Look up sonia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Sonia may refer to:

• Sonia, the allied code name for the Mitsubishi Ki-51, Japanese WW2 era bomber
• SONIA, Sterling OverNight Index Average, a financial market rate
• Sonia (album), a 1991 album by Sonia Evans
• Sonia (film), a 1921 British silent film
• Sonia (name), a feminine given name
• Sonia (singer), British pop star Sonia Evans
• Sonia people, an ethnic group on the Great Papuan Plateau of Papua New Guinea
• Sonja, code-name of Ursula Kuczynski, also known as Beurton, a spy for the USSR

Sonia may also refer to:

• M/V Sonia, a passenger ferry

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Julio Jaramillo del rosario
The Nightingale of America
Background information
Birth name	Julio Alfredo Jaramillo Laurido
Also known as	J. J. (Jota Jota)[1] El Ruiseñor de América (The Nightingale of the Americas)
Born	(1935-10-01)October 1, 1935
Origin	Guayaquil, Ecuador
Died	February 9, 1978(1978-02-09) (aged 42)
Genres	pasillo, bolero, corrido, valse, tango, ranchera
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1950–1978
Labels	Ónix, Yoyo Music, Sonolux, Discos Peerless, Codiscos

Julio Alfredo Jaramillo Laurido (October 1, 1935 – February 9, 1978) was a notable Ecuadorian singer and recording artist who performed throughout Latin America achieving great fame for his renditions of boleros, valses, pasillos, tangos, and rancheras.^[2]

Having recorded more than 4,000 songs throughout his career, his most famous song was perhaps "Nuestro Juramento" written by Puerto Rican composer, Benito de Jesús.^[1][3]

Jaramillo recorded with many other notable Latin American artists including Puerto Rican singer, Daniel Santos; fellow Ecuadorian singer, Olimpo Cárdenas; and Colombian singer, Alci Acosta.

Biography[link]

Childhood[link]

Jaramillo was born on October 1, 1935, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. His parents moved to Guayaquil from the town of Machachi in search for a better life.^[4]. He had two siblings, a sister who died at the age of 5 and a brother named Pepe. Their neighbor Ignacio Toapanta let the kids play with his musical instruments, and taught them to play the guitar. Julio later made his own guitar out of bamboo so that he could practice more. Attending the school led by Francisco García Avilés was probably the final push towards Julio's musical career.

By age 15, his brother Pepe had had some success as an artist, but later left music to study philosophy in Colombia. Julio wasn't as disciplined, but still wanted to be an artist, like his brother.

By the age of 17, Jaramillo was becoming famous for having a beautiful and warm voice, and participated in radio programs at "El Condor" radio station. In 1950 he joined with two friends to form a trio and got to visit the towns of Esmeraldas and Manabi. On one occasion he was forced to return to his job as a shoemaker to survive. Despite the criticisms, penalties, tears and entreaties of his mother, he was unable to leave his bohemian lifestyle and revelers.

Adult life and marriage[link]

At 18, Julio left home, rented an apartment with Irene, with whom he had a baby. Sadly, the baby died after a short eight months. At this time he worked as a shoemaker, but still insisting unsuccessfully on pursuing a career as a musician. He was often seen at a place called "La Lagartera" serenating people for tips. At "La Lagartera" Julio met other musicians. It was during these years that he came to know Odalina Sánchez at the local Radio El Triunfo. He fell in love with Odalina and left Irene for her. Together they had a son named Fransisco, born march 9th 1955. However, before the age of 20 he married María Eudocia Rivera, who was at the time four months pregnant with his child. Still, he still kept an ongoing love affair with Odalina.

Back in Guayaquil, he never stop being "the kid from the block", humble, friendly, bohemian, generous and joyful. He started a TV show, in channel 4, in which he performed frequently and recorded new songs. However, a life of excesses and lack of control affected his health which got progressively worse.

