Maharashtra Bhushan for Tendulkar

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has been nominated for the prestigious 'Maharashtra Bhushan' for the year 2000-01 by the State government.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, when the former India captain celebrated his 28th birthday.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 500,000, a citation and a memento, Cultural Affairs Minister Ramkrishna More informed a news conference in Bombay.

The decision to name Tendulkar as the recipient of this year's award was unanimously taken by the award advisory committee, headed by Chief Minsiter Vilasrao Deshmukh, More said.

The other members of the committee are deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, senior PWP leader N D Patil, senior poet Narayan Surve, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar and journalist Kumar Ketkar.

The award would be presented to Tendulkar at a public function at Rang Bhavan on May 1.

The previous recepients of the award are renowned litterateur late P L Deshpande, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, Gavaskar and IT wizard Vijay Bhatkar.

Bhatkar, who won the award for 1999-2000, will also receive it at the same function.

Mail Cricket Editor