Bengaluru: Former Chief Minister S M Krishna, Infosys founder N R Narayan Murthy, and Badminton legend Prakash Padukone were conferred the maiden Kempegowda International Award on Monday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai handed them the award, instituted by the state government in honour of Kempegowda, founder of Bengaluru, for their contribution to the growth of the city.
Sudha Murty on behalf of Narayan Murthy and Badminton coach U Vimal Kumar on behalf of Padukone received the award which carries a purse of Rs five lakh.
Speaking on the occasion, marking the 513th birth anniversary of Kempegowda, Bommai said a good tradition has been started to remember the person who founded Bengaluru city.
I consider that today is the day to introspect how we have shaped the city. Kempegowda brought together many villages and helped communities to grow here. This is the sign of a person with farsightedness, the Chief Minister said.
Karnataka ministers R Ashoka, C N Ashwath Narayan, V Sunil Kumar, K Gopalaiah and Muniratha, Lok Sabha member Tejaswi Surya and the pontiff of Adichunchanagiri Math, Nirmalananda Swamiji were among those present.
