Padma Shri awardee Dr Anil Kumar Rastogi, an 80-plus actor-scientist, on Wednesday clarified that he inadvertently missed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's extended hand during the Padma Awards ceremony due to his age and the overwhelming nature of the occasion. The brief interaction, which went viral on social media, sparked a flurry of reactions after a clip was shared by Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale, who captioned it as “Modi’s event management fail”.
Rastogi's Clarification and Defense of PM Modi
Responding to the criticism, Rastogi defended the Prime Minister and dismissed attempts to politicise the incident. In a reply to Gokhale's post, he wrote: “For all those making fun, I’m a man of 80+ years. This was an oversight on my part due to my age. I have huge respect for our PM and feel that he is the best choice we currently have for running the country.” He further stated that the incident should not be interpreted as disrespect, adding, “That does not mean I respect the man any less. I have always been a BJP supporter and have very high regard for Narendra Modi.”
Details of the Viral Clip
The video, widely circulated online, showed Rastogi walking towards the stage to receive the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu. As Prime Minister Modi appeared to extend his hand for a handshake, Rastogi greeted him with folded hands and moved ahead. Rastogi explained that he only realised the missed handshake when he watched the telecast later. “I was out to receive one of India’s highest civilian awards, a big achievement for me. I was anxious and overwhelmed and missed that stretched hand,” he wrote in another post, expressing disappointment that the focus had shifted away from the award ceremony itself.
Rastogi's Background and Achievements
According to the official Padma Awards profile, Dr Anil Kumar Rastogi is an eminent artist with contributions spanning theatre, cinema, radio and television. He has staged around 1,000 performances of nearly 100 plays, acted in over 75 feature films and appeared in more than 500 television episodes. Besides his artistic achievements, he is also an accomplished scientist with more than 78 co-authored research publications and is known for his philanthropic work for destitute patients.
