Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, Shia leader Prince Karim Aga Khan and Karnataka-based philanthropist Dr Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade were conferred country’s second highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan on Wednesday.
Two other winners of Padma Vibhushan — legal luminary K K Venugopal and nuclear scientist M Ramaswamy Srinivasan — were also conferred the award, while another winner actor Dilip Kumar could not attend the function due to ill health. Heggade is the Dharmadhikari of Karnataka’s Shri Manjunatha Swamy temple.
At a star-studded function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan's Darbar Hall, President Pranab Mukherjee presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri to 50 eminent personalities. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among those who were present.
Bachchan received the award amid applause. The President on Tuesday had congratulated Prince Karim on the award and said this reflects the admiration and respect India has for him and for the valuable public service being done by the Aga Khan Development Network.
Indo-American mathematician Manjul Bhargva received the Padma Bhushan along with six other winners who included filmmaker Jahnu Baruah, internationally acclaimed computer scientist Vijay Bhatkar, spiritual guru Swami Satyamitranand Giri, constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap and eminent endocrinologist Ambrish Mithal. Head of Sree Siddaganga Mutt in Karnataka, Shivakumara Swamigalu, who was one of the Padma Bhushan awardees, was not present.