Important Current Relevant Facts For CSE Pre Exam 2009 • The violinist Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, whose majestic bowing widened the circle of rasikas for Carnatic music, passed away in 2008 after a brief illness. He was 73 year old. Vaidyanathan, who had a long association with All India Radio, won several prestigious awards including the Padma Shri, Sangeeth Natak Academy award, Sangeetha Mamani and the Carnataka Isaignani award. •Mahendra Kapoor who was the veteran playback singer, died after a heart attack in 2008. He was 74 year old.In recent past the Maharashtra government selected him for the Lata Mangeshkar Award for his lifetime contribution in the field of playback music. Mr. Kapoor was born in Amritsar on January 9, 1934, but moved to Mumbai. He was inspired by Mohammed Rafi and won an all-India singing competition early in his career. Mr. Kapoor received the national award for best male playback singing for "Mere Desh Ki Dharti..." in Upkar. He was a recipient of the Padma Shri. "Chalo Ek Bar Phirse...’ in Gumrah won him his first Filmfare Award in 1963. For "Neele Gagan Ke Taley..." (Humraaz) in 1967 and "Nahi Nahi Bus Aur Nahi..." (Roti Kapda aur Makan) he won the Filmfare Award once again in 1974. • Eminent industrialist K.K. Birla (90) passed away in august,2008 at his Birla Park residence after a brief illness, patiently borne.he was Born at Pilani in Rajasthan in 1918.he was Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament for 18 years. He was the chairman of a number of Birla companies, including Chambal Fertilizers, Zuari Industries, Texmaco, Oudh Sugar and Hindustan Times. He founded the K.K. Birla Foundation, which gives awards for excellence in arts, philosophy, literature, scientific research and sports. His K.K. Birla Academy of Scientific, Historical and Cultural Research is planning a scientific museum. • Nobel prize-winning Russian author and thinker Alexander Solzhenitsyn died in august,2008, ending a bitter and illustrious life journey that reflected Russia’s tumultuous history through the 20th century at age was Age 89 in the Moscow. Solzhenitsyn became famous overnight after his story, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, was published in 1962. For millions of Russians it became an eye-opener about the horrors of Joseph Stalin’s Gulag labour camps. The story recounted the writer’s own experiences of spending eight years in Gulag for criticising Stalin in a letter to a friend in 1945 after having served in the army throughout the Second World War. • Alexander Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1970, but none of his novels — The Gulag Archipelago, The First Circle, Cancer Ward and others, which exposed the cruelty of the Communist regime — was published in the Soviet Union. In 1974 he was arrested on charges of "anti-Soviet activities", deported from the country and stripped of Soviet citizenship. • Poornam Viswanathan noted theatre person and character artiste passed away in chennai after a brief illness. He was 87.He was known for his remarkable performances in Tamil theatre and films. In every role he played, he paid great attention to dialogue delivery and body language • Mr.Viswanathan started performing on stage when he was 18. He later moved to New Delhi for a few years, where he was part of the ‘South Indian Troupe,’ with renowned critic Subbudu. Mr.Viswanathan, who worked as news reader at All India Radio there, deemed it a matter of great pride to have announced the news of India obtaining independence in the first news bulletin broadcast on August 15, 1947.Mr. Viswanathan’s performance in films such as ‘Varusham 16,’ ‘Keladi Kanmani,’ ‘Aasai,’ ‘Mahanadi’ and ‘Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu’ are unforgettable. He was at ease in both comedy and melodrama. • Michael Crichton,who was 66 year old, best known author of science fiction novels Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, The Andromeda Strain and creator of TV hit ER, died in Los Angeles (America) by critical cancer in November,2008. • Eminent film-maker Baldev Raj Chopra, who made immortal classics highlighting socially relevant issues and produced the popular Hindi TV serial ‘Mahabharat,’ died in November,2008 at Mumbai following prolonged illness.he was 94 year old. • Mr. B.R. Chopra was known for making films based on powerful off-beat themes such as Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Waqt (1965), Naya Daur (1957), Kanoon (1958), Humraz (1967), Insaf Ka Tarazu (1980) and Nikah (1982). In july,2008 Bollywood filmmaker Yash Chopra was conferred the Officer of The Legion of Honour by the French Government • In the month of September ,2008 Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan has recommended to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court be removed for misappropriating temporarily Rs. 33 lakh deposited in the court by one of the parties to a dispute. Responding to the Chief Justice’s letter, which was forwarded to the Law Ministry. The Chief Justice said in his letter that Justice Sen rejected the advice