BENGALURU: On Saturday, eight government servants, working in different departments across Bengaluru, were recognised for their unflinching commitment to creating a better city with their actions. At the event, a coffee table book on K Rahman Khan, the former parliamentarian and noted educationist, was released, along with a book, ‘My Memoirs’, penned by Khan himself.
The ‘Seva Samman’ awards, an initiative of The New Sunday Express in association with Delhi Public School, sought to honour Bengaluru’s unsung heroes.
Former Chief Minister M Veerappa Moily presented the awards. He lauded the initiative and called it a diversified, memorable and holistic programme, part of a larger initiative by The New Sunday Express termed ‘Be the Change’, which seeks to inculcate the qualities of agility, integrity, collaborative outreach and empathy among its employees.
Among those who received the awards are Shivareddy, Headmaster, Chikkadeve Gowda, Assistant Teacher, Mahesh, a junior health inspector, Narayanamma, a Pourakarmika, Gangadhar, a bus driver, Srinivas T, a driver-cum-conductor, and police constables Lokesh H M and Archana D S. All awardees work for different government agencies in Bengaluru.
“The New Sunday Express has become a model by recognising unsung heroes,” said KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao on the awards. Commenting on the awards, Santwana Bhattacharya, Resident Editor, Karnataka, said, “The newspaper welcomes change and has taken up the ‘Be The Change’ initiative, a cultural transformation programme, among its staff. For the Seva Samman awards, people who make others lives better have been chosen.”
Releasing the coffee table book, Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar said that it was a privilege to participate, considering the achievements of Khan, considered instrumental in making Amanath Co-operative Bank a scheduled bank. “He is known for his quality of always having a smile on his face,” Shivakumar said.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, who released Khan’s memoirs, said, “Khan was the first chartered accountant of the Muslim community in the state. He has several achievements to his credit, both at state and national level.”
Khan, speaking at the venue said that the book was an accurate reflection of the faith, the pain and the journeys of his life.
“I am a victim of rumour and jealousy. The jealousy of my own people ruined my public and political life. The jealous destroyed the Amanath Co-operative Bank or else, scams like the IMA fraud would not have happened today,” he said.