# Rajyotsava Awards (2016)

The 2016 Rajyotsava Awards ceremony took place at the Ravindra Kalakshetra on 1 November 2016. Awarded annually by the government of Karnataka, the ceremony saw 61 individuals being awarded for achievements in various fields. The number was chosen to mark the 61st anniversary of the formation of the State of Karnataka.

## List of awardees

The selection committee adhered to the yardstick of minimum age of 60 while selecting individuals for the awards. However, norms were relaxed in the field of sports and social sector.
Winners:

### Individual

| Awardee | Area of expertise | Highlights |
| Justice Shivaraj Patil | Judiciary | Supreme court judge. |
| K. T. Gatti | Literature | Author of 90 books in Kannada and English. He authored 45 novels, 19 plays, 9 anthologies of short stories, and many essays and poems. |
| Bezwada Wilson | Activism | Activist and National convenor of National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA). He started a grassroots movement to eradicate manual scavenging in India. |
| Lakshmi | Film and television | Actress |
| Moulasab Imamsab Sadaf | Theatre | |
| T. H. Hemalatha | Theatre | |
| Rameshwari Verma | Theatre | |
| Umarani Barigidada | Theatre | |
| Chandrakumar Singh | Theatre | |
| Revathi Kalyan Kumar | Film and television | |
| Srinivasa Murthy | Film and television | |
| Sa. Ra. Govindu | Film and television | President of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce |
| Syed Satyajith | Film and television | |
| K Muralidhar Rao | Music and dance | |
| Dwaraki Krishnaswamy | Music and dance | |
| Hemavathamma | Music and dance | |
| Pandit Narayana Dage | Music and dance | |
| V. G. Mahapurush | Music and dance | |
| Thimmamma | Folklore | |
| Sharadamma | Folklore | |
| Mallaiah Hidikal | Folklore | |
| Sanna Birappa Kariyavar | Folklore | |
| Sabhitha Kambrekar | Folklore | |
| Chikka Marigowda | Folklore | |
| M. R. Ranganath Rao | Yakshagana | |
| Petri Madhav Nayak | Yakshagana | |
| Kinnigoli Mukhyaprana Shettigar | Yakshagana | |
| Sujathamma | Yakshagana | |
| D. J. Lavani | Yakshagana | |
| Dhruva Ramachandra Pattar | Art and Sculpture | |
| Kashinath Shilpi | Art and Sculpture | |
| Basavaraj L. Jane | Art and Sculpture | |
| Parvathamma Kowdi | Art and Sculpture | |
| Tulasamma Kelur | Social Service | |
| G. M. Muniyappa | Social Service | |
| Somanna Hedge Devanakote | Social Service | Tribal rights activist |
| Nazeer Ahmed | Social Service | |
| L. C. Soans | Agriculture/Environment | |
| G. K. Veeresh | Agriculture/Environment | |
| K. Puttannaiah | Agriculture/Environment | |
| M. A. Khadri | Agriculture/Environment | |
| M. M. Mannur | Media | |
| Bhavani Lakshminarayana | Media | |
| Ishwara Daithota | Media | |
| Indudhara Honnapura | Media | |
| J. R. Lakshmana Rao | Science/Environment | Science writer |
| K. Muniyappa | Science/Environment | |
| Hebri Subhash Krishna Ballal | Medicine | |
| Surjith Singh | Sports | |
| S. V. Sunil | Sports | |
| Krishna Naikodi Amoghappa | Sports | |
| Tejaswi Kattimani | Education | |
| R. S. Lokapura | Literature | |
| B. Shyam Sundar | Literature | |
| Sukanya Maruthi | Literature | |
| Mahadev Shivabasappa Patana | Freedom fighter | 106-year-old freedom fighter from Belagavi. He represented Ramdurg in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1957. Participated in the Quit India Movement and the Karnataka unification movement. He led the agitation to free Ramdurg from the British. A reward of ₹10,000 was announced by the British to catch him dead or alive. He was a follower of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. |
| M. N. Vali | Other fields | |
| R. Jaiprasad | Other fields | |
| Shakunthala Narasimhan | Other fields | |
| Devaraj Reddy | Other fields | Hydro-geologist |

### Organisations/Associations

| Sl.No | Awardee | Area of expertise | Location | Highlights |
| 1 | Team YUVAA | NGO | Bidar | |