Karnataka's highest civilian award, the 'Karnataka Ratna', was conferred posthumously on late actor Puneeth Rajkumar on Tuesday, November 1, on the occasion of the 67th Kannada Rajyotsava (the state formation day). Puneeth is the ninth recipient of this prestigious honour. The event was held at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
Popular 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. Speaking at the event, Jr NTR called Puneeth a great son, husband, friend, father, actor, dancer and singer, and above all, a great human being. “Do not get me wrong, but I feel the meaning of Karnataka Ratna itself is Puneeth Rajkumar,” he said.
Rajinikanth recalled the time when he met Puneeth for the first time in 1979, when he was only four years old. “That four-year-old is still etched in my mind. Lakhs of people came to pay their respects to Appu after he died. Why did they come? They came because of his great character,” he said. Rajinikanth referred to Puneeth as ‘god’s child’ and said, “He lived among us for some time, played with us and made us laugh, and then, that child returned to god. However, his soul is still with us.”
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.The event included performances by several noted singers including Vijay Prakash. Late sandalwood star Puneeth Rajkumar, who is the son of matinee idol Dr Rajkumar, had died of a cardiac arrest on October 29, 2021, at the age of 46.
ಇಂದಿನಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಅಪ್ಪು "ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರತ್ನ" #PuneetRajkumar #ಕರ್ನಾಟಕರತ್ನ pic.twitter.com/FkVpZAiqMh
— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) November 1, 2022
The Karnataka Ratna was last awarded to Dr Virendra Heggade for social service in 2009. Incidentally, Puneeth's late father Rajkumar was among the first recipients of 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).
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 re-emerged as a lead actor in 2002 and went on to star in 29 films, delivering some big hits. Gandhada Gudi which marked Puneeth’s last silver screen appearance, hit the big screens on October 28. The docu drama, which focuses on Karnataka’s rich wildlife, is helmed by filmmaker and wildlife photographer Amoghavarsha.
The Kannada Rajyotsava award was also conferred on 67 personalities from various fields in recognition of their contribution to their respective fields, at Ravindra Kalakshethra. Among them were personalities such as former Indian Space Research Organisation chief K Sivan, Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM) chairman BV Naidu, writer AR Mitra and veteran actors Avinash Yelandur and HG Dattatreya.