Professional career[link]

With the recording of his first album, "My Poor Dear Mother" (1954), which was a duet with Donna Fresia Saavedra, his name began to be well-known. This was followed by the Peruvian-style waltz song called "Wife" (1955), a duet with Carlos Rubira Infante.In 1956 the peruvian-style waltz Fatalidad(music by Laureano Martínez Smart, text by Juan Sixto Prieto) marked his breakthrough. It's something between a Peruvian waltz and an Ecuadorian "pasillo". It was a huge success from the very beginning. 6000 first prints were sold within a week. By the end of 1956 he had a produced a dozen albums with the label Onix. In 1959 he went to TV and also the movies. His first film being Mala mujer or "wicked Woman". His international recognition came after the Peruvian-style waltz "Nuestro Juramento" (1957), when he made ​​several tours in Latin America: He began a journey through Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The Mexican label Peerless caught interest and sent him on tour to Peru and Chile. In Colombia he met up with his brother Pepe, who had previously emigrated. When not on tour he did shows at the movie theaters of Guayaquil, as it was the custom of the time to present musical shows before showing the movie. Due to his huge popularity he started to have shows on Saturdays and Sundays and later even that grew to twice a day the whole week. Upon returning to his country, he was arrested and taken to military service. Returning to civilian life in 1960, he continued his career, reaching sellout performances of up to four consecutive months at the Guayaquil Guayas Theater. He also had a part in the Ecuadorian movie "Romance" and one other in Argentina. In 1965 he settled in Venezuela and completed successful tours in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Central America. He also recorded a duet with Daniel Santos, Olimpo Cardenas Alci Acosta. His last international tour was held in the United States and Canada. The scandals of his turbulent life were often also a source of news. Several times he was imprisoned and almost always by women's issues or noncompliance with the Juvenile Court. Besides being married five times, Julio had children with other women with estimates of up to of twenty-eight. Never denied his humble origins, he was always very generous, wasteful of money with his friends, and machismo prototype from his country side.

Operation[link]

On his return to Ecuador in 1975, tired, prematurely aged and corroded by cirrhosis, was booed at a performance in his hometown because his voice was no longer the same. In his last years of his life, Julio Jaramillo had a radio program at Crystal Radio entitled "Time for J.J.", whose commercial time did not even generate enough money to make a decent living. During the early days of the month of February 1978, Julio Jaramillo underwent a highly risky medical procedure to remove gallstones. The procedure was successful, but during the postoperative period he was imprudent enough to pull the probes connected to his body. This caused a peritonitis which forced doctors to perform a second operation. However, due to the years as a bohemian and neglect, his body did not respond as expected.

Death[link]

Jaramillo died at the relatively young age of forty-two. His remains were given a farewell like no other person has known in Guayaquil. It is estimated that there were about 250,000 Ecuadorians at his funeral.^[1] His level of popularity in Ecuador could be compared to Frank Sinatra's in the United States or Carlos Gardel's in Argentina.^[1] Since 1993, his birthday has been commemorated as a national holiday for the pasillo: Día del Pasillo Ecuatoriano (Day of the Ecuadorian Pasillo).^[2]

Notable songs performed[link]

Songs composed by Julio Jaramillo[link]

According to All Music Guide^[5]

See also[link]

• Los Chalchaleros
• Carlos Gardel
• Daniel Santos
• Pasillo
• Bolero

References[link]

• Enciclopedia del Ecuador

External links[link]

• Museum dedicated to Julio Jaramillo (Spanish)
• Biography at mp3.com
• Julio Jaramillo discography
• Julio Jaramillo, life, mp3s

This Ecuadorian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article on an South American singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

