Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, UK-based scholar John Ralston Marr, ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar and Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy has been selected for the SIES-Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award and will be presented the award at a function at the Shanmukhananda auditorium in Mumbai on December 18, 2016.
The awardees have been selected for different categories of award.
- Devendra Fadnavis: Public Leadership
- A S Kiran Kumar: Science & Technology
- Hari Katha exponent Kamala Murthy: Social Thinkers, Philosophers and Pravachana Karthas
- John Ralston Marr: will be felicitated for his work in the International category.
About Devendra Fadnavis
Devendra Fadnavis was born on 22 July 1970. He is the 18th and current Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Fadnavis is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the RSS and represents the Nagpur South West constituency in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
- At the age of 44, he became the second youngest Chief Minister of Maharashtra,
following Sharad Pawar who at the age of 38 became youngest Chief Minister. He also served as president of the Maharashtra state unit of the BJP, now succeeded by Raosaheb Dadarao Danve.
following Sharad Pawar who at the age of 38 became youngest Chief Minister. He also served as president of the Maharashtra state unit of the BJP, now succeeded by Raosaheb Dadarao Danve.About A S Kiran Kumar
Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar, born on 22 October 1952, is an Indian space scientist and the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation.
- He assumed his office on 14 January 2015. He is credited with the development of key scientific instruments aboard the Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan space crafts.
- In 2014, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award, for his contributions to the fields of science and technology. Kiran Kumar previously served as Director of Ahmedabad Space Applications Centre.
About John Ralston Marr
John Ralston Marr is a British Indologist, writer and a former member of faculty at the School of Oriental and African Languages, London. He is known as a scholar of Carnatic music and Tamil literature and is the author of several publications.
- He is a founder trustee of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, UK and a recipient of the 2011 Kural Peedam Award of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
- The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2009, for his contributions to Education.
About TR Kamala Murthy
Smt TR Kamala Murthy, born on 4th March 1932 at Pasupatikoil to S Ramachandra Iyer and Seethalakshmi, follows the old tradition of Harikatha.
- She was taught music till her eighth year. Later she underwent lessons in Harikatha from Chidambaram Raja Bhagavatar and Tiruvayyaru Annaswami Bhagavatar.
- Well versed in Sanskrit and music, she has remained a popular artiste. She was honoured with the title of Kalaimamani by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1978. She has since received many awards
About the Award
The awards were instituted by the South Indian Education Society in 1998 in memory of the late Seer of Kanchi Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati who passed away in 1994 at the age of 100.
- The Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswati National Eminence Award is a way of paying tribute to the noble soul, the legend of humanity and to perpetuate his memory, mission and deeds for the present and future generations.
The National Eminence Awards are given in the following fields:
- Public Leadership
- Community Leadership with preference to rural development
- Science and Technology
- Social Thinkers, Philosophers and Pravachana Karthas
Each award carries a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh, a citation, a shawl and an ornamental lamp.
Past recipients of the awards include Shankar Dayal Sharma, A P J Abdul Kalam, R Chidambaram, Jayant Narlikar, Anil Kakodkar, Somnath Chatterjee, M S Subbulakshmi, Lata Mangeshkar, Nani Palkhivala, Verghese Kurien, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumarand Amitabh Bachchan.