DIED:Chitta Basu, 72, national general secretary of the Forward Bloc since 1977, following a heart attack on the Howrah-bound Danapur Express from Patna. One of the longest-serving Lok Sabha members, Basu was a prominent left and trade union leader.AWARDED: Gerhard Fischer, 76, former German diplomat, this year's Gandhi Peace Prize, for his efforts in curing leprosy and polio patients. He has set up several centres in south India to rehabilitate the suffering. Fischer was unanimously selected for the international award by a jury headed by Prime Minister I.K. Gujral.AWARDED:Khushwant Singh, noted writer, the 1997 Italian Mondello Award for literature, for his novel,Train to Pakistan(set in the Partition era), published in Italian earlier this year. Singh is the first Indian to get the award which carries a $5,000 (Rs 1.8 lakh) cash prize and a citation.SELECTED: Dalai Lama, religious head of the Tibetans, for the first Paulos Mar Gregorios International Award, in recognition of his contribution to religious harmony and world peace. Instituted by the Delhi Diocesan Council of the Orthodox Church, the award carries Rs 1 lakh in cash and a memento.DIED: Sant Singh Sekhon, 89, noted Punjabi writer, after a prolonged illness, near Ludhiana. Honoured with the Padma Shri in 1987, he was a prolific short story writer, novelist, playwright and critic. Lahu Mitti is one of his more famous works.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 20, 1997--- ENDS ---