L.K. Advani
Deputy Prime Minister of India
In office 5 February 2000 – 22 May 2004
Preceded by	Chaudhary Devi Lal
Succeeded by	Vacant
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 19 March 1998 – 22 May 2004
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Preceded by	Indrajit Gupta
Succeeded by	Shivraj Patil
Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha)
In office May 2004 – December 2009
Preceded by	Sonia Gandhi
Succeeded by	Sushma Swaraj
In office 1989–1993
Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
In office 29 January 2003 – 21 May 2004
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Minister of Coal and Mines
In office 1 July 2002 – 25 August 2002
Prime Minister	Atal Bihari Vajpayee
President of Bharatiya Janata Party
In office 1986–1991
In office 1993–1998
In office 2004–2006
Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha)
In office January 1980 – April 1980
Personal details
Born	(1927-11-08) 8 November 1927 (age 84) Karachi, (Sindh) British India (now Pakistan)
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party (1980–present)
Other political affiliations	Bharatiya Jana Sangh (Before 1977) Janata Party (1977–1980)
Spouse(s)	Kamla Advani
Children	Pratibha (Daughter) Jayant (Son)
Alma mater	Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi Sindh D. G. National College, Hyderabad, Sindh Government Law College, Bombay University.
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Hindu
Signature	L. K. Advani's signature
Website	Official website

Lal Krishna Advani (Sindhi: लाल किशनचंद आडवाणी (Devanagari) [laˑl kiɕəntɕən̪d̪ aˑᶑʋaˑɳiˑ]; born on 8 November 1927, at Karachi) known as L.K Advani is a Veteran Indian politician. A former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently the major opposition party in the Indian Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Lok Sabha and 14th Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament).^[1] Advani began his political career as a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Early life and education[link]

L.K Advani was born at Karachi, in Sindh of British India to Kishanchand D Advani and Gyani Devi. He completed his early schooling from Saint Patrick's High School, Karachi, then he joined the D G National College in Hyderabad, Sindh for his college education. He then graduated in Law from Government Law College, Bombay University.^[2]

Political career[link]

Early career[link]

L.K Advani's life as a politician started in 1947 when he was elected as the Secretary, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Karachi. In 1947, Advani was sent to Mewar in Rajasthan, which had witnessed communal violence following partition, to oversee the affairs of the RSS there.

Jana Sangh to Janata Party[link]

Advani became a member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which was founded in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. After serving various positions in the Jana Sangh, he became its President in 1975. When Jai Prakash Narayan, who led the public movement against the Emergency refused to campaign for the opposition parties unless all of them joined together, the Jana Sangh and many other opposition parties merged into the Janata Party. With the dissolution of Jana Sangh, Advani and his colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee joined the Janata Party to fight the Lok Sabha Elections of 1977.

Janata Party to Bharatiya Janata Party[link]

The Janata Party was formed by political leaders and activists of various political parties who had been united in opposing the state of Emergency imposed in 1975 by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. After elections were called in 1977, the Janata Party was formed from the union of the Congress (O), Swatantra Party, Socialist Party of India, Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the Lok Dal. Indian National Congress defector Jagjivan Ram formed the Congress for Democracy and joined the Janata alliance. The widespread unpopularity of Emergency rule gave Janata Party and its allied a landslide victory in the election. Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister of India, Advani became the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and his close friend and Jana Sangh senior colleague Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the External Affairs Minister.

The nature of the birth of the Janata Party sowed the seeds of its destruction as well. Bitter animosity amongst its ranks ensured that the government remained on the brink. Finally, the issue of dual membership became the bone of contention as some members of the Janata Party insisted that the erstwhile members of the Jana Sangh dissociate themselves from the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

The erstwhile members of the Jana Sangh, came out of the Janata Party and they formed the new Bharatiya Janata Party. Advani became a prominent leader of the newly founded BJP and represented the party in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Indian Parliament).^[2]

The rise of the BJP[link]

Advani became the president of the BJP in 1986. His rise coincided with a growing unease and disquiet with the ruling Congress Party, among the Hindus due the increasing fundamentalism among the minority Muslims. Sensing an opportunity Advani embarked on a new aggressive phase of his politics and by 1991, he had taken a party to new heights.

