Daily GK Potion – 26th-27th January 2015
- Jhumpa Lahiri wins DSC Prize for 2014
- Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri has won the $50,000 DSC Prize for Literature, one of South Asia’s top literary awards for her book, The Lowland.
- Saina Nehwal defends Syed Modi Grand Prix title; P Kashyap wins men’s title
- Saina Nehwal staged a scintillating comeback to defeat reigning world champion Carolina Marin and retain the women’s singles title.
- Parupalli Kashyap beat K Srikanth in an all-India final to win men’s singles crown of the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament.
- Eminent cartoonist RK Laxman dies at 93
- R K Laxman, the country’s best-known cartoonist, passed away on the evening of January 26, at the Dinanath Mangeshkar hospital in Pune.
- Born in 1921 in Mysore, Laxman had no formal training in cartooning but the work he put out over decades was sheer genius.
- After stints at various publications and even a film studio after his graduation, he came to Mumbai in the 1940s.
- He came to the Times group in 1947 and stayed there for the rest of his glittering career.
- The recipient of numerous awards, among them the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan and Magsaysay Award.
- Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar decline Padma award
- Yoga guru Ramdev and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have declined any Padma award for them reportedly being considered by the government on the occasion of the 66th Republic Day.
- Ramdev requested the Home Minister instead to select some other deserving person for the award.
- Ravi Shankar took to Twitter to inform about his decision.
- Miss Colombia crowned Miss Universe in Miami
- Miss Colombia Paulina Vega, a relative pageant newcomer, has been crowned Miss Universe.
- She beaten out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries.
- DP Sinha appointed security secretary
- The government has been appointed as special director with Intelligence Bureau, Divya Prakash Sinha, as secretary (security) in the Cabinet secretariat.
- The post had been lying vacant since November 2013 when Yashovardhan Azad, holding the post then, was appointed information commissioner by the government.