It was an unforgettable moment for 73-year-old Dr Gorur Krishna Harinath from Australia who received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award-2017 from President Pranab Mukherjee, in the field of community service. “My wife Gayathri hails from this city (Bengaluru) and I feel proud to receive the award. She couldn’t accompany me as she has to take care of our grandchildren in Australia,” he said, adding that his forefathers moved from Karnataka to Hyderabad.

“My father worked in Osmania University and I was born in Hyderabad. I moved to Australia some 45 years ago,” he said. Apart from practising medicine, he is also the chairman of multicultural board in Australia. For Raghunath Marie Antonin Manet, who won the award under the arts and culture category, it was a recognition for his talent in classical dance and music. Hailing from France, he learnt classical dance in Kalakshetra, Chennai, and has performed with well-known musicians and dancers across the globe. “I have received so many awards from the French government and this is the first time I am receiving an award from the Indian government,” he said.

Mukund Bhikhubhai Purohit moved to Canada from Gujarat looking for business opportunities. Now he is a very well-known person in the business circles both in Canada and India. “I am in Canada for the last two decades and I am bringing investments and technology from Canada into India,” said Purohit, who received the award in the field of business. Purohit is in talks to bring in Drinkable Air technology to India from Canada. “Drinkable Air produces pure drinking water and can be powered with electricity,” he said.