He gradually brought in a shift in the party's policies by advocating Hindutva. Meanwhile, the finance minister V. P. Singh also defected. In the elections of 1989, the combined might of the VP Singh led Janata Dal and the BJP managed to eat into the Congress's seats. Despite emerging as the single largest party, the Congress opted to sit in Opposition, and a coalition headed by V P Singh as Prime Minister formed the government. The BJP supported this government from the outside.

Lal Krishna Advani with Condoleezza Rice

In 1989, the BJP launched a movement led by Advani on the issue of the Ram Janmabhoomi (the birth place of Rama). The BJP demanded that a temple dedicated to deity Rama be created at the site of the Babri Masjid where, according to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI),^[3][4] a temple stood till Babur's invasion of India in 1528. Sunni Central Wakf Board rejected this claim. However, rather than a settling on a political solution to the dispute, the disputed structure was destroyed by a Hindu mob, sparking massive Hindu-Muslim riots.

Advani embarked on a "Rath Yatra" to mobilize "karsevaks" to converge upon the Babri Masjid to offer prayers. This "Rath Yatra", undertaken in an air-conditioned van decorated to look like a chariot, started from Somnath in Gujarat and had covered a large part of Northern India until it was brought to a halt by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Laloo Prasad Yadav.

This movement helped the BJP cross fresh boundaries, especially in North India. Advani succeeded in drawing away a large chunk of Hindu voters who were already mortified at the rise of Mandal politics, away from the Congress^{[citation needed]}. In the 1991 general elections, the BJP came second after the Congress party in terms of seats.

In 1992, two years after Advani ended his yatra, despite assurances given by the Kalyan Singh led BJP Government to the Supreme Court, the Babri Masjid was demolished by the "karsevaks" with alleged complicity of the Kalyan Singh government.^[5][6] Advani is one of the main accused in the Babri Masjid case.^[7]

BJP, under Advani, sat in the opposition from 1991-1996 during the reign of P V Narasimha Rao. The Rao regime was repeatedly accused by the BJP of corruption and various scandals.

NDA Government formation[link]

After the 1996 general elections, the BJP became the single largest party and was consequently invited by the President to form the Government. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime Minister in May 1996. However, the Government did not last long and Vajpayee resigned after thirteen days.

After two years in the political wilderness, the BJP under the umbrella of the National Democratic Alliance (a BJP-led coalition), again came to power with Vajpayee as PM in March 1998, when elections were called after India saw two unstable Governments headed by H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral respectively. Advani assumed the office of Home Minister and was later elevated to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. As Union Minister, Advani had a tough time with India facing a string of internal disturbances in the form of terror attacks from neighbouring Pakistan . The BJP-led NDA Government lasted for its full term of five years till 2004, with Vajpayee as the Prime Minister. The NDA was the only non-Congress Government to last for five years.

L.K. Advani with Dmitry Medvedev of Russia.

Advani was charged in a Hawala scandal where he allegedly received payments through hawalabrokers. He and others were later discharged by the Supreme Court of India, because there was no additional evidence which could be used to charge them.^[8] According to the judicial inquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) they could not find any substantive evidences; the Supreme Court ruling stated that no statement even mentioned Advani's name and that evidence against him was limited to the mention of his name on a few loose sheets of paper.^[8]

However, the failure of this prosecution by the CBI was widely criticized.^[9] While some believe the CBI probe catapulted his rise through the BJP on his newfound "moral authority",^[10] others have claimed the inquiry was a political stunt.^[11][12]

As elections approached in 2004, Advani was supremely confident and conducted an aggressive campaign where he claimed the Congress Party would not get even 100 seats. The BJP suffered a defeat in the general elections held in 2004, and was forced to sit in the opposition. Another coalition, the United Progressive Alliance led by the resurgent Congress came to power, with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. The NDA disintegrated with the Telugu Desam Party, which had supported the NDA government from the outside, deserting the alliance.

