BANGALORE: When Mayor S K Nataraj said that there was no higher limit to the number of Kempegowda awardees, little did one imagine that the numbers would increase till the last minute of the conclusion of the Kempegowda awards ceremony.
For one of the most coveted awards for the citizens of the city, ambiguity shrouded the actual number of awardees as the number of award winners rose every minute till the awards ceremony concluded on Monday, when the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) celebrated 500th birth anniversary celebrations of the founder of the city.
Nataraj on Sunday had announced that 264 persons have been shortlisted for the award. This, coming after he initially said that they would be shortlisting 75 people. However, the number rose to 274 and then to 276, as the announcers kept increasing the count.
Added to this, chaotic scenes during the presentation may not have added to the glory of the 16th century ruler. Award winners were asked to come in batches of 25 to receive their awards with little time to enjoy their success and acknowledgement by the Palike.
But the Palike seemed unfazed by these changes and one of the Kempegowda awards committee member said: "There was no difference if the number was 264 or 274".
He said that there could have been some people who would have been forgotten or not mentioned in the list for various reasons, but added that the final number was 270.
"It is an occasion", he said and added that there were no restrictions on the total number of awardees. All the winners were given Rs 20,000 in cash and a statue of Kempegowda, the 16th century founder of the city.
It was also said that the cash award of Rs 25,000 was reduced to Rs 20,000 due to the increase in number of awardees. Also, nearly 13 awardees were not given a memento of Kempe Gowda as the Palike was not prepared for the last minute awardee list.
Though many of the winners were given a cheque, a certificate and a statue, some had to return with just a certificate and a statue since the Palike asked them to collect the cheques later.