Current Affairs Jan 2016 - Deaths

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News 1 - Ex-Chief Justice of India Sarosh Homi Kapadia Died.

05-Jan − The 38th Chief Justice of India, Sarosh Homi Kapadia, passed away. He was 68. Kapadia is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. He delivered some milestone rulings, like in the Vodafone case and the quashing of the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commissioner, P J Thomas during the UPA regime as the Chief Justice of India.

News 2 - Noted Gujarati Writer Labshankar Thakar Dead.

06-Jan − Noted Gujarati writer and poet, Labhshankar Thakar passed away in Ahmedabad. He was 80 years old. Thakar was a modernist author of Gujarati literature with influence of existentialism challenging traditional literature styles. He had received several awards like Sahitya Akadami Award (1991) for his poetry, Sahitya Gaurav Puraskar (2002) etc. He was also an Ayurvedic Practitioner as well.

News 3 - J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Passes Away.

07-Jan − Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed died in New Delhi at the age of 79. He was the second Chief Minister of J&K to die in office. The state government had declared seven days mourning. He was the first Muslim Home Minister of India. His daughter 56-year-old Mehbooba is expected to take over as the first woman Chief Minister of J&K with PDP leaders throwing their weight behind her. But this will require the approval of BJP.

News 4 - American Singer Otis Clay Died.

08-Jan − American Rhythm and blues singer, Otis Clay, died at the age of 73 in Chicago, Illinois. Clay was a one-time Grammy nominee and also one of the 2013 inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame.He moved to Chicago from Mississippi in 1957. He was inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame in year, 2013. He was also known for his charitable works that included assisting development of the Harold Washington Cultural Center in Chicago. Otis Clay was born on the 11th February, 1942, in Waxhaw, Mississippi, into a musical and religious family, according to his online biography.

News 5 - Popular Hindi Writer Ravindra Kalia Passes Away.

09-Jan − Ravindra Kalia, Noted Hindi Writer and Journalist, passed away at the age of 78 in New Delhi. He was famous for his works like Nau Saal Choti Patni and Ghalib Chuti Sharab. He also served as the Editor of several literary magazines. Mr Kalia had been honoured with several awards like Uttar Pradesh (UP) Premchand Memorial Award, UP Sahitya Bhushan Award, Punjab Government’s Shiromani award, UP Lohia Award etc.

News 6 - First Female Formula One driver, Maria Teresa de Filippis, passed away.

09-Jan − The first woman to compete in a world championship Formula One grand prix, Maria Teresa de Filippis, passed away. She was 89. Ms. De Filippis participated in five World Championship Grands Prix. However, she scored no championship points. Although she remained largely unsuccessful in her Formula One racing career, she will be remembered as a pioneer in motor racing, a sport dominated by men.

News 7 - Singer David Bowie died.

10-Jan − David Bowie passed away due to throat cancer at the age of 69. Bowie was a singer, songwriter and producer. His death comes just two days after he released his 25th and final album '★' (Blackstar). He was one of the most influential men in rock. He won two Grammy awards and had nine albums go platinum in the UK.

News 8 - Lieutenant General J.F.R. Jacob passed away.

13-Jan − Lieutenant General J.F.R. Jacob (retired) died at the age of 92 after prolonged illness. He was promoted to the post of Major General in 1967 and was then appointed the Chief of Staff of the Eastern Command, which defeated the Pakistan Army during 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. He was one of the war heroes of that War. Post retirement from the Indian Army, he served as the Governor of Punjab and Goa.

News 9 - Popular stage actor Brian Bedford died.

13-Jan − Actor Brian Bedford, the British stage veteran, passed away at the age of 80 due to cancer. He was battling this life threatening ailment for close to two years. Mr. Bedford acted on the stage and in films. He will be best known as a classical actor particularly in plays by Shakespeare and Molière. He came into the limelight with the voice of Disney's Robin Hood, which got him a lot of accolades as well.

News 10 - Actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay of Lagaan fame died.

14-Jan − Actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay best known for his roles in films like Lagaan and Swades, passed away. He was 66. His milestone performances include his role of Ved Vyasa in the popular TV series Mahabharat, in the series Bharat Ek Khoj and in the TV Serial Aghori, which is his horror best.

News 11 - British Actor and Theatre Legend Alan Rickman passed away.

14-Jan − Actor Alan Rickman, best known for his roles in films like Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, died aged 69 after suffering from Cancer. Rickman was popular for playing a variety of roles on stage and screen. He has 68 film credits to his name. He won 16 various awards including an Emmy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA.

News 12 - Muslim Personal Law Board Spokesman Mohammed Abdul Rahim Qureshi passes away.

