Obituary - Current Affairs Questions and Answers

ANSWER: Lalji Singh

Explanation:
Eminent scientist and father of DNA fingerprinting in India Lalji Singh passed away following heart attack. He was 70.

He was one of the leaders instrumental in making DNA fingerprinting mainstream in India, both at level of research as well as for forensic applications.

Lalji Singh: Know More

• He also set up a slew of dedicated labs that worked on several aspects of genetics such as population biology, structural biology and transgenic research.
• His work in field of DNA fingerprinting technology also contributed for sex determination, Wildlife conservation forensics and evolution and migration of humans.
• Based on his work he was tasked by government to establish Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in late 1990s with mandate of making it a nodal centre for DNA fingerprinting and diagnostics for all species and several diseases. He also had founded Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES).
• Dr. Singh served as a director at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad from 1998 to 2009. He also had served as Vice Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University (2001 - 2014), his alma mater.
• Until recently, he was active in the Genome Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims to diagnose and treat genetic disorders affecting the underprivileged, especially from rural India. He was awarded prestigious Padma Shri award.

ANSWER: Adithyan

Explanation:
Music director Adithyan, who has composed songs for Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films, died in Hyderabad on 5th Dec 2017 following kidney failure. He was 63.

The music composer became popular after his score for the movie Amaran, starring Karthik, was released in 1992.

Since then, he had gone on to compose music for films such as Lucky Man, Nalaya Seidhi and Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi.

The musician had also worked on Tamil pop songs and albums.

He was also a popular face on television and hosted a long-running culinary show, 'Aadhithyan's Kitchen.'

ANSWER: Shashi Kapoor

Explanation:
Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor passed away at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, on Dec 4, at 5:20 pm.

He was 79.

Mr. Kapoor had been in and out of the hospital for the past few years for treatment of a chronic kidney disease and was on dialysis. He had also undergone a bypass surgery.

Actor Randhir Kapoor, son of veteran actor Raj Kapoor, too confirmed the news.

About Shashi Kapoor

• Born on March 18, 1938, to the illustrious and formidable theatre and film actor Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor hit the spotlight at the age of four, acting in plays directed and produced by his father.
• He started acting in films as a child artiste in the late '40s.
• His best known performances as a child actor were in Aag (1948) and Awaara (1951), where he played the younger version of the character played by Raj Kapoor.
• Shashi Kapoor also worked as assistant director in the '50s.
• He made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film Dharmputra and went on to appear in more than 116 films during '70s and until the mid '80s.
• Some of his memorable films include Deewar, Kabhie Kabhie, Namak Halal, Kaala Pathar and others.
• He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2011 and received the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2015.

ANSWER: Jana Novotna

Explanation:
Czech tennis player Jana Novotna, a Wimbledon champion in 1998 and 16-time Grand Slam winner in doubles and mixed doubles, has died at the age of 49 after a long battle with cancer, the Women's Tennis Association announced on 20^th Nov 2017.

Novotna entered the tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.

In a career spanning 14 years on the professional circuit that included 24 WTA singles titles and 76 doubles titles, Novotna finally won her only singles Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 1998 after losing in the final in 1993 and 1997.

She won the hearts of fans around the world when she burst into tears after throwing away what looked like a certain victory against Steffi Graf in the 1993 final when on the verge of winning and was consoled afterwards by a British duchess.

Novotna was a three-time Olympic medalist and a member of Czechoslovakia's 1988 Fed Cup championship team.

ANSWER: AC/DC

Explanation:
Malcolm Young, the rhythm guitarist and guiding force behind the hard rock band AC/DC who helped create such head-banging anthems as "Highway to Hell," "Hells Bells" and "Back in Black," has died. He was 64.

AC/DC were remarkably consistent for over 40 years with its mix of driving hard rock, lyrics and bluesy shuffles, selling over 200 million albums, surviving the loss of its first singer and creating one of the greatest rock records ever in "Back in Black," the world's second best-selling album behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller."

The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 2003.

The Glasgow-born Young brothers who moved to Sydney, Australia, with their parents, sister and five older brothers in 1963 formed the band in 1973.

They were inspired to choose the high-energy name AC/DC from the back of a sewing machine owned by their sister, Margaret.

By 1980, the band was on a roll, known for its high energy performances and predictably hard-charging songs.

The band continued with a studio or live album every few years, blending their huge guitar riffs with rebellious and often sophomoric lyrics song titles include "Big Balls," "Beating Around the Bush," "Let Me Put My Love Into You" and "Stiff Upper Lip."

AC/DC won a Grammy Award, for best hard rock performance in 2009 for "War Machine."

ANSWER: Vice Chairman of Rajasthan's Twenty Point Programme

Explanation:
Former state health minister Dr Digamber Singh, who was fighting a battle against a fatal aliment for the past three years, passed away in Oct 2017.

Demise of the 67-year-old leader from Bharatpur sent shock waves within the state BJP.

A former health and industry minister; he was the vice-chairman of the state government's Twenty Point Programme since June 2015.

