New Delhi: Veteran theatre and film actor H G Dattatreya, popularly known as Dattanna, has been selected for the Delhi Karnataka Sangha’s Kannada Bharati Ranga Prashasti for 2026.
The Sangha’s executive committee decided to confer the award on Dattanna in recognition of his contribution to theatre. The annual award honours individuals who have made significant contributions to the field.
Instituted in 2015, the award was first presented to theatre personality M V Narayana Rao, one of the founding members of Kannada Bharati. Previous recipients include Sarojini Shetty (2016), Suresh Anagalli (2017), Dr Panditaradhya Shivacharya Swamiji (2021), Srinivasa G Kappanna (2022), S Doddanna (2023), Dr T S Nagabharana (2024) and Charan Raj (2025).
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000, a memento and reimbursement of air travel expenses for the recipient’s visit to Delhi.
The presentation ceremony will be held during the Sangha’s Kannada Rajyotsava celebrations in November. According to a press release issued by Sangha president Renukumar R, the programme will also include an interactive session with Dattanna and a screening of the Kannada film Manada Kadalu.