Oneindia felicitates S R Hiremath as Karnataka Person of the Year

Updated: Friday, January 3, 2014, 10:34 [IST]

sr-hiremath at oneindia — Anti-corruption crusader S R Hiremath (second from left) at a felicitation ceremony in Oneindia in Bangalore on January 2, 2014. To his left is Oneindia Founder and MD BG Mahesh and to his right are Oneindia Kannada Editor Shama Sundara S K and Associate Editor Prasad Naik.

Bangalore, Jan 2: Oneindia on Thursday felicitated anti-corruption crusader S R Hiremath as the 'Karnataka Person of the Year'. The 69-year-old activist received 34 per cent of votes in a readers' polling conducted by the portal.

[Read: SR Hiremath's interview and video]

Professor CNR Rao, who was announced as a co-recipient of the Bharat Ratna award along with former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar recently, finished a close second in the poll with 31 per cent votes.

Hiremath was felicitated on the occasion by Oneindia's Founder and Managing Director B G Mahesh. The activist also gave an enlightening speech where he touched upon his story of rise as an activist in the USA where he had spent a decade in his younger days and that how various personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar and various books have left a deep influence in his life.

He also spoke on his tireless fight against the mining-related corruption in Bellary in Karnataka and the misuse of natural resources by those in power despite the threats.

Hiremath praised the people's movement which has caught the headlines in Indian politics in recent times and congratulated the Aam Aadmi Party for its success in Delhi. He also praised the media for backing the fight against corruption but expected more of such initiative. Hiremath also invited the youth to come forward and take up the task of serving the society.