15-Jan − The Assistant General Secretary and Spokesman of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Mohammed Abdul Rahim Qureshi, passed away at the age of 81. He was also the president of Tameer-e-Millat. Qureshi had been a member of AIMPLB since 1971.

News 13 - Distinguished Filmmaker Lakshman Rao Mohite popularly known as Geethapriya passed away.

17-Jan − Popular Kannada lyricist and film-maker Lakshman Rao Mohite died at the age of 84 due to cardiac arrest. His pen-name was Geethapriya. He composed lyrics for over 250 Kannada songs and directed 40 films including one Hindi film. He was honored by the Karnataka Government with the Puttanna Kanagal Award in 1986. In addition, he also received the Dr. B. Saroja Devi National Award and Sandesha Awards.

News 14 - Former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama Rao passed away.

17-Jan − BJP Veteran and former Sikkim Governor Ventrapragada Rama Rao passed away in Hyderabad at the age of 81. He worked as the Governor of Sikkim from 2002 to 2007. He also served as a senate member of the Osmania University. After resigning from office, he returned to state politics and then turned passive due to his old age. He is survived by a son and his wife.

News 15 - The Eagles' Guitarist Glenn Frey dead.

18-Jan − The founding member and guitarist of The Eagles, Glenn Lewis Frey passed away in New York at the age of 67 due to complications arising from Rheumatoid Arthritis, Acute Ulcerative Colitis and Pneumonia. He played guitar for the band and was also one of the primary singers of the band. Hotel California, one of the albums of the Eagles, is ranked 37th in Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

News 16 - Senior BJP Leader Daulatrao Aher passed away.

19-Jan − Senior BJP leader, Dr. Daulatrao Aher died in Nashik at the age of 74. An ENT surgeon, Dr. Aher was a member of the 13th Lok Sabha of India from Nashik constituency during 1989-1991 and was elected MLA from Nashik for three terms. He also served as the state health minister.

News 17 - Journalist Aroon Tikekar dies.

19-Jan − Veteran journalist and author, Aroon Tikekar died in Mumbai at the age of 72 due to breathing related complications. Tikekar had written over 20 books. He worked for various newspapers like Times of India, as senior assistant editor for Maharashtra Times, Editor of Loksatta etc. He also received several literary and journalism awards.

News 18 - Oscar Nominated Italian Film Director Ettore Scola died

19-Jan − Oscar nominated Italian film director, Ettore Scola passed away in Rome at the age of 84. He was a leading figure in the Italian Cinema. He directed some of the world's greatest actors including Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Fanny Ardant and Jack Lemmon. He directed 41 films.

News 19 - Legendary Indian dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai died.

21-Jan − Legendary dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai died in Ahmedabad at the age of 97. She was passionate about Bharatnatyam and Kathakali dance forms. Apart from that, she was also a poet, writer and environmentalist. She was the founder director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Art. Her autobiography is titled Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice of the Heart. She was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree as well.

News 20 - Social Activist Nirmala Gajwani passed away.

21-Jan − Social Activist and Former Deputy Speaker of Gujarat Assembly, Nirmala Gajwani passed away at the age of 87. She was popularly known as Dadi Gajwani and was the first lady Deputy Speaker of the Gujarat Assembly. She was a reputed social worker and one of the leading lights of the Sindhi community.

News 21 - Tabla Maestro Shankar Ghosh passed away.

22-Jan − Distinguished Tabla player, Pandit Shankar Ghosh died at the age of 80 in Kolkata following a prolonged illness. Pandit Shankar Ghosh followed the Farukhabad Gharana of Hindustani classical music and was awarded the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in the year 2000. He was also awarded the ITC Sangeet Research Academy award and the Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan award as well.

News 22 - Popular Malayalam film actress Kalpana Ranjani passed away.

25-Jan − Noted Malayalam film actress, Kalpana Ranjani passed away in Hyderabad at the age of 51. She made her film debut as a child artiste in 1983 and went on to act in more than 300 south Indian movies. Known for her comedy acting, she won the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in the film Thanichalla Njan at the 60th National Film Awards.

News 23 - Former Captain of the Indian Basketball Team Ranbir Chopra passed away.

25-Jan − Ranbir Chopra, former captain of the Indian basketball team, passed away in Kapurthala, Punjab at the age of 86. He was the captain of the champion Indian basketball team in the first Asian Games in 1951. He also won the national title in 1951 in Ludhiana as part of the Punjab team. He also became the coach of the Indian team in 1962.

News 24 - Politician and freedom fighter Maheswar Baug passed away.

28-Jan − Politician and freedom fighter, Maheswar Baug died in Balasore, Odisha at the age of 85. He was twice elected to the State Assembly from Basta constituency in Balasore district in 1961 and 1977 and was the minister for works and health during the Chief Ministership of Nilamani Routray in 1977.