Senior members of the state BJP including CM Vasundhara Raje and cabinet members rushed to the hospital on the news of his demise.

The state cabinet, which in a meeting expressed grief on his death, also announced a day-long official mourning in Bharatpur, where Singh will be cremated.

Digambar Singh: Know More

• Singh represented the Deeg-Kumher constituency for two terms between 2003 and 2013.
• However, he lost the 2013 assembly on the same seat at a time when the state BJP went to create a history winning 162 of the 200 seats in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.
• The second-blow to his political career came within a year to that when he contested and lost the by-poll on Surajgarh seat in September 2014.
• Singh, a former state health minister, was a two-time MLA from Deeg-Kumher Assembly constituency in Bharatpur.
• He was appointed as the vice chairman of the 20-point programme in June 2015 and was given the status of a cabinet rank minister.
• The government’s 20-point programme, which is under the planning department, is aimed at eradicating poverty and bringing improvement in the life of the common man.
• He was born in Barkheda Faujdar village in Bhartpur and was a practising doctor before joining politics in 1993.

ANSWER: IV Sasi

Explanation:
Renowned Malayalam filmmaker I.V. Sasi passed away on 24th Oct 2017 in Chennai where he was undergoing treatment.

With over 150 films to his credit, Sasi was known for his work in between 1970-2000. He has directed a few Hindi films as well.

The veteran director won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration in the year 1982 for his movie ‘Aaroodam’. He has also received multiple state awards for his work.

He was also the recipient of the JC Daniel Award in 2015.

Born in 1948, Sasi married yesteryear actor Seema whom he met on the sets of his movie ‘Avalude Raavukkal’. The couple has worked together in several movies. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

Incidentally, Sasi began his career as an art director with ‘Kaliyalla Kalyanam’ in 1968. His first directorial venture was ‘Ulsavam’ which released in the year 1975.

Some of his best known films are ‘Avalude Raavukal’, ‘Devaasuram’, ‘Guru’, ‘Eeta’, ‘Angaadi’, ‘Anubhavam’, ‘Ayalkari’, ‘Inspector Balram’, ‘1921’, ‘Vellathooval’, ‘Balram vs Tharadas’, ‘Sradha’, amid others.

One of the most successful director in Malayalam industry, Sasi was instrumental in establishing stars like Mammootty and Mohanlal.

ANSWER: Rasiklal Dhariwal

Explanation:
Industrialist and CMD of Manikchand Group Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal passed away due to multi-organ failure this evening in a private hospital.

He was 79 and is survived by wife Shobha, a son and four daughters.

According to the hospital, where Dhariwal breathed his last, he was admitted on September 4 and was suffering from cancer.

Born in Shirur in Pune district of Maharashtra, Dhariwal inherited a bidi factory with 20 workers from his father and went on to become a gutkha baron.

He spotted potential in tobacco products and further diversified his business and ventured into gutkha business, where he made a name for himself.

Not limiting his business to gutkha, whose manufacturing and sale was banned in Maharashtra a few years ago, Dhariwal forayed into newer domains such as packaging, roller flour mills, real estate, wind energy, packaged drinking water and pet preforms (for water and edible oil).

From tobacco products, Dhariwal diversified into pan masala, mouth-fresheners, packaged water, electrical switches, and even flour mills. He is survived by his wife Shobha and five children.

Through his philanthropic entity the Rasiklal M Dhariwal Foundation, the industrialist launched projects in the areas of healthcare, education, environment and disaster management, among others.

ANSWER: None of the above

Explanation:
Distinguished classical singer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Girija Devi passed away on 24th Oct 2017 evening at a hospital in Kolkata following a cardiac arrest.

Girija was 88, and is survived by a daughter.

Fondly called Appa ji, the queen of Thumri was taken to the city's BM Birla Heart Research Centre on Tuesday afternoon with cardiovascular ailments.

A legendary singer of the "Benaras gharana" had received Padma Shri in 1972, Padma Bhushan in 1989 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.

Known as the "thumri queen", Girija Devi popularised the genre of semi-classical Indian music. She was conferred with all three Padma awards, and was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.

Tributes from stalwarts in the Indian music industry began pouring in soon after news of the singer's demise broke.

Born in a zamindar family at a village near Banaras on May 8, 1929, music was a part of Girija Devi's life from a very early age.

ANSWER: Ram Mukherjee

Explanation:
Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji's father Ram Mukherjee passed away at 5am on 22nd Oct 2017. He was 84.

According to sources close to the family, his blood pressure decreased drastically following which he was taken to a hospital.

The veteran filmmaker has directed several movies such as Raktanadir Dhara, Tomar Rakte Amar Sohag, Raktalekha and Ek Bar Mooskura Do to name a few.

He is survived by wife Krishna Mukherjee, daughter Rani and son Raja.

Ram Mukherjee was one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios in Mumbai.

His most famous works are Hum Hindustani and Leader. In fact, Ram had launched Rani Mukherjee in the Bengali film Biyer Phool (1996).