Dedicating my Padma Bhushan to all Kannadigas and my gurus: Anant Nag

Veteran actor Anant Nag, who was named a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, said, “I am extremely happy today. I believe it has come at the right time. I am thrilled about it. The public nomination process introduced by Prime Minister Modi played a pivotal role.” The actor, who has acted in over 300 films in a career spanning five decades, added, “Kannada audiences have been frequently nominating me for the Padma Awards for some years now, and I am glad it finally happened after three years. I am grateful for the outpouring love of Kannadigas, and how they pumped up the nomination. I would like to dedicate this award to the Kannadigas, my gurus from my Ashram, and state goddess of Karnataka, Bhuvaneshwari.”
Nine personalities from Karnataka have won the Padma awards announced on the eve of Republic Day. While violinist L Subramanian has been named for Padma Vibhushan, Anant Nag has been given Padma Bhushan along with journalist A Surya Prakash. Those who have been named for Padma Shri from the state include Bheemavva Doddabalappa Shillekyatara (Puppetry), Hassan Raghu (Cinema), Prashanth Prakash (Trade and industry), Ricky Kej (Music), Venkappa Ambaji Sugatekar (folk art), Vijayalaskhmi Deshamane (Medicine). The awards ceremony will be held at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the next few months, where the recipients will be formally honoured for their outstanding achievements.