Noteworthy – Page 2

23Jun

By TheAdminNo Comments

India, Noteworthy, Profiles

Poovachal Khader, lyricist

Malayalam cinema lost one of its most prolific lyricists in the death of Poovachal Khader, who succumbed to COVID-19 in Thiruvananthapuram on June 22. The 72-year-old songwriter had been under treatment for COVID-19 at the Govt. Medical College. Khader, during his five-decade career, wrote more than a thousand songs for over 350 films, while being credited for some of the biggest-ever hits in Malayalam film music. His song-writing talent ensured him being one of the busiest lyricists in the 1970s and 80s, when he penned evergreen songs like “Natha nee varum kalocha” (Chamaram), “Shararanthal thiri thaazhhum” (Kayalum Kayarum), “Aadya samaagama lajjayil” (Ulsavam), “Sindoora sandhyaykku mounam” (Choola), “Ente janman neeyeduthu” (Aattakkalasam), (Itha Oru Dhikkari), “Eth...

23Jun

By TheAdminNo Comments

India, Noteworthy, Profiles

Jayanta Naskar, politician

Trinamool Congress MLA Jayanta Naskar passed away in a hospital in Kolkata on June 19. He was 73. The MLA had tested positive for Covid-19 in May, but had been declared COVID-19 negative in another test conducted on June 18. The Gosaba MLA was initially treated at the state-run MR Bangur Hospital before being transferred to the private medical facility a few days ago due to comorbidities, hospital authorities said, adding that though he tested negative for Covid, the prolonged illness had damaged his lungs. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee offered her condolences to the family and supporters of the deceased MLA. Expressing pain over the death of the three- time MLA from Gosaba, she stated that Naskar ...

23Jun

By TheAdminNo Comments

India, Noteworthy, Profiles

Guruprasad Mohapatra, bureaucrat

Guruprasad Mohapatra Guruprasad Mohapatra successfully managed the distribution of emergency oxygen in India in the ongoing coronavirus scenario, but lost his own life to the dreaded disease after being hospitalized at the AIIMS in Delhi. The Gujarat cadre 1986-batch IAS officer was supposed to retire from service on 30 April, 2022. He was the head of one of the Empowered Groups to combat the Covid-19 crisis. Mohapatra, as Secretary of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), was responsible for monitoring the supply of medical oxygen across the country under very challenging circumstances during the second wave of Covid-19. However, he contracted COVID-19 in the process of overseeing the oxygen distribution to the affected in the country, and was r...

21Jun

By TheAdminNo Comments

India, News, Noteworthy, Profiles

Tapu Mishra, singer

Famous Odiya singer Tapu Mishra passed away due to post-COVID complications in Bhubaneshwar, family sources said on June 20. She was 36. The singer, who breathed her last on the night of June 19 at a private hospital in the Odisha’s capital, was put on ventilator support two days ago after her oxygen level dropped to 45. The lungs of Tapu, who was admitted on May 19, also suffered extensive damages The Ministry of Culture sanctioned ₹1,00,000 for her treatment from the Artiste Welfare Fund as her family members planned to shift her to Kolkata for an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment, sources said. The Odiya film industry, or Ollywood, also started raising funds for the treatment of Tapu, who debuted in Odiya film Kulanandan. Tapu, who had lent her voi...

11Aug

By Web TeamNo Comments

India, Noteworthy, Profiles

Rahat Indori, poet

Rahat Indori, a renowned Urdu poet who had tested positive for coronavirus, passed away at an Indore hospital in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on August 11, 2020, after suffering two heart attacks, said doctors treating him. “He suffered two heart attacks today and could not be saved. He was admitted to hospital on Sunday, after testing positive for Covid-19. He had 60% pneumonia,” Dr Vinod Bhandari of Sri Aurobindo Hospital was quoted as saying. Indori’s Twitter bio describes him as “Indian Poet, Painter, Bollywood Lyricist”. Before he checked himself into a hospital for treatment, the poet had tweeted about him being coronavirus positive, asking people to pray for his quick recovery. He further asked people to not call up either him ...

