Mysore/Mysuru: The 97th birth anniversary of legendary Kannada actor Dr. Rajkumar was celebrated yesterday at a function organised by the District Administration, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), Department of Information and Public Relations and the Department of Kannada and Culture at Dr. Rajkumar Park in city.

Dignitaries paid floral tributes to the statue of Dr. Rajkumar at the park.

Chamaraja MLA K. Harishgowda, who inaugurated the  event, said that he was honoured to take part in the celebrations and recalled the immense popularity of Dr. Rajkumar across Karnataka.

“He had millions of fans who celebrated his film releases as a festival. Even from Kannegowdana Koppalu alone, large crowds would head to theatres to watch his films,” he said.

Recalling his younger days, Harishgowda said he and his friends would skip classes to take part in the Gokak movement, which gained momentum after Dr. Rajkumar extended his support. He also shared an incident of falling from a crowded city bus while rushing to watch the actor’s film Keralida Simha. He urged the Department of Information and Public Relations to celebrate the actor’s birth anniversary on a larger scale in the coming years.

Film producer S.A. Srinivas, a family member of Dr. Rajkumar, M. Ramegowda, Founder-President of Akhila Karnataka Dr. Rajkumar Abhimanigala Sangha, Hasiru Sene Shivashankar, producer Golden Suresh, Murthy, Lingaiah, Nirmala, Assistant Director of the Department of Information and Public Relations, and others were present.

At a separate event held at the same venue, fans of Dr. Rajkumar took part in a voluntary blood donation camp jointly organised by Jeevadhara Blood Bank and the actor’s fans’ association. The camp was inaugurated by Krishnaraja MLA T.S. Srivatsa. Certificates were distributed to the donors on the occasion.