Vajpayee retired from active politics after the 2004 defeat, putting Advani to the forefront of the BJP. Advani became Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009. During this period, Advani had to deal with rebellion from within the party. His two close associates, Uma Bharati, and Madan Lal Khurana, and longtime rival Murali Manohar Joshi publicly spoke out against him. In June 2005, he drew much criticism when he, while on a visit to the Jinnah Mausoleum at Karachi - his town of birth, endorsed Mohammad Ali Jinnah and described him a "secular" leader. This did not sit well with the RSS either and Advani was forced to relinquish his post as BJP president. However, he withdrew the resignation a few days later.

The relationship between Advani and the RSS reached a low point when K S Sudarshan, opined that both Advani and Vajpayee give way to new leaders.^[13] At the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the BJP in Mumbai in December 2005, Advani stepped down as party president and Rajnath Singh, a relatively junior politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh was elected in his place. In March 2006, following a bomb blast at one of the holiest Hindu shrines at Varanasi, Advani undertook a "Bharat Suraksha Yatra" (Sojourn for National Security), to highlight the alleged failure of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (a Congress led coalition) in combating terrorism.

Prime Minister candidacy[link]

Advani discussing "black money" at one of many rallies during the 2009 campaign.

In an interview with a news channel in December 2006, L.K. Advani stated that as the Leader of the Opposition in a parliamentary democracy, he considered himself as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the general elections, ending on 16 May 2009.^[14] Some of his colleagues were not supportive of his candidacy.^[15]

A major factor going in favor of Advani was that he had always been the most powerful leader in the BJP with the exception of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who endorsed Advani's candidacy shortly after the interview was done. On 2 May 2007, BJP President Rajnath Singh, in an interview, stated that: "After Atal there is only Advani. Advani is the natural choice. It is he who should be PM".^[16] On 10 December 2007, the Parliamentary Board of BJP formally announced that L. K. Advani would be its prime ministerial candidate for the General Elections due in 2009.

However, Indian National Congress party and its allies won the 2009 General Elections, allowing incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to continue in office. Following the defeat in the elections, L. K. Advani paved way for Sushma Swaraj to become the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.^[17]

Vajpayee-Advani Duo[link]

Through the 90s and the first few years of the 21st century, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-LK Advani combination steered the BJP to heights it had never before witnessed. Their political relationship provided stability, continuity, experience and authority to a party that was beginning even then, to severely lack a solid second-rung. As Advani himself acknowledged, rarely do two political leaders share such a bond, a working relationship that allows them both to thrive and grow without disturbing the fine balance of that bond.

Vajpayee, the poet-Prime Minister and Advani as his able and trusted lieutenant, brought depth and gravity to the BJP leadership. It still is, and will be in many ways, the gold standard to which the BJP will hold itself for many years to come.

Rath Yatras[link]

Popularly known in India as the Eternal yatri or Eternal Charioteer,^[18] L.K. Advani has taken 6 yatras throughout India.

1. Ram Rath Yatra- L.K. Advani started his first Rath Yatra from Somnath, Gujarat^[19] on 25 September 1990 to finally reach Ayodhya on October 30, 1990. The yatra has been linked to the Mandir-Masjid dispute centred around Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site at Ayodhya. The BJP and Advani, however, focused the yatra on the secularism–communalism debate.^[20]

2. Janadesh Yatra- Four Yatras named Janadesh Yatra^[21] started on 11 september 1993 from four corners of country. L.K. Advani led this yatra from Mysore. Travelling through 14 States and two Union Territories, the yatris congregated at Bhopal on September 25 in a massive rally. The purpose of Janadesh Yatrawas to seek the people's mandate against the two Bills, the Constitution 80th Amendment Bill and the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill.^[22]

3.Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra- The Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra by Mr. Advani travelled across India between May and July 1997. According to Mr.Advani, the yatra was conducted in celebration of 50 years of Indian Independence and also to project the BJP as a party committed to good governance.^[23]

