Centre nominates PT Usha, Bahubali writer, 2 others to Rajya Sabha

Legendary athlete PT Usha, music maestro Ilaiyaraaja are among the four personalities nominated for Rajya Sabha

Legendary athlete PT Usha and veteran music composer Ilaiyaraaja were among the four prominent personalities who got nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Along with PT Usha and Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and filmmaker V Vijayendra Prasad were also nominated. All four Rajya Sabha nominees have gained global recognition for their contributions and illustrious careers in their respective fields. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated all the four nominees in a series of tweets and praised them for their contributions, soon after the announcement. Along with PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda also extended their hearty congratulations to PT Usha, Ilaiyaraaja, V Vijayendra Prasad, and Veerendra Heggade on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. JP Nadda tweeted, "Their service to the nation across the years is a source of great pride. My best wishes to them."

Here is all you need to know about the four nominated members of the Rajya Sabha:

PT Usha

One of India's most legendary athletes, PT Usha hails from a small village in the Kozhikode district of Kerala. PT Usha has set and broken many Asian records and is popularly known as ‘Payyoli Express’. She has represented India at several international events and won medals. A recipient of the Arjuna Awards and the Padma Shri, PT Usha has been a role model for young girls, aspiring for a career in sports and field events.

 

Ilaiyaraaja

Considered modern India's one of the greatest music composers, Ilaiyaraaja has composed over 7,000 songs for more than a thousand movies in three different languages. In a career spanning over five decades, Ilaiyaraaja has performed in over 20,000 international concerts. He was born in a village in Madurai in Tamil Nadu and belonged to a Dalit family. Even after facing immense hardships and caste discrimination, Ilaiyaraaja continued with his work to become one of the leading and iconic musicians the country has ever seen. Ilaiyaraaja has won many accolades and is also a five-time national award winner.

 

V Vijayendra Prasad

Vijayendra Prasad was born in the Kovvur district of Andhra Pradesh and is currently one of the leading screenwriters and filmmakers in the country. He is known for blockbusters films like RRR, the Bahubali series, and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. Prasad has won numerous awards for story writing.

Veerendra Heggade

Veerendra Heggade has served as the administrator of the Dharmasthala temple located in Karnataka since the age of 20. A devoted philanthropist for over 5 decades, Veerendra Heggade has led many transformative initiatives to promote self-employment and rural development. 73-years old Heggade established the Rural Development and Self-Employment Training Institute, which was later replicated by the Centre and established across the country.