Washington:
“India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go,” Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has said, as he received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award from the Indian envoy to the US.
Indian-American Mr Pichai was awarded the Padma Bhushan for 2022 in the Trade and Industry category. The Madurai-born Mr Pichai was named one of the 17 awardees earlier this year.
He received India’s third-highest civilian award in the presence of his close family members in San Francisco on Friday.
“I am deeply grateful to the Indian government and the people of India for this immense honour. It is incredibly meaningful to be honoured in this way by the country that shaped me,” 50-year-old Mr Pichai said while accepting the award from India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
“India is a part of me. I carry it with me wherever I go. (Unlike this beautiful award which I will keep somewhere safe),” he said.
“I was fortunate to grow up in a family that cherished learning and knowledge, with parents who sacrificed a lot to make sure I had opportunities to explore my interests,” Mr Pichai said.
India’s Consul General in San Francisco, T V Nagendra Prasad, was also present during the event
Delighted to hand over Padma Bhushan to CEO @Google & Alphabet @sundarpichai in San Francisco.
— Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) December 2, 2022
Sundar’s inspirational journey from #Madurai to Mountain View, strengthening ????economic & tech. ties, reaffirms Indian talent’s contribution to global innovation pic.twitter.com/cDRL1aXiW6