Karnataka govt invites Rajinikanth, Jr NTR for Puneeth event

Puneeth Rajkumar, the Sandalwood star who died last year, will be posthumously given the Karnataka Ratna award on November 1

The Karnataka government has invited superstar Rajinikanth and Telugu star Junior NTR for an event at Vidhana Soudha where the late Puneeth Rajkumar will be given the Karnataka Ratna, the state’s highest civilian honour, on November 1.

“We have invited Rajinikanth and we expect him to confirm,” Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said. “Taraka Rama Rao, who is familiar with Kannada, has accepted our invitation. We’re also inviting Jnanpith award winner Chandrashekhar Kambar,” he said.

Puneeth Rajkumar, the Sandalwood star who died last year, will be posthumously given the Karnataka Ratna award at a ceremony on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha at 4 PM on November 1.

“We want to make it a meaningful event. We have invited Dr Rajkumar’s family, the Kannada Sahitya Parishat president, poets, writers...We’re giving the Karnataka Ratna award to a true Karnataka Ratna, considering the respect people have for Puneeth,” Bommai said. “At a very young age, Puneeth is getting the highest award, which is rare.”

Puneeth, 46, died on October 29 last year, pushing his fans into a sea of sadness. He will be the 9th recipient of the Karnataka Ratna.

The first Karnataka Ratna award went to poet laureate Kuvempu and thespian Dr Rajkumar (Puneeth's father) in 1992. The other recipients are: former chief minister S Nijalingappa (1999), scientist CNR Rao (2000), vocalist Bhimsen Joshi (2004), pontiff Shivakumar Swami (2006), writer D Javaregowda (2008), and Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade (2009).