The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Awards for development journalism presented

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 06, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Awards for development journalism presented

Staff Reporter

Awards instituted by the Charkha Development Communication Network

HONOURED: Governor T.N. Chaturvedi (second from left) along with Charkha Award winners K.N. Hari Kumar (right), Onkar Kakade (left) and Ganadhalu Srikanta (third from right) at the presentation function in Bangalore on Wednesday. Shree Padre, farm jo urnalist, is with them. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

BANGALORE: The former Editor-in-Chief of Deccan Herald and Prajavani, K.N. Hari Kumar was today presented the "Mentor Award for Encouragement to Development Journalism in Kannada" by Governor T.N. Chaturvedi. The special award was instituted by the Charkha Development Communication Network to recognise the role and work of a senior mainstream journalist in promoting development journalism within his or her publication and industry.

Onkar Kakade, a senior reporter attached to the Kannada daily Prajavani, and Ganadhalu Srikanta, a sub-editor/reporter of Vijaya Karnataka were presented this year's Charkha Awards for Excellence in Development Journalism. These annual awards are in appreciation of the efforts of journalists to writing on development issues in Kannada. The awards comprise a purse of Rs. 10,000 each and a citation.

The newly instituted Mentor Award is in memory of the late Sanjoy Das Gupta, who had encouraged and nurtured concepts and initiatives towards a common social good. This year's recipient, Mr. Hari Kumar, headed Deccan Herald and Prajavani from 1987 to 2001. "Along with creating a new genre of journalism, Hari Kumar nurtured journalists and encouraged them to investigate issues with depth and fearlessness," read the citation.

In her keynote address, noted development economist Devaki Jain termed journalism the next big thing happening in the country after the IT industry. "It is a sign of a curious, exciting India. There is a synergy between the Indian citizen and the Indian journalist," she observed.

Reiterating her son, television journalist Srinivasan Jain's words, Ms. Jain said Indian journalism was the most exciting because of the sharpness and variety in news. "Today, the big story is India's story. Journalists try to illuminate what remains in the dark." On the emergence of more local dailies, she wanted them to also focus on the macro debates that touched the lives of people. "That is where the sky is really falling down. Localising journalism could be dangerous if it feeds ghettoism of women and Dalits, for instance," she noted.

The Governor described journalism as the water that let democracy grow, that seeped to its roots. He saw a big boost in the number of regional language dailies and more focus on socio-economic issues. But he felt the print medium would have a much more lasting impact on society than television journalism.

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