Hamsadhwani’s Distinguished Citizen Award presented to industrialist B. Santhanam

Minister for AI, IT and Digital Services R. Kumar honored industrialist B. Santhanam with the Distinguished Citizen Award-2026 on Tuesday at the Youth Hostel in Chennai. The award, established by Hamsadhwani to commemorate its 36th anniversary, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to society. In his remarks, Mr. Kumar emphasized that Tamil Nadu has long been a melting pot of culture and language, with artificial intelligence now offering new opportunities to preserve and promote these heritage assets.

R. Sundar, secretary of Hamsadhwani, explained that the Distinguished Citizen Award concept was proposed by the organization's founder, R. Ramachandran, with Dr. V. Shantha of the Adyar Cancer Institute as the inaugural recipient. President Seetharaman of Hamsadhwani introduced Mr. Santhanam, who served as the former chairman and CEO of Saint Gobain, Asia Pacific and India Region, and an alumnus of IIT-Madras and IIM, Ahmedabad.

Mr. Seetharaman highlighted Mr. Santhanam's four-decade-long career with the Saint Gobain Group, noting his pivotal role in driving investments exceeding Euro 1.5 billion and establishing a world-class manufacturing presence in India.