rounder had a playing career that spanned 12 years. Gokulakrishnan played between 1993- 2004 and scored 1,116 runs while picking up 103 wickets in 39 first-class games. Besides Tamil Nadu, he also played for Assam and Goa on the domestic circuit. After calling time on his playing career, Gokulakrishnan officiated as a BCCI match referee in the Ranji Trophy, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Gokulakrishnan had also worked for a long time with five-time Indian Premier League winners Chennai Super Kings. He was recently associated with the MS Dhoni-led franchise as a talent scout. He was also part of the Super Kings Academy as a special coach.

Multibillionaire Charles Feeney, who gave away his fortune, passes away

Retail entrepreneur and philanthropist Charles Feeney passed away aged 92. Feeney made most of his fortune from his chain of duty-free airport stores specialising in luxury goods. He amassed a multibillion-dollar fortune and gave it away to charity. In last 30 years of his life, Feeney didnt own a car or home and stayed in a rented San Francisco apartment. In December 2016, with his donation of $7 million to his alma mater, Cornell University, for student community-service work, Mr. Feeney officially emptied the Atlantic Philanthropies’ accounts. It also fulfilled his pledge to give away virtually all of his wealth before he died, a rarity in the philanthropic world.

Food Network icon and celebrity chef Michael Chiarello dies at 61

Celebrity chef and Food Network host Michael Chiarello, renowned for his Italian-influenced Californian cuisine and television appearances, died from an unexpected allergic reaction leading to anaphylactic shock. He was 61. He was known for shows such as ‘Top Chef,’ ‘Top Chef Masters,’ and ‘The Next Iron Chef. He also received a Daytime Emmy in 2005 for Outstanding Service Show Host for his Food Network show ‘Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello.’ He opened his first restaurant, Tra Vigne, in Napa Valley in 1987. Over the course of his career, he wrote numerous cookbooks and received multiple awards, including the prestigious Chef of the Year award in 1985 by Food and Wine Magazine. His legacy continues in his remaining restaurants.

Harry Potter actor Sir Michael Gambon dies at 82

Harry Potter actor Sir Michael Gambon died at the age of 82. Sir Michael was best known for playing Professor Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight Harry Potter films. He also appeared in Fantastic Mr. Fox, played French detective Maigret, and starred in The Singing Detective. Sir Michael began his acting career more than 60 years ago and was one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre alongside Laurence Olivier. Over his six-decade-long career, he received three Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four BAFTA Awards. In 1998, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.