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O Panneerselvam awarded global rising star

A galaxy of leaders and celebrities were present at the glittering ceremony.

CHENNAI: On an official tour of the USA, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam was on Monday decorated with the 'International Rising Star of the Year-Asia' award at the 'Global Community Oscars, 2019-the Ninth Annual Congressional Awards Gala' in Chicago. A galaxy of leaders and celebrities were present at the glittering ceremony.

Thanking the awards-committee of the Multi-Ethnic Advisory Task Force (MEATF) that had organised the event, OPS said he was accepting the honour on behalf of all the people of Tamil Nadu, "Not with a sense of achievement but with a sense of burden of a new responsibility" to perform his public duties "with greater commitment, passion and effectiveness to match your enhanced expectations".

He also saw the award as "recognition of the deep ties between the world's oldest modern democracy and the world's largest democracy".

Recalling that his mentor Jayalalithaa had received her 'Thanga Tharagai' award from the Chicago-based 'World Federation of Tamil Youth', OPS said: "Hence, it is an even greater honour for me to receive this award here in Chicago". He also complimented the MEATF founder Dr Vijay Prabhakar, who was also present on the dais, as being "the livewire behind many of the community activities not just in the Chicago area, but all over the United States and in India" besides bringing together "more than 24 ethnic communities with origins all over the world and living in the Chicago area".

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