to resign or seek voluntary retirement after he had been found guilty of the misconduct in an in-house inquiry. • American Serena Williams defeated second seed Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 in the women’s U.S. Open final in September,2008 for her ninth career Grand Slam title and the World No. 1 ranking. There was plenty at stake as fourth-seeded Williams received the WTA top ranking, a spot she previously held for 57 weeks beginning in 2002. Williams, playing in her first U.S. Open final in six years, also picked up $1.5 million in first-place prize money and moved into third on the all-time money list. Williams won her 32nd career singles title and wiped away some of the disappointment of losing to sister Venus in the Wimbledon final earlier 2008. • The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research announced the winners of its prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for 2008. The winners are: Biological sciences – G.P.S. Raghava, Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh; and L.S.Shashidara, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Chemical sciences – Pradeep Thalappil, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; and Jarugu Narasimha Moorthy, IIT, Kanpur. Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences – P.N.Vinayachandran, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Engineering Sciences – Ranjan Kumar Mallik, IIT, Delhi. Mathematical Sciences – Jaikumar Radhakrishnan, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Medical Sciences – Ravinder Goswami, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Physical Sciences – Raghunathan Srianand, Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune; and Srikanth Sastry, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research Bangalore. The prize comprises a cash award of Rs. 5 lakh, a citation and a plaque. • The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research also announced the winner of the CSIR award for S&T innovations for rural development. It has been won jointly by the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow, and the Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar. • The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that some 50 developing countries will remain at risk of being affected through 2009 as a result of hikes in food and fuel prices. • IMFs updated assessment shows that the impact of food and fuel price increases on developing countries, far from diminishing, has continued to mount since its previous report appeared in June,2008As a result, the IMF has projected that net fuel-importing low-income countries are facing an increase in their fuel bill equivalent to 3.2 per cent of their GDP (gross domestic product), or $60 billion. For the 43 net food-importing countries, the rise in their food bill is 0.8 per cent of GDP, or $7.2 billion. The updated assessment shows that in 24 countries, the combined fiscal cost from rising food and fuel subsidies is expected to exceed two per cent of GDP. The report also points out that these subsidies are almost always poorly targeted in terms of reaching those people most in need. • IMF study points to two priorities for the affected countries: First, to bring inflation back under control. This will require a robust monetary policy stance — tightening where necessary — and the avoidance of unsustainable wage increase. Second, a shift to better-targeted social safety net programmes to protect the poor in a more cost-effective manner. • The Nanavati-Mehta judicial commission has concluded that the fire aboard coach S-6 of the Sabarmati Express at the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, was a "pre-planned conspiracy" by local Muslims.The report of the commission, appointed by the Gujarat government, is totally at variance with the conclusions of the U.C. Banerjee Committee, appointed by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, which said the fire was "purely accidental." The report gave a clean chit to Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the members of his then Council of Ministers and police officers. It also ruled out the involvement of any religious or political organisation in the fire. It also rejected the allegations that they ailed to comply with the recommendations and directions given by the National Human Rights Commission. • ‘Lakshya,’ the indigenously developed micro-light pilotless target aircraft, was successfully test flown at Balasore (Orissa) to check the validity of its engine and duration enhancement in 2008. • The 5th World Water Forum, the largest water-related event in the world, concluded in Istanbul (Turkey) in 22 march,2009, or the World Water Day, with firm commitments of tackling global water challenges jointly in the context of sustainable development. The forum, organized every three years by World Water Council ( WWC) and the host country, was attended by a record of 25,000 participants from all over the world, including a number of heads of state, more than 90 ministers, 63 mayors, 156 delegations and 148 parliamentarians.