Architects, designers and builders were recently honoured for excellence in their respective fields
When a leading filmmaker such as Priyadarshan stands on stage and praises architects; when a graceful dancer like Shobana does a Bharatanatyam depiction of the busy, contemporary Indian woman, cradling her baby, cooking and then zipping off to work on her two-wheeler; when that's followed by an energetic filmi number by actor Amrita Arora; when the invitees are graceful women like Vidya Singh, and when the honoured are shy real estate giants like C. Subba Reddy, you know that it's a Society event. When Society Interiorsdecided to honour the city's architects, designers and builders for excellence in their fields, it was only natural that the audience would comprise the city's elite (this includes squash champion Joshna Chinappa, senior advocate Nalini Chidambaram and film star Shreya). Director Priyadarshan, launching the event's title sponsor RR Kabel's product, said, "It's an unfamiliar crowd for me, but I am honoured to be here because I have a lot of respect for creative people." "Design has finally come of age, but we are still developing, we are still learning," said Babita Krishnan, Editor, Society Interiors. The event which honoured the best in the city, had snappy dance items in between, including one by Neha Dhupia. C. N. Raghvendran (C. R. Narayana Rao Architects and Engineers) was given the Lifetime Dedication Honour award. The Creative Excellence Honour (Senior Category) award was given to Shivashanker (Esskay Design) and Venkat (Natraj and Venkat Associates). The Creative Excellence Honour went to the husband and wife team Oscar and Ponni Concessao who charmingly gave each other credit, while the Upcoming Category was given to W. Anand (Anand Architects). The Magazine's Choice went to Krithika Subramaniam (Transform Design). Sekhar James (Masterplan) was the Landscape Architect of the year, and Arati Chari won in the Upcoming Category for the same. Land Development Honours went to the C. Subba Reddy of Ceebros, and to N. Ravichandran of True Value Homes. And finally, the RR Kabel Power Honour Corporate award went to M. S. Ramesh (Madras Electrical Consultants) and Stephen Michael (S. M. Engineers & Consultants).
