Researcher and litterateur, Dr. M Chidananda Murthy, was chosen for the first ever Dr. Paduru Gururaja Bhat Memorial Award. Dr. Murthy was selected for the award, taking into account his contributions towards enriching the fields of religious and cultural history of the state.

The award was presented to Dr. Murthy by the state Lokayukta, Justice N Santosh Hegde, at a function held in Yavanika auditorium near K R Circle, Bangalore.

At the award function, the second reprint of ‘Tulunadu’, work authored by Dr. Paduru Gururaja Bhat, and a collection of 80 English articles was also released.