Bengaluru: This year’s Karnataka Rajyotsava awards have been announced and 63 eminent personalities including current Rajasthan governor Margaret Alva, retired chief justice of Supreme Court H L Dattu, senior Yakshagana artist Hiriadka Gopal Rao, Janapada artist Guruva Koraga, director Bhargava and D Surendra of Dharmasthala.

Normally the awards are the day of Rajyotsava on Nov 1 every year. However, this year it was delayed as the election code of conduct was in application. The current awards list includes people who have not applied for the award but were eligible due to their contribution for the state.

It is worth mentioning that Kenneth Lawrence of Kolar who was popularly known as ‘Gentleman Sprinter’ and who took part in the 1964 Olympics has also been selected by the government for the award.

This year’s Rajyotsava awards have a healthy mixture of centenarian citizens including Guruva Koraga, who is a centenarian and also a famous Dolu artist in the field of Janapada. Likewise, Hiriadka Gopal Rao popularly known as ‘Maddale Mantrika’, is 99-years-old, is very famous in the field of Yakshagana and is also a freedom fighter.

This year, the Rajyotsava awards will be given to 10 people from Karavali including Janapada artiste Guruva Koraga, Maddale artiste Gopal Rao, former central minister Margaret Alva, vice-president of SDM education society D Surendra Kumar, senior journalist Amembal Anand, director of Medical Science Institutes of London Dr A A Shetty, famous Nagaswara artist Annu Devadiga, entrepreneur Anand C Kunder, popular Yakshagana comedian Kateel Sitaram Kumar and managing trustee of Sevanjali Pratistana, Farangipet. The awardees are from the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.

A major number of awards will go to Bengaluru this year. Yet other districts too have carved a place with awardees mainly from themselves Kalaburgi, Mysuru and the undivided Dakshina Kannada district. This year, more than 1600 applications were for the Rajyotsava awards.