Zinta, Tharoor felicitated with Priyadarshni Global awards

Mumbai, Sep 19 (UNI) Actress Preity Zinta and former UN Under- Secretary General Shashi Tharoor, among others, were today bestowed with the Priyadarshni Academy's prestigious 'Silver Jubilee Global Awards' by Union minister of state for civil Aviation Praful Patel and Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh here for their outstanding achievements in the international arena.

Besides Zinta and Mr Tharoor, the other renowned awardees included Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC, Tulsi R Tanti, Chairman and Managing Director of Suzlon Energy Ltd, Robert C Hagerty, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Polycom Inc (USA), Sathyndranath Ragunanan (Mac) Maharaj, a South African leader, Steve Killelea, inventor of Prognosis and Chairman and Founder of Integrated Research Ltd (Australia), Jim Balsillie, founder and inventor of 'Blackberry' and co-Chief Executive Officer of Research-In-Motion (RIM) (Canada), and Dr Rumi F Beramji, a city-based Orthopaedician.

Speaking at the awards function, Mr Deshmukh said the Academy was doing a good job of honouring eminent personalities from various walks of life every year. The government would provide all the assistance to the academy, he said.

He, in his speech laced with humour, remarked that politics was not less than acting, and to run a coalition government was also an acting.

Looking at Ms Zinta, he said ''I can also act but I can't act as a father and now my son Ritesh is already in acting.'' Among others present at the function included Noble Charitable Trust Chairman Dr Michael Nobel, State finance minister Jayant Patil and chairman of the academy Nanik Rupani.

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