Winner of second season of Indian Idol. Died on December 15.
Month: January 2014
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RITUPARNO GHOSH
National Award winner filmmaker. His widely acclaimed films include ‘Unishe April’, ‘Dahan’, ‘Asukh’, ‘Chokher Bali’, ‘Raincoat’, ‘Bariwali’, ‘Antarmahal’ and ‘Noukadubi’. Died on May 30.
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RAY PRICE
Famous American singer and guitarist. Some of his well-known works include ‘Night Life’, ‘Release Me’ and ‘Crazy Arms’. Died on December 16.
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RAJENDRA YADAV
Noted Hindi author and a pioneer of the literary movement ‘Nayi Kahani’. Died on October 28.
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PRAN
Appeared in over 350 films. His widely acclaimed films include ‘Madhumati’, ‘Ram Aur Shyam’, ‘Don’, ‘Zanjeer’ and ‘Upkar’. Winner of Padma Bhushan and Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Died on July 12.
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Hugo Chavez (March 5)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez died after a two-year battle with cancer, ending 14 years of tumultuous rule that made the socialist leader a hero for the poor but a hate figure to his opponents. The flamboyant 58-year-old had undergone four operations in Cuba for a cancer that was first detected in his pelvic region in mid-2011. His last surgery was on December 11, 2012 and he had not been seen in public since.
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Margaret Thatcher (April 8)
Britain’s first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, known as the Iron Lady, passed away in April this year following a stroke at the age of 87. Thatcher’s three terms as Prime Minister brought enormous change to the UK.
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ABIR GOSWAMI (MAY 30)
Television actor Abir Goswami, who acted in Hindi films such as ‘Khakee, Lakshya’ and ‘Darna Mana Hai’, died at the age of 37 following a heart attack.. Abir Goswami had acted in TV serials like ‘Kkusum, Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, Hotel Kingston’ and ‘Pyar Ka Dard Hai’. Abir was diagnosed with lymphoma in May 2012 and had unndergone surgery.
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JIAH KHAN (JUNE 3)
The 25-year-old actress, best remembered as the ‘Nishabd’ girl, was found hanging at her flat in suburban Mumbai this year. A six-page suicide note was discovered by Jiah Khan’s mother a few days after her death. In the note Jiah wrote about her relationship with Suraj Pancholi, that landed the budding actor in jail. After spending over 20 days in jail, Suraj was released on bail. While the police claimed it was a case of suicide, Jiah’s mother Rabiya Khan alleged that it was not suicide and sought police to probe the angle of murder.
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CORY MONTEITH (JULY 13)
‘Glee’ star Cory Monteith died of intravenous heroin use combined with the ingestion of alcohol in his hotel room in Vancouver. Monteith became famous as Finn Hudson with the success of Fox’s musical series since its launch in 2009. He was dating Lea Michele, who also played his onscreen love interest in the series and supported his decision to get into rehab.
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MANNA DEY (OCTOBER 24)
Legendary playback singer Manna Dey died at a city hospital in October after prolonged illness. Manna Dey, 94, who was admitted to Narayana Hrudayalaya five months ago for respiratory problems, died of cardiac arrest. He was born as Prabodh Chandra Dey but was popularly known as Manna Dey.
Manna Dey then began his journey in Bollywood as an assistant music director in 1942 when he accompanied Krishna Chandra Dey to Mumbai (then Bombay). During his lifespan, the legendary singer received Dadasaheb Phalke Award and National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
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RESHMA (NOVEMBER 3)
Legendary Pakistani folk singer Reshma, who mesmerised music lovers in the Indian subcontinent with soulful rendition of songs like ‘Lambi Judai’ and ‘Dama Dam Mast Kalandar’ in her trademark rustic voice, died in Lahore on after a prolonged battle with throat cancer.
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PAUL WALKER (NOVEMBER 30)
The star of the ‘Fast & Furious’ movie series died in a tragic car crash this November. The horrifying car crash killed Walker and his friend in north of Los Angeles. Walker, 40, was working on ‘Fast & Furious 7’ at the time of his death. He also starred in the suspense drama, ‘Hours’, which is set for release this month.
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NELSON MANDELA (DEC 5)
Anti-Apartheid leader and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela died at his Johannesburg home after a prolonged lung infection. He was born on 18th July 1918 in a small village of Mvezo which was then a part of South Africa’s Cape Town province. He was given the forename Rolihlahla which basically means ‘troublemaker’. Mandela’s name was going to have a huge effect on him in the future as he would go onto create enormous trouble for the ruling racist regime in South Africa.
