Pontiff sulks as Padma Shri eludes him

hubli: the pontiff of the 12th century moorsaviramath of hubli, gangadhara rajayogindra swami (mojugam) and his followers are a disgruntled lot. reason: this year's prestigious padma shri award for communal harmony eluded mojugam but went to another from the region. the 76-year-old mojugam is having a tough time consoling his sulking disciples. "i do not aspire for any recognition. but i am aware that the math followers are unhappy about it," he told the sunday times of india. the first to register his protest was mallikarjun kanti, the chairman of s.r.kanti smarakha vedike. "whenever there is a disturbance in hubli, the chief minister, ministers and politicians seek my help to defuse the tension. in 1984 when hubli was burning, it was i who took a lead in bringing a rapprochement between the warring communities." in 1992 when the idgah maidan issue snowballed into a communal clash, the cm approached the swami for help. mojugam makes no bones that peace in hubli comes first for him. ``peace in hubli is my first priority." "may be there were other factors that were taken into consideration while choosing a person for the padma shri for communal harmony,'' rationalises the swami. not one to give up, he says: "i will double my efforts to achieve permanent peace in hubli. it is a known fact that communal disharmony has cost hubli dear,'' he added. "awards and recognition are insignificant for me. god is the ultimate judge."