As many as 14 achievers from different fields and social activists were honoured with ‘Avva Awards’ by the Avva Seva Trust in a function attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others on Sunday.
Vocalists Pt. Venkatesh Kumar and Nanda Patil, theatre artistes Chindodi Shrikanthesh and writer Bhuvaneshwari Hegde, journalist Markandeya Doddamani, environmentalists Appaji Wadeyar and Parashuraam N. Habib, Gamaka artiste Khaseem, mountaineer Nandita Naganagoudar, child prodigies Shivappa Kodli and Pooja Milke, teacher Rajkumar M. Mali, newspaper hawker and Veeraiah V. Shirahattimath were honoured in the event which also marked the seventh death anniversary of Guravva Shivalingappa Horatti.
Theatre artiste Yashwanth Sardeshpande could not attend the programme and his father received the honour instead.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that it was essential to recognise the people doing social service and achievers and honour them as it would motivate others to emulate them.
Mr. Siddaramaiah lauded the initiative taken by Basavaraj Horatti to honour the achievers and activists and said that the love and respect for his mother had motivated him to take up the initiative of setting up a trust in her memory and give back something to the society. High Court Judge Justice Koratageri Narasimhamurthy Phaneendra emphasised the need to look after the parents with love and affection as they made sacrifices to give a better life to their children.
Residents of Talakawada village in Badami taluk of Bagalkot district, where ‘upper caste’ people have taken on themselves to conduct funerals of the Dalits in a bid to alleviate untouchability and freedom fighter Mahadevappa Pattan and his wife Sharada were also felicitated on the occasion.
