Amitabh Bachchan to be given Sayaji Ratna Award

Vadodara: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is all set to visit the city on November 20. The actor will be presented the national-level Sayaji Ratna Award by Baroda Management Association (BMA). The prestigious award is a tribute to Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad, known as the people’s king. Its after several decades that Bachchan will be visiting the city.
“This award is given to the people who have achieved a lot in their field and are an inspiration for others. The BMA governing council first prepared a list of achievers who could be given the award. BMA’s knowledge partner Price Waterhouse Coopers then prepared a profile of each of them. And finally, the eminent members of our jury decided to give the award this year to Bachchan,” said Tejal Amin, member of BMA’s governing council.

The jury members include royal scion, Samarjitsinh Gaekwad; Dilip Sanghavi, MD, Sun Pharma; Deepak Parekh, chairman, HDFC; Hasmukh Shah, former IPCL chairman; Shashi Shanker, chairman and managing director, ONGC; and Harshvardhan Neotia, AIMA president. “The jury felt that Bachchan has played key role in several social causes and inspired millions of artists across the globe,” said Sameer Parikh, BMA’s governing council member.

Bachchan will attend the award function and then have conversation with youth and dignitaries from the city. Amin said this event will not just put the city on national map but also inspire Barodians to achieve more in their lives. BMA had constituted Sayaji Ratna Award in 2013 to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. The award is given to living legends from the field of business, sports, arts, humanity, education, governance and medicine.

In 2013, the first Sayaji Ratna Award was given to N R Naryana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, and in 2014, former chairman of Tata Group, Ratan Tata was conferred the award.