BENGALURU: Well known cardiologist and motivational speaker Belle Monappa Hegde, popularly known as BM Hegde, has been awarded the Padma Vibushan, India's second-highest civilian award. Dr Hedge was conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2010.
Jnanapeeta awardee Chandrashekhara Kambara and folk artist Manjamamma Jogati were also among the five from Karnataka to receive the Padma awards this year.
Speaking to TNIE, Chandrasekhar Kambar said this award is for Kannada Saraswathi. "It is Kannada which got me till here. It gave me Jnanapeeta award and now Padmabhushana. I might have not got this if I had done my literary works in English."
Sixty-four-year-old Jogati Manjamma, the first transwoman who was appointed as chairperson of Karnataka Janapada Academy has been awarded the Padmashri.
Eighty-two-year Prof Rangasami L Kashyap is an Indian applied Mathematician and a professor of Electrical Engineering. Along with his colleague, Prof Kashyap developed an important algorithm in pattern recognition. Prof Rangasami has translated four Vedas and wrote numerous books exploring the hidden meanings behind the Vedic mantras.