Masks, gloves and social distance at Rajyotsava awards event

BENGALURU: When the Volvo bus stopped at the venue, all the awardees alighted wearing masks and gloves.  That marked the beginning of the Rajyotsava award function on Saturday. Every year, Ravindra Kalakshetra, the venue, would be crowded. But this year, there were limited seats.

What struck one was the seating arrangements, thanks to Covid-19. Each seat maintained social distancing! There was not only some distance between the awardees but also the audience. In the hall, every alternate row was sealed to avoid crowding.

On the dais too, there were multiple levels with eight awardees in a row. The front row was occupied by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the ministers. Media persons had a separate entry. The CM gave away awards to 65 personalities from various fields. Girija Narayan (light music), T Venkatesh from Abhimani Prakashana (Media) were among those who donated their award amount of Rs 1 lakh to the CM Relief Fund while Sidramappa Patil who got the award for agriculture donated  Rs 50,000.

Speaking at the occasion, Yediyurappa stressed that the government is observing this year as Kannada Kayaka Varsha where various activities will be undertaken to popularise Kannada. They will also focus on technology usage in Kannada.

Kannada and Culture Minister C T Ravi, Deputy CM Lakshman Savadi, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya were among those present. Every year, the award ceremony is held on November 1. This year, due to the code of conduct, the event was conducted on Saturday (November 7).