On the occasion of the 67th Karnataka Rajyotsava, the state government organised a grand event in Bengaluru on Tuesday to honour late movie icon Puneeth Rajkumar. During the event, Puneeth was posthumously conferred with Karnataka Ratna, which is the highest civilian honour given by the state of Karnataka. The ceremony saw superstars Rajinikanth and Jr NTR as special guests.
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Due to the rains, Rajinikanth cut short his speech at first. The actor announced that he would not like to keep people waiting in the rain. “Everyone must live together in peace, harmony and happiness without the differences of caste and religion. I seek the blessings of Rajarajeshwari, Allah, and Jesus for that,” Rajinikanth said while wishing everyone on the occasion of Karnataka Rajyotsava.
Rajinikanth later went on to compare Puneeth Rajkumar to several exemplary mythological characters, calling him a “God’s child”.
“In Kali Yuga, Appu (Puneeth) is like Markandeya, Prahlada, Nachiketa. He’s a God’s child. That child lived among us for some time. He played with us and made us laugh. And again that child went back to God. His aatma is with us,” Rajinikanth ended his speech with a promise to return and speak more about Puneeth at a later date.
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The mic next went to Telugu actor Jr NTR, who spoke fluent Kannada much to the joy of the audience. The actor noted that he was not attending the event in the capacity of his achievements as an actor. But, he was there as a friend of Puneeth Rajkumar.
“A person inherits family legacy and surname from his elders. But, individuality has to be earned. If there is anyone who has won over an entire state with just his personality and smile sans ego, arrogance and war, it’s only Puneeth Rajkumar. He’s the people’s superstar of Karnataka. A great son, a great husband, a great father, a great friend, a dancer, and a singer. And above all these, he was a great human being. The wealth in his laughter cannot be found anywhere else. That’s why he’s called the king of the smile. That’s why he’s getting this award. But, don’t mistake me. According to me, Puneeth Rajkumar is the very definition of Karnataka Ratna,” Jr NTR said.
Puneeth’s wife Ashwini accepted the honour. Later, Rajinikanth had a change of heart and decided to deliver the full speech that he had prepared for the occasion. He recalled the first time he saw Puneeth as a young boy during a pilgrimage in Chennai, then Madras. He remembered the infectious warmth of the young boy, who got along with everyone.
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Rajinikanth also recalled watching Puneeth’s debut film as a lead, Appu (2002). “After watching the film with Annavru (Dr Rajkumar), I told him that it will run for 100 days. And he told me that if it did, I should take part in its success event. And I did come here and honoured Appu at the 100-day celebration function. He was the hero of that event, just like he’s now. But, he’s not (physically) present with us,” the ‘Superstar’ said.
Rajinikanth said that he had undergone an operation and was in the intensive care unit when Puneeth Rajkumar died. And he wasn’t given the tragic news for three days considering his health condition at the time. The actor said even if he were healthy and able to travel at the time, he wouldn’t have come down to see the mortal remains of Puneeth. “I would never want to lose that child’s smiling face from my memory,” he added.
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Puneeth Rajkumar died of cardiac arrest on October 29, 2021, at the age of 46.