4. Bharat Uday Yatra- The Bharat Uday Yatra took place in the run-up to the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections.^[24]

5. Bharat Suraksha Yatra- The BJP launched a nationwide mass political campaign in the form of the Bharat Suraksha Yatra from April 6 to May 10, 2006. It consisted of two yatras – one led by L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition (Lok Sabha), from Dwaraka in Gujarat to Delhi; and the other led by Rajnath Singh, then the President of the BJP, from Jagannath Puri in Orissa to Delhi.^[25] The yatra was focused on left wing terrorism, minority politics, corruption, protection of democracy and price rise.^[26]

6. Jan Chetna Yatra- The Jan Chetna Yatra was launched on 11 October 2011 from Sitab Diara, Bihar. The BJP states the purpose of Jan Chetna Yatra is to mobilise public opinion against corruption of the UPA government and put BJP agenda of good governance and clean politics before the people of India.^[27]

See also[link]

• Ayodhya debate
• Hawala scandal

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Lal Krishna Advani. My Country My Life. (2008). ISBN 978-81-291-1363-4.
• Lal Krishna Advani. New Approaches to Security and Development (Paperback). (2003). ISBN 978-981-230-219-9.
• Lal Krishna Advani. A Prisoner's Scrap-Book (Hardcover). (2002). ISBN 978-81-88322-10-7.
• Atmaram Kulkarni. The Advent of Advani: An Authentic Critical Biography (Hardcover). (1995). ISBN 978-81-85345-22-2.
• Sudheendra Kulkarni. Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra: The story of Lal Krishna Advani's patriotic pilgrimage. (1997). ASIN: B0000CPBO7.
• Pentagon Press. Lal Krishna Advani: Today's Patel (Paperback). (2002). ISBN 978-81-86830-57-4.
• G. Katyal. K. Bhushan. Lal Krishna Advani: Deputy Prime Minister (Hardcover). ASIN: B001G6MAZA
• Pentagon Press. Lala Krishna Advani (Paperback). (2007). ISBN 978-81-86830-59-8.
• Demolition by design VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN -Frontline Volume 26 - Issue 25 :: Dec. 05-18, 2009

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lal Krishna Advani

• Official site
• Profile on website of BJP
• BJP Leader, India
• Profile at BBC News
• Pakistan expresses shock at Mr Advani's resignation
• Allahabad High court order on the Babri Masjid demolition case
• Khurana asks Advani to step down
• Madan Lal Khurana suspended from BJP
• Advani praises functioning of Modi Govt
• Advani to call it quits in December
• Advani Discusses His Prime Ministerial Candidacy
• BJP to fight next poll under second-rung leader: Naqvi
• Official Blog of Lal Krishna Advani
• My Country, My Life Official site

v t e State of Emergency in India (1975–1977) Personalities Indira Gandhi - Jayaprakash Narayan - Siddhartha Shankar Ray - Jivatram Kripalani - Morarji Desai - Atal Bihari Vajpayee - K. Kamaraj - M. G. Ramachandran - M. Karunanidhi - Harcharan Singh Longowal - Lal Krishna Advani - Charan Singh - Jagjivan Ram - Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed - Sanjay Gandhi - Jagmohan - Bansi Lal - Zail Singh - Dev Kant Baruah - Jagmohanlal Sinha - Hans Raj Khanna - H. N. Bahuguna - Raj Narain - George Fernandes - Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Organisations Indian National Congress (R) - Janata Morcha - Janata Party - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Dravidar Kazhagam - Indian National Congress (Organisation) - Shiromani Akali Dal - Bharatiya Jana Sangh - Swatantra Party - Bharatiya Lok Dal - Socialist Party of India - Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - Communist Party of India (Marxist) - People's Union for Civil Liberties Events State of Emergency in India - State of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain - 39th Amendment - 42nd Amendment - Turkman gate demolition and rioting - Baroda dynamite case - Shah Commission - Maintenance of Internal Security Act - Rajan case - Indian general election, 1977 Portal:India - History of India

(Tapuu 17:34, 11 October 2011 (UTC))

Sonia Rykiel, 2009

Sonia Rykiel née Flis (French pronunciation: [sɔn.ja ʁi.kjɛl]; born 25 May 1930 in Paris) is a French fashion designer.

