New Delhi: Eminent personalities such as Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala Dr. Veerendra Heggade, legendary athlete P.T. Usha, music maestro  Ilaiyaraaja and filmmaker V. Vijayendra Prasad were yesterday nominated to the Rajya Sabha (RS).

Soon after the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all of them in separate tweets and praised them for their contributions in their respective fields. The Rajya Sabha had vacancies in the nominated category.

Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade

Since the age of 20, Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade has served as the administrator of Sri Kshethra Dharmasthala temple in Dakshina Kannada. He has been a devoted philanthropist for more than five decades and has led various transformative initiatives for rural development and promotion of self-employment.

Seventy-three-year-old Dr. Heggade, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015, established the Rural Development and Self-Employment Training Institute (RUDSETI) to provide awareness about self-employment opportunities and train rural youths. The Centre replicated this successful model and established Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) across the country.

He also heads Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Educational Trust, which provides quality and affordable education through more than 25 Schools and Colleges.

P.T. Usha

P.T. Usha is one of India’s most legendary sportspersons who has set and broken many National and Asian records. Born in a small village in Kerala’s Kozhikode district, she has been a role model for young girls who have aspired for a career in sports, especially in track and field events. In the 1984 Olympics, she missed winning India’s first medal in track and field by a narrow margin of 1/100 second and stood fourth in women’s 400M hurdles. She is a recipient of the Arjuna award and the Padma Shri.

Ilaiyaraaja

Considered modern India’s one of the greatest musicians, Ilaiyaraaja — in a career spanning more than five decades — has composed over 7,000 songs for more than 1,000 movies and performed in over 20,000 concerts internationally.

 A Dalit born in a village in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai, Ilaiyaraaja faced immense hardships and caste discrimination. His musical prowess was honoured with a Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, in 2018. He is also a recipient of Padma Bhushan. He is also a five-time national award winner.

V. Vijayendra Prasad

Born in Andhra Pradesh’s Kovvur district, Vijayendra Prasad is one of the country’s leading screenwriters and film directors. He is known for many prominent Telugu and Hindi movies, including some of the highest-grossing films such as RRR, the Baahubali series, and Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Prasad has won numerous awards for story writing, including the Filmfare Award for best story in 2016 for Bajrangi Bhaijaan. His son S.S. Rajamouli is one of the most famous film directors in the country.