Important Dates/Deaths/Awards 1. World AIDS Day observed across the country (1 Dec) NOTE:- i. A report of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) released on Friday reveals 2. Nation pays tributes to Architect of Indian Constitution Dr. BR Ambedkar on his 57th death anniversary. The day is observed as Mahaparinirvan Diwas. 3. Dave Brubeck, the Renowned Jazz Pianist and Composer Died At 91 4. Human Rights Day is being observed across the globe on 10. Dec. On this day in 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 5. Nobel Peace Prize 2012 Awarded to European Union (EU) Nobel Peace Prize 2012 was awarded to the European Union (EU) leaders on 10 December 2012 at Oslo, Norway. The award was given to the European Union leaders for the efforts in promotion of peace as well as human rights. The award was given despite criticisms from some. NOTE:- Around 20 European government leaders which included French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as the Italian Premier Mario Monti, attended this ceremony in Oslo, the capital city of Norway. It is important to note that Norway, which is a country rich in oil, has rejected joining EU twice. 6. Pandit Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitar Maestro Passed away in California Renowned Indian sitarist and Bharat Ratna Recipient Pandit Ravi Shankar passed away in San Diego city of California. He was 92 years old 7. Pandit Ravi Shankar to be Honoured with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award 2013 Organisers of the Recording Academy announced that Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro would be honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. Pandit Ravi Shankar would become first Indian to receive the prestigious award. The award would be presented at 55th Grammy Awards ceremony on 10 February 2013 in Los Angeles. NOTE:- Pandit Ravi Shankar is a three-time Grammy Award winner. Pandit Ravi Shankar, 92 had passed away on 11 December 2012 after heart-valve replacement surgery in California 8. Bollywood Actress Hema Malini Selected for Bharat Muni Samman Famous Bollywood actress and Bharatanatyam exponent Hema Malini had been selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman of year 2012 for her outstanding contribution to the field of art and culture. NOTE:- Bharat Muni Samman is named after the author of Natyashastra Bharat Muni and has been instituted by Bhubaneswar-based organisation Kalingayana Touryatrikam. 9. Uttarakhand’s 1st Chief Minister Nityanand Swami Passed Away The 1st Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Nityanand Swami, passed away. He was 84 years old and belonged to the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). NOTE:- Uttarakhand Government had declared 3days' of state mourning as a mark of respect to the departed leader. 10. DAVP Received the Web Ratna Award-2012-Golden Icon Award Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) was conferred the prestigious Web Ratna 2012, Golden Icon Award for Innovative use of Technology. NOTE:- The DAVP Website http://www.davp.nic.in/ has enabled a complete change from the manual mode to the online mode where the media plans are made and released for the end users. The website with several user friendly features is the only advertising agency in the country which releases its designs, Release orders, payments online. The DAVP website has added a great deal of transparency to the entire system in its billing as well as other procedures which have not only helped the organisation but also its stakeholders. DAVP also keeps as much information as possible on the website for public scrutiny and information. 11. Bhanu Athaiya, First Indian to Win Oscar decided to Return Her Trophy Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to win an Oscar for costume design in the movie Gandhi decided to return her award to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in December 2012. Bhanu Athaiya fears that she might lose her trophy as the government might not be able to protect it. 12. Robert Amritraj passed away Robert Amritraj, father of tennis icons Anand, Vijay and Ashok has passed away. He was 91. NOTE:- Indian tennis considered Robert Amritraj as a father figure since he was instrumental in shaping the State Tennis Association and the formation of the Brittania-Amritraj Tennis Academy. 13. Nation celebrated Vijay Diwas with pride and honour Nation celebrated Vijay Diwas with pride and honour on 16th Dec.. On the occasion of Vijay Diwas, several commemorative functions were organised across the country to pay homage to the martyrs who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.This is the day on which India defeated Pakistan in the war of 1971. NOTE:- Bangladesh also celebrated the 42nd Victory Day marking the historic triumph of the Indian army and Mukti Bahini over the Pakistan armed forces in 1971.16th December 1971 is the most important day in the history of Bangladesh. The day is also equally important for India as on this day Pakistan Army General AAK Niazi along with 93,000 soldiers surrendered unconditionally to the Lt. General Jagjit Singh Arora of Indian army. 14. Shahrukh Khan honoured with BrandLaureate Legendary Award in Malaysia 47 Years old Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan awarded with the prestigious BrandLaureate Legendary Award in Malaysia. NOTE:- The award was given by the Malaysia-based Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for his contributions to the Bollywood film industry and as India's foremost brand ambassador. 15. Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram awarded with Best Administrator in India Award Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram awarded with the Best Administrator in India Award instituted by K. Karunakaran Foundation. The award was presented to him by Vice President of India, M. Hamid Ansari. NOTE:- The award is given to him for his role in evolving indian economy as Finance Minister in the late 1990s when he presented what was widely called a dream budget which gave a road map for economic reforms in India and lowered income and corporate tax rates. 16. Olivia Culpo crowned Miss Universe 2012 American Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss Universe 2012 at a gala ceremony in Los Angeles, while Philippines' Janine Tugonon was adjudged the first runner-up followed by Venezuela's Irene Esser. NOTE:- India's Shilpa Singh made it to the top 16 spot but failed to progress further. 17. Sahitya Akademi Awards announced Booker-nominated Jeet Thayil and Bengali novelist Subrata Mukhopadhyaya are among 24 authors selected for this year's Sahitya Akademi Awards, which was dominated by poets. Twelve of the 24 awards went to works of poets, which include K Sachitandandan (Malayalam - Marannu Vacha Vazhikal), late Bal Krishna 'Bhaura (Dogri - Tim-Tim Karde Tare) and Makhan Lal Kanwal (Kashmiri - Yath Aangnaz Manz). NOTE:- A Sahitya Akademi release says, 12 books of poetry, six short story collections, four novels and one each of autobiography and criticism were selected for the awards this year, two of them posthumously. The awards were given to books first published between January 2008 and December 2010. The award carries one lakh rupees, engraved copper plaque and a shawl. 18. Legendary Hockey player Leslie Claudius passed away Legendary hockey player and one of India's greatest Olympians Leslie Claudius, passed away in Kolkata after a prolonged illness. He was 85-years-old. Claudius was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and frequently needed hospitalization in the past couple of years. NOTE:- Claudius had three Olympic gold medals - London 1948, Helsinki 1952 and Melbourne 1956. At Rome in 1960, he led India to a silver-medal finish. 19. Roger Federer Named Swiss Male Athlete of the Year 2012 Roger Federer, 31, the No. 2 of the world and 17 times Grand Slam champion, was named Swiss Male Athlete of the Year 2012. Federer received the honour for the fifth time. NOTE:- Earlier in 2012, Federer had grabbed the 17th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon Championships, London, while also reclaiming his No. 1 ranking in the month of July 2012. He also acquired top most position by the end of the season. 20. Marathi actors Anand Abhyankar, Akshay Pendse killed in road accident: Note: Well-known Marathi actors Mr. Anand Abhyankar and Mr. Akshay Pendse were among three people killed in an accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Sunday last night.Mr. Anand Abhynkar had worked in number of Marthi, Hindi movies and tele serials 21. Ilayaraja gets Sangeet Natak Akademi award: Note: Legendary South Indian composer Ilayaraja is among the nine artistes from the field of music who will receive the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for this year. Ilayaraja has been awarded for Creative and Experimental Music. Grammy Award-winning percussionist T H Vinayakram, Violinist N Rajam, who performs Hindustani classical music and veteran playwright Ratan Thiyam have been selected for the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships 22. Actor Jack Klugman dies at 90: Note: Veteran US actor Jack Klugman, who had starring roles on television, Broadway and in Hollywood movies, died Monday at age 90 at his home in Los Angeles, according to news reports quoting family members. 23. Largest Kuchipudi dance performance in H'bad enters Guinness book: Note: In Hyderabad, a performance by 5,974 Kuchipudi dancers has found its way into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest Kuchipudi dance. A representative of the Guinness Book, who observed the event said it was the largest Kuchipudi dance. The event was organised by Silicon Andhra, a cultural organisation run by US-based Telugus, at the GMC Balayogi stadium. 24. Oriya novelist is Jnanpith award winner of 2011: Leading Oriya novelist and academician Pratibha Ray named for the prestigious Jnanpith Award for the year 2011.