Ethnically a Russian-Romanian Jew,^[1][2] Sonia Rykiel was born in Neuilly, a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, the eldest of five daughters of a Russian mother and a Romanian father.^[3] At the age of 17, she was employed to dress the window displays in a Parisian textile store. In 1953 Sonia married Sam Rykiel, owner of a boutique selling elegant clothing. In 1962, she couldn't find any soft sweaters to wear when she was pregnant, so she used a supplier to her husband from Venice to design her own.

Sonia Rykiel thereafter created her first maternity dresses and a tiny sweater, called the Poor Boy Sweater, which she started selling from her husband's label "Laura". The Poor Boy Sweater made the cover of ELLE fashion magazine, and brought Rykiel fame; because of it, she was crowned "Queen of Knits" by the Americans in 1967.

Since then, she has continued to experiment to expand her offerings. She later became the first designer to put seams on the outside of a garment, and to print words on her sweaters. In particular, she favours long clinging sweaters or small cropped pullovers, large rolled-back cuffs and long shawls. Her color palette usually features beige, grey, dark blue and charcoal.

She has also created a range of fragrances of which '7e Sens' was the first.

Rykiel has written many books, including an A to Z of fashion, and a collection of children’s stories.

In 1980 Rykiel was voted one of the world's 10 most elegant women. She proved that knitwear can follow any trend. Rykiel also hit upon the trend of big, soft, fun fur done as a huge bubble of color - in her case baby pink, purple knitted fox or teal-blue Mongolian lamb. During Paris Fashion Week in October 2003, Sonia Rykiel showed her own collection for next spring. There were also gorgeous ruffled dresses in vintage floral and polka dot prints and smart houndstooth coats.

With her daughter Nathalie, Rykiel brought Paris to New York; in February 2005 Henri Bendel launched an in-store shop for the Sonia Rykiel Woman line. There are three Sonia Rykiel boutiques in the U.S., in Boston, New York City and Guam.

In December 2009, Sonia Rykiel and H&M introduced a collection of underwear, "Sonia Rykiel pour H&M", the first of two masstige operations with the Swedish retailer (the second became available in February 2010).^[4] An event was held at the Grand Palais in Paris to celebrate the event.

Rykiel collaborated with impresario and performer Malcolm McLaren on the song "Who the Hell is Sonia Rykiel?" on McLaren's 1995 album Paris.

She is seen briefly in the 2010 film "Bill Cunningham's New York"

It was also recently revealed that she suffers from Parkinson's Disease, and that she has been dealing with the disease for 15 years.

See also[link]

• Jean-Philippe Rykiel

References[link]

1. ^ "Left of centre: Celebrating 40 years of Sonia Rykiel". The Independent. UK. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/left-of-centre-celebrating-40-years-of-sonia-rykiel-1015348.html. Retrieved 22 December 2010. 
2. ^ Champenois, Sabrina (4 December 2008). "L’impératrice rousse" (in French). Libération. http://www.liberation.fr/culture/0101303028-l-imperatrice-rousse. Retrieved 24 November 2010. 
3. ^ "All About Sonia Rykiel: Fashion And Style". essortment.com. http://www.essortment.com/sonia-rykiel-fashion-style-44476.html. Retrieved 21 April 2010. 
4. ^ Press Release

External links[link]

• Sonia Rykiel's website
• Sonia Rykiel profile Voguepedia
• Sonia Rykiel designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Parachute and combat inspiration in the Spring 2003 collection