BENGALURU: The map of Karnakata with a smiling Puneeth Rajkumar’s picture right in the middle was the costume worn by one marathon runner at the Tata Consultancy Services World 10K Bengaluru marathon on Sunday.
The runner was software engineer Manas Kumar from Odisha, who had arrived from Telangana to pay tribute to the late actor.
Kumar said his love for Puneeth began during his stay at Marathahalli here. “He was no ordinary cine star. He was a compassionate human being. Apart from his movies, his charity work, namely old-age homes, schools for the underprivileged, and contribution to Covid-19 relief, reminds us of his greatness even after he has left us,” the 30-year-old said.
Kumar may not speak Kannada but his admiration for the Kannada superstar was on full display at the marathon. “Every year, I dress up showcasing a social theme — women’s empowerment, elections and political horse-trading, etc. But this year, after a two-year gap in the marathon, I decided I must pay tribute to the man who has touched many lives and was also the ambassador of this event. It is sad he isn’t here to encourage us this time,” the techie said. He completed a 5K run before returning to Hyderabad.
