Indian journalist, Ravish Kumar, has gained international recognition by winning the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2019. The honour is bestowed upon him for his extensive use of journalism to provide a platform for the unheard. The other winners spanning across varied fields include individuals from Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, and South Korea.
Ravish Kumar and Other Winners
Ravish Kumar, an eminent Indian journalist, has emerged as one of the deserving winners of the esteemed Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2019. His tireless efforts have involved utilizing journalism as a powerful tool to articulate the issues faced by the marginalized sector of society.
The other winners alongside Kumar are Ko Swe Win, a journalist from Myanmar; Angkhana Neelapajit, a human rights activist from Thailand; Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab, a musician from the Philippines, and Kim Jong-Ki, an activist from South Korea who focuses on helping youth dealing with violence and mental health issues.
Previous Recipients
In 2018, the award had been granted to Sonam Wangchuk, an educational reformer from Ladakh, along with Bharat Vatwani, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist catering to the needs of mentally ill street dwellers.
| Year | Awardee | Field |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ravish Kumar | Journalism |
| 2018 | Sonam Wangchuk | Education Reform |
| 2018 | Bharat Vatwani | Psychiatry |
About the Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award was first introduced in 1957 and since then, it has been considered as one of the most prestigious awards in Asia. Named after the third president of the Republic of the Philippines, the award covers five traditional categories such as government service, public service, community leadership, journalism, literature and creative communication arts, and peace and international understanding.
From 2009 onwards, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation began recognizing the participants who have demonstrated emergent leadership. The recipients are awarded a certificate, a medallion with an embossed image of Ramon Magsaysay and a cash prize. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is globally known as Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, thus making it the highest honour granted to Asian individuals and organizations.
