South Indian Carnatic musician TM Krishna, and human rights activist Bezwada Wilson won the esteemed Ramon Magsaysay Award this year. Recognised as Asia’s Nobel Prize, the two Indian awardees won it for bringing in social relevance and activism in their respective professions. Other winners included Conchita Carpio-Morales from Philippines, Dompet Dhuafa from Indonesia, Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, and Vientiane Rescue from Laos.
Photo credit: The Wire
Thodur Madabusi Krishna, born and raised in Chennai, is the enfant terrible of Carnatic music. Krishna participated in activism closely associated with the fishing community of Urur Olcott Kuppam, organising concerts in the area during the musical month of Margazhi. The concerts, or vizhas, were organised to wed culture with cause. His citation for the award spoke of him ‘breaking barriers of caste and class to unleash what music has to offer not just for some but for all’.
Krishna, a nonconformist to tradition, even spoke of the commodification of arts and culture in today’s world. “For the young musicians with dreams, things have only gotten worse and murkier. There is money being spent in the name of donations for concert opportunities, middlemen operating at many levels and the power of the dollar becoming more and more visible. I have the greatest admiration for those young musicians today who have made a mark in spite of all this. But there are many others who are still left behind only because they cannot play this game. I don’t think things were as bad in the early 90’s,” he wrote.
Photo credit: Yourstory.com
Bezwada Wilson from Karnataka was lauded for his efforts in ‘
Recommended
The Magsaysay Awards
The Magsaysay Awards began in 1957, after the death of Phillipines’ president Ramon Magsaysay. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) was organized in Manila in May 1957, with seven prominent Filipinos as founding members of the foundation’s board of trustees. The Foundation has since implemented the Magsaysay Award Program, with the motto: “honoring greatness of spirit in selfless service to the peoples of Asia.”
The award is given to those who address issues of human development in Asia in their works that have helped make a change in their societies. The award is given in six categories: a) government service b) public service c) community leadership d) journalism, literature and creative communication arts e) peace and international understanding, and f) emergent leadership.
Other Indian winners
Last year, Anshu Gupta, the social entrepreneur behind an NGO called Goonj, won the Magsaysay Award for “his creative vision in transforming the culture of giving in India”. Sanjiv Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service Officer, was the second winner last year for his outspoken nature and rising reputation as a ‘whistle-blower’ who was always in constant conflict with the government.
Filmmaker Satyajit Ray won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1967 under the Journalist, Literature, and Creative Communications Arts category. Recognized as one of the greatest filmmaker in the 20th century, his contribution to films and writing won him the coveted award.
Classical Singer MS Subbulakshmi won the Award in 1974 for her contribution to Carnatic music under the Public Service category.
Other Notable winners of the Award include artist RK Laxman, current chief minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal, Hindustani musician Ravi Shankar, writer and activist Mahasweta Devi, and journalist P Sainath, to name a few.
Thus far, a total number of 53 Indians have won the Award.
Photo credits: Wikipedia, Amazon, Yourstory.com, and The Wire