A recognition of my hard work:Padma Shri awardee

Puducherry,Jan 25 (PTI) "It is an accomplishment and strong recognition of my hard work and sustained initiative in flower cultivation and in horticulture," an elated T.Venkatapathy Reddiar said on hearing that he has been selected for the Padma Shri award. The first to be selected from Puducherry for the civilian honour, the 65-year-old horticulturist and progressive florist of Koodapakkam village in Puducherry was overjoyed. He told PTI that he received a call from Delhi today informing him that he had been selected for the the award for his innovative practice in horticulture. He is among the 77 awardees selected for the honour by the President under different categories on the eve of Republic Day. Venkatapathy Reddiar, owner of Sri Lakshminarayana Crossandra Innovative Centre, had been carrying out farm activities for more than thirty years. He had developed new varieties of crossandra and also quality and disease free species of casuarinas plants. He said he had bagged several awards instituted by the Central and State governments, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and also figures in the Limca Book of World Records for his innovative seedlings and crossandra varieties. He had named the innovative variety of crossandra as Abdul Kalam variety and also christened the casuarinas developed through newer technologies for lush growth in his lab as Rangasamy variety (named after Puducherry Chief Minister). Venkatapathy Reddiar has done Puducherry proud through his achievement, said a senior Puducherry official.