Bengaluru breathes Kannada, Puneeth steals the show

‘Puneeth Rajkumar is God’s child, great human being,’ say Rajinikanth, Jr NTR at Karnataka Ratna event

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The highest civilian award in Karnataka, the ‘Karnataka Ratna’ was conferred posthumously on late actor Puneeth Rajkumar. On the occasion of the 67th Kannada Rajyotsava (celebrated as the state’s formation day), Puneeth became the 9th recipient of the honour.

The event on the foresteps of Vidhana Soudha, the seat of state legislature and secretariat here, was shortened and held in a hurried manner due to sudden rain. Cine actors Rajinikanth and Junior NTR, and Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty were guests at the event in which Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conferred Karnataka Ratna on Puneeth Rajkumar.

“He is being given the award which has been received only by the greats such as Kuvempu, Nijalingappa and his father, Rajkumar himself. This shows the stature of his personality. No amount of reality is allowing me to digest the fact that he is no more,” said Rajini at the event and reminiscing about his times with the late actor.

“With arrogance or attitude, the power star won the hearts of millions of Kannadigas. Above all his roles as an actor, son, husband and father, he was a great human being,” said Junior NTR. The Karnataka Ratna award, consisting a full silver plaque and a 50-gram gold medal, was received by the late actor’s wife Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, in the presence of his actor brother Shiva Rajkumar and other family members.

Several noted personalities from the film and literary world, ministers, political leaders, legislators, among others were present at the event. Ahead of the ceremony, there was a performance by several noted singers including Vijay Prakash.

With a large number of people descending at the venue, the Ambedkar Road in front of the Vidhana Soudha was jam-packed despite rains and was closed for traffic. Commuters were advised to use alternate routes by the traffic police.

Considered Kannada cinema’s reigning star, Puneeth, the youngest of five children of thespian and matinee idol Dr Rajkumar, died of a cardiac arrest on October 29, 2021, at the age of 46. Puneeth, popularly known as ‘Appu’ and ‘power star’, by his fans, made his debut on screen when he was just six months old and went on to win a national award as a child artiste for the film Bettada Hoovu.

He then reemerged as a lead actor in 2002 and went on to star in 29 films, delivering some big hits. Karnataka Ratna was last awarded to Dr. Virendra Heggade for social service in 2009. Interestingly, Puneeth’s late father Rajkumar was among the first recipients of the Karnataka Ratna award in 1992, along with noted poet Kuvempu.

Other recipients of the award are S Nijalingappa (Politics), CNR Rao (Science), Bhimsen Joshi (Music), Shivakumara Swamiji (Social Service), and Dr J Javaregowda (Education & Literature).

Rajyotsava spirit must remain in the hearts of Kannadigas: CM Bommai

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hoisted the state flag and received the guard of honour at the Kanteerava Stadium on Tuesday. The Karnataka Rajyotsava programme was organised by the Department of School Education and Literacy along with the Education Department, said sources.

Minister for Primary Education B C Nagesh, MP P C Mohan, MLC Basavaraj Horatti, Govindaraju and MLA Rizwan Arshad were among those present on the occasion. Greeting the people on the occasion of 67th Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations, Bommai said this day, the festival celebration must not be restricted to only celebrations but it must remain in the hearts of millions of Kannadigas.

The government has formulated several schemes for the Kannadigas to come up in various fields including education, employment, and this facility must be utilised. Students from various institutions performed many cultural programmes clad in Bharatanatyam costumes and in the folk dance Yakshagana attire.

A child also dressed as Bhuvaneshwari Devi and took the centre stage with a flag in her hands. The Rajyotsava award was also conferred in a program to 67 achievers in different fields