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TERRORISTS STRIKE AGAIN
On October 27, a series of bomb blasts rocked Patna at a massive election rally for BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at Gandhi Maidan. Of the estimated 3,00,000 present at the “Hunkar” rally, six people were killed and many were injured. Investigations point to the role of the Indian Mujahideen. Earlier on July 7, a series of ten bombs exploded in and around the Mahabodhi Temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bodh Gaya.
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DAVID COLEMAN (DEC 21)
British sports broadcaster David Coleman, who covered 11 Summer Olympics for the BBC and six football World Cups, died at the age of 87. Coleman retired from the BBC in 2000 after covering the Sydney Olympics. He became the first broadcaster to receive an Olympic Order medal to recognize his contribution to the Olympic movement.
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THE NAMO-RAHUL BIG FIGHT
It’s a long haul to the general elections next year. The country grappling with multiple problems seems to be faced with the task of choosing between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The results will not be determined by them alone, but they play a larger-than-life role as they spearhead campaigns of the two main parties. The Congress rout in the recent assembly elections shows Modi has an edge over the Congress scion.
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MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV (DECEMBER 23)
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of famed Russian AK-47 assault rifle, passed away in his home city of Izhevsk, an industrial town. Kalashnikov was the carnage of World War II, when Nazi Germany overran much of the Soviet Union, which altered his course and made his name as well-known for bloodshed as Smith, Wesson and Colt. The distinctive shape of the gun, often called “a Kalashnikov,” appeared on revolutionary flags and adorns memorabilia
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Muzaffarnagar riots
Beginning on August 27 2013, clashes between the Hindu and Muslim communities of Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh claimed over 60 lives. Thousands were displaced from their homes and forced to live in refugee camps; there were also reports of widespread rape. The attacks have been described as “the worst violence in UP in recent memory,” with the army, as a result, being deployed in the state for the first time in 20 years.
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THE INDIA STORY
Eye-watering onion prices set inflation rate soaring; the rupee also slid to new low before stabilizing. Reversing its bad run, the sensex at the end of the year surged to new highs buoyed by the BJP’s performance in recent state polls. Meanwhile, the appointment of Raghuram Rajan as RBI governor led to high expectations; he, however, has warned he does not have a magic wand to curb inflationary pressure. stabilize the rupee and at the same time spark a revival in economic growth.
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ECONOMIC GLOOM
The year did not bring much cheer for the country’s economy as the rupee continued to slide for most of 2013. The rupee dropped by nearly 4% to a new low of 68.7 to the US dollar on 28 August amid growing concerns over the health of the country’s economy. It has recovered slightly but continues to perform weakly in the international market. Newspapers and pundits mostly added to the negative sentiment throughout the year. Now one hopes that the new year will bring renewed energy into India’s struggling economy.
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Over 240 people were killed
Over 240 people were killed after a deadly fire broke out in the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria in Brazil on January 27. Nearly 170 people were injured.
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‘PROUD TO BE GAY’
On 11 December, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community was left in despair after the Supreme Court overturned a landmark 2009 Delhi High Court ruling which had decriminalised gay sex. In what many observers said was a “redundant” move, the top court reinstated the colonial-era Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. According to Section 377, a 153-year-old colonial-era law, a same-sex relationship is an “unnatural offence” and punishable by a 10- year jail term.
Many in the media and top gay rights activists, such as popular author Vikram Seth, publicly opposed the court’s decision, saying it will force the LGBT community to move “back into the closet”. A battered-looking Seth featured on the cover of the India Today magazine issue as a mark of protest. He is shown holding a slate-board that says “NOT A CRIMINAL”. Some papers saw the verdict as a measure to “deny basic human rights” to a section of the country’s population. The Indian Express said the ruling is “sad and shameful” because Section 377 is “mostly used to harass, humiliate and deny freedom to consenting homosexual adults”.
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Over 1,100 people were killed
Over 1,100 people were killed after a commercial building collapsed in savar subdistrict of Bangladesh on April 24.
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Three persons
Three persons, including a boy, were killed after two pressure-cooker bombs went off during the historic Boston marathon on April 15. Over 260 people were also injured in the terror attack.