Manu Baligar

He hails from Shigli in Gadag district, and is the elder brother of V. P. Baligar, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer and former chairman of Housing and Urban Development Corporation.

Also, he has been conferred with two gold medals for his exemplary work on IRDP during his career as a civil servant.

He also happens to be the only bureaucrat to receive an honorary doctorate from Karnataka University for contributing to Kannada literature.

[7] Some of his famous works include Belaka Bedagu - compilation of his columns in Prajavani daily, Mylara Mahadeva - a play on the life of a legendary martyr, and a biography of former chief minister of Karnataka, S. R.

[9][10][11][12] He has delivered innumerable keynote lectures on Kannada literature in international literary conferences held at countries like UK, America, Australia, Nepal and Singapore.

Nadoja Dr. Manu Baligar and other awardees in a group photograph with the Hon'ble Vice President of Nepal, Mr. Nanda Kishor Pun after Kalashree Award ceremony at the office of the Vice President of Nepal in Kathmandu on 11 April 2019.