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Dawn, HT win inaugural Karpoor Chandra Kulish International Award

The annual international award carries prize money of US$11,000 and a trophy. Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia attended the ceremony, and former Indian president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam gave away the awards

The first inaugural Karpoor Chandra Kulish International Award 2007, instituted by Rajasthan Patrika for excellence in print journalism, was shared jointly by Dawn (Pakistan) and Hindustan Times (Delhi).

The award has been instituted in the memory of Karpoor Chand Kulish, the founder of Rajasthan Patrika. The annual international award carries prize money of US$11,000 and a trophy. The glittering awards ceremony was hosted by actor Anupam Kher. Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia attended the ceremony, and former Indian president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam gave away the awards.

The theme for the KCKIA award for 2007 was human development. The jury received 187 entries in all from countries such as the US, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan. The news stories that walked away with top honours were ‘Why Does Corporate Pakistan Detest Democracy?’ by editor Afsan Subhai and her team at Dawn and ‘The New Muslims – From Masjid to Market, A Journey’ by senior editor Nilesh Mishra and his team at Hindustan Times.

Dawn, HT win inaugural Karpoor Chandra Kulish International Award
Giving away the awards, Dr Kalam urged young journalists to take a pledge to commit themselves to responsible journalism, taking care to not sensationalise news. He urged journalists to vigorously pursue stories relating to rural India. Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who chaired the function, expressed his displeasure over the “single-minded” obsession of a section of the media with market forces; he said editorial policy should not be directed by the profit motive or by the prejudices of “media moghuls and barons”.

Gulab Kothari, editor, Rajasthan Patrika, said, “Rajasthan Patrika has launched the KCKIA with a view to honour journalists who cover people’s struggle to pursue a life of dignity, fulfilment and honour. Rajasthan Patrika has always been the first one to promote values in journalism and society.”

The jury that judged the entries for the awards comprised luminaries such as N Ram, editor in chief, The Hindu; HK Dua, editor in chief, The Tribune; Prof. Bakul H Dholakia, former director, IIM Ahmedabad; Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and national creative director, Ogilvy & Mather Ltd; and Gulab Kothari, editor and managing director, Rajasthan Patrika.

Rajasthan Patrika claims to be the No.1 Hindi daily in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It commands a readership of around 13 million (IRS).

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