10Aug

By Web TeamNo Comments

Noteworthy, Profiles, United States

James Harris, WWE legend

James Harris, a WWE legend, popularly known to fans as Kamala, passed away at age 70 from Covid-19-related complications on August 9, 2020. Behind the frightening face paint of Kamala, the 6-foot-7, 380-pound Harris battled the greatest Superstars in sports-entertainment history, including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Andre the Giant. He wrestled more than 400 matches over the course of several stretches with the WWE. "He terrorised opponents and thrilled audiences in Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE until 2006," WWE said in a statement. "WWE extends its condolences to Harris' family, friends and fans," it added. Expressing remorse, WWE NXT General Manager William Regal said on Instagram: "My deepest condolences to ...

17Jul

By Web TeamNo Comments

Bangladesh, Noteworthy, Profiles

Abdul Hye, social activist

Abdul Hye, younger brother of Bangladesh’s President Abdul Hamid, died of coronavirus at a hospital in the city on July 17, 2020. He was 67. Abdul Hye, also a freedom fighter, breathed his last around 1:15 am at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka. Abdul Hye, also assistant personal secretary to President Abdul Hamid, tested positive for coronavirus on July 2 and the taken to the CMH. He had been on ventilation support from July 12 following deterioration of his health condition. Hye is survived by wife, one son, two daughters and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death. Born in 1953 in Mithamain upazila of Kishoreganj district, Abdul Hye was a commander of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Shangshad, Mithamain. He was also former assistant profes...

17Jul

By Web TeamNo Comments

India, Italy, Noteworthy, Profiles

Paolo Tommasi, architect

Paolo Tommasi, 92, an Italian architect who played a crucial role in designing the Matrimandir and the gardens surrounding it in the international township Auroville, died of Covid-19 on July 16, 2020, in Puducherry. He was a resident of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in the Union territory and was admitted to Jipmer after he tested positive in the last week of June. Born in Ancona, Italy, Paolo emerged as a leading architect in Europe in the 1950s. He had a true passion for architectural interiors, design, theatre and painting. Paolo visited India in his thirties and met Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual collaborator Mirra Alfassa, fondly revered as the Mother, just before the inauguration of Auroville in 1968. He played a crucial role in assisting French architect Roger Anger in...

17Jul

By Web TeamNo Comments

Noteworthy, Profiles, United States

Patrick Ellis, radio host

Patrick Ellis, a popular Washington DC gospel broadcaster, died on July 16 at a hospital in Annapolis due to Covid-19 complications. He was 77 years old. For five hours each Sunday morning, Patrick Ellis led a personal communion over the Washington airwaves, playing a mix of classic and contemporary gospel music while helping his listeners get ready for church and prepare for the coming week, reported The Washington Post. In one of the country’s leading gospel markets, Mr. Ellis hosted 96.3 WHUR-FM’s Sunday morning gospel program for more than four decades, building a devoted audience that made his “Gospel Spirit” show the most popular program in its time slot. His daughter Adina Ellis Cato said the cause was complications from covid-19, the disease c...

16Jul

By Web TeamNo Comments

Bolivia, Italy, Noteworthy, Profiles

Eugenio Scarpellini, bishop

Bishop Eugenio Scarpellini of El Alto, Bolivia, died on July 15, 2020, after contracting COVID-19. He was 66. The Italian-born bishop was remembered by colleagues as a tireless promoter of missions, who worked to improve relations with the government and intervened to defuse tensions in 2019 after protests over election irregularities rocked the South American country. Scarpellini was hospitalized in El Alto — situated at an elevation of more than 13,000 feet next to the capital, La Paz — but on July 15, he twice suffered "cardiac arrest, and the doctors were unable to do anything." Scarpellini was born Jan. 8, 1954, in Verdellino, Italy, and ordained in 1978. He was drawn to the priesthood at a young age, telling his parents at his first Communion, &qu...