Rajyotsava awardees from city elated over recognition

Three from Mysore and two from neighbouring Mandya districts have been conferred Kannada Rajyotsava award.

Former chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) H C Sharath Chandra, Bharathanatya exponent Nandini Eswer and sculptor P S Kumar are the three from the city adjudged for the coveted award from the district.

Sharath Chandra who has his roots in the city of palaces and now settled in Bangalore was all elated when Deccan Herald contacted him over phone. “After 35 years of research in the field of environment and wildlife the recognition has come. It gives me more responsibility rather than recognition”, Sharath Chandra told this newspaper.

In his nascent days as a researcher, Sharath Chandra had extensively studied Bandipura forests. He along with two others Vijay Kumar Nair and Narendra Prasad were the first to conduct elephant census in western ghats covering Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the year 1974. He has his thesis on Ranganathittu bird sanctuary in the year 1977 to 79. ‘I will be completing 60 years in March next and the award is my birthday gift”, Sharath Chandra added.

Nandini Eswer of Raasa Vrunda School of Dance, Kuvempunagar in the city got to know the news from her disciple in Bangalore.  Nandini, 65, made her debut at the age of six performing in the cultural programme organised as part of Dasara. Incidentally, she is on the cusp of diamond jubilee year of her tryst with dance and the award has filled her with joy. 

Following the award, Nandini Eswer wants to further touch the core of philosophy also the motto of her dance school. Mysore Mahadevappa and Prof Bhashyam Swamiji have been selected for the award from Mandya district. Bhashyam Swamiji the former principal of Maharaja’s Sanskrit College is settled in Mysore and is the founder of Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple in Vijayanagar.