The gathering may not have comprised of celebrities in the sense in which it has come to be understood these days, but the select few who were invited to join the felicitation function of eminent film director K. Viswanath for getting the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award had the crème de la crème of society.
Those present at the event hosted by Jivati, touted as India’s first certified organic restaurant, were over a dozen top bureaucrats, both in service and retired, and eminent doctors from the city and elsewhere. Each of those present have carved out a niche for themselves with their professionalism and personal conduct. Also in attendance were Mr. Viswanath’s extended family. There were several artistes from different fields of dance and music. Flautist Mani rendered a song from Sirivennela .
During the hours-long felicitation, Mr. Viswanath and his wife Jayalakshmi patiently sat through the function.
Each of those present had his/her own story to share about their association with Mr. Viswanath. Some eagerly grabbed the microphone that was being passed around and briefly narrated their experience with him, while some exhibited modesty in walking upto the couple and touching their feet. Towards the end, Mr. Viswanath, who has been associated with Sristi Organic Foods, the company that runs Jivati restaurant, as brand ambassador, gratefully acknowledged the felicitations and the words of praise showered on him by the speakers. He also said for the past few years, he had been consuming only organic food.
The company was formed by a small group of friends, primarily including three alumni from the Indian Institute of Management, Pradeep Kumar Chowdary, who is chairman and managing director, Sristi Organic Foods, Mahendra Bharadwaj and Anand Babu, apart from former State Information Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh, M. Vijaya Nirmala.
