In news- Noted journalist P. Sainath has been selected as one of the three recipients of the Fukuoka Prize for 2021.
Key updates-
- He will receive the ‘Grand Prize’ of the Fukuoka Prize.
- The Secretariat of the Fukuoka Prize Committee noted his work for creating a new form of knowledge through his writings and commentaries on rural India and for “promoting civil cooperation”.
- After establishing the People’s Archive of Rural India in 2014 as a platform for digital journalism, Sainath has worked on ground-breaking projects of collecting information about the diverse cultures of rural societies.
- He was awarded the European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Prize for journalism in 1995 and the Amnesty International Global Human Rights Journalism Prize in 2000.
- He received the UN Food & Agriculture Organization’s Boerma Prize in 2001 and the Ramon Magsaysay Award for outstanding contribution to Asian journalism in 2007.
- His major publications are ‘Everybody loves a good drought’, which is a collection of 85 articles published in The Times of India, under the series “The face of poor India”.
- Besides the Grand Prize, the two more award categories are the ‘Academic Prize’ and the ‘Prize for Arts and Culture’ which went to Prof. Kishimoto Mio of Japan and filmmaker Prabda Yoon of Thailand respectively.
About the award-
- The award was established by Japan’s Fukuoka city and the Fukuoka City International Foundation.
- It is given annually to distinguished people to foster and increase awareness of Asian cultures, and to create a broad framework of exchange and mutual learning among the Asian people.
- It was first awarded in 1990.
- It is limited to East, South, and Southeast Asia.
- Eleven Indians have received the Fukuoka Prize so far including musician AR Rahman and historians Romila Thapar, Ramchandra Guha.
- There are three prize categories: Grand Prize, Academic Prize, and Arts and Culture Prize.
- Grand Prize- To be presented to an individual or an organization in either the field of academics or arts and culture. The prize is endowed with 5 million yen.
- Academic Prize- To be presented to one or two individuals or organizations that have made outstanding achievements in the field of Asian studies, such as social and human sciences. The prize is endowed with 3 million yen.
Arts and Culture Prize – To be presented to one or two individuals or organizations who have made outstanding contributions in the diverse arts and culture of Asia like fine arts, literature, music, drama, dance, film, architecture, and so forth. The prize is endowed with 3 million yen.
Source: The Hindu
