Dramatist and Padma Shri awardee Yazdi Karanjia and businesswoman-social sector professional Ruzan Khambatta were among the 28 Gujarat residents bestowed with the Gujarat Gaurav Ratna Award for their contributions to the State and society at AMA Auditorium Ahmedabad on August 7, 2021. Awardees included achievers in various fields including artists, athletes, officials and religious leaders.
Surat-based Karanjia told Parsiana on August 17 that he was "pleasantly surprised” at the award, a year after being honored with the Padma Shri (see "Doyen of drama,” Parsiana, July 7-20, 2020). "Aapuné aapru kaam karya karvanu (We have to keep on doing our work),” he stated, expressing gratefulness for the recognition.
Yazdi Karanjia (l) and Ruzan Khambatta
Khambatta stated that her experience with information technology enabled services helped in developing PoliceHEART 1091, an application which "has rescued women from potential crimes like rape, molestation, domestic violence and kidnapping… The technology does not require you to possess a smart phone or GPS (global positioning system) — you don’t even need to speak! Just call 1091 and the police will find the location and rescue the victim,” she informed Parsiana.
The awards are an initiative of the Dr Shailesh Thaker Foundation, in association with Knowledge Plus Foundation and Association of Indian Americans in North America.