Prakash Rai, actor, director and producer, has been chosen for the annual Dr. Kota Shivaram Karanth Huttura Prashasti (Dr. Kota Shivaram Karanth Birthplace Award) for 2017.
The award, instituted by the Kotathattu Gram Panchayat in Udupi district and Karanth Birthplace Award Foundation in memory of the Jnanpith awardee late Dr. Kota Shivaram Karanth, is being given annually for the last 13 years since 2005.
Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, H. Pramod Hande, president of the Kotathattu Gram Panchayat said that Mr. Rai was chosen for creativity he had chosen in the film industry and for his contribution to the industry. The award would be presented to Mr. Rai in Kota on October 10 coinciding with the birth anniversary of Shivaram Karanth.
A 10-day long literary-cultural programme titled “Tambelaru-2017” will be held as part of Karanth’s birth anniversary at the Shivaram Karanth Smaraka Kala Bhavan at Kota from October 1. Cultural programmes, children’s fest, Yakshagana performances, seminars, plays, poets meet, and a film festival will be held during the 10-day event.
The earlier recipients of the Karanth Huttura Prashasti are the former Chief Minister, M. Veerappa Moily, the former Lokayukta N. Venkatachala, educationalist K.R. Hande, journalist Ravi Belegere, senior Yakshagana artiste Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli, environmentalist Salumarada Thimakka, theatre personality B. Jayashree, educationalist Mohan Alva, writer Jayant Kaikini, filmmaker Sadananda Suvarna, and medical scientist B.M. Hegde, he said. Anand Kundar, working president of the Karanth Foundation, Ashwath Acharya, convener of the publicity committee, Subraya Acharya, and U.S. Shenoy, members of the organising committee, were present.