Indian Senior journalist Ravish Kumar was awarded this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award for “harnessing journalism to give voice to the voiceless”. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize and is considered as the most prestigious awards in Asia.
Kumar, NDTV India’s Senior Executive Editor who has been with the company since 1996, is the only Indian among the five recipients of the award this year. The other awardee are: Ko Swe Win, a journalist based in Myanmar, Thailand’s Angkhana Neelapajit, Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab of Philippines and South Korea’s Kim Jong Ki.
The Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who won the 2006 Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership, tweeted his congratulations.
“Delighted to hear the great news of Ravish Kumar being announced 2019 Ramon Magsaysay award. I welcome Ravish to the club of Magsaysay awardees and hope to see his brave journalism go from strength to strength in these difficult times. Many congratulations my friend,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.
“Ravish Kumar, who without fear, without changing, showed the mirror of reality to those in power, getting Ramon Magsaysay award is a matter of pride for journalism. Many, many congratulations!” Rahul Gandhi said in a Facebook post.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti joined Rahul Gandhi in congratulating Kumar.
Other Indians who have won the award earlier include former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, journalist-turned-politician Arun Shourie and cartoonist R K Laxman.
