Apart from their value, awards are also symbolic gestures. The Ramon Magsaysay awarded to TM Krishna and Bezwada Wilson makes a strong point about Dalit identity in India.
Bezwada Wilson, the national convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan is a well-known campaigner for eradication of manual scavenging in India. TM Krishna, on the other hand, is a Carnatic singer who received the award for “social inclusiveness in culture.”
TM Krishna’s official award citation said:
He saw that his was a caste-dominated art that fostered an unjust, hierarchic order by effectively excluding the lower classes from sharing in a vital part of India’s cultural legacy. He questioned the politics of art; widened his knowledge about the arts of the dalits (‘untouchables’) and non-Brahmin communities.Ramon Magsaysay Award Citation
Bezwada Wilson, whose work at the Safai Karmahchari Andolan has been well-recognized in the country, was appreciated for his work for “Dalits’ self-emancipation.”
Fifty years old, Bezwada Wilson has spent 32 years on his crusade, leading not only with a sense of moral outrage but also with remarkable skills in mass organizing, and working within India’s complex legal system. SKA has grown into a network of 7,000 members in 500 districts across the country. Of the estimated 600,000 scavengers in India, SKA has liberated around 300,000.Ramon Magsaysay Award Citation
Social media was abuzz with congratulations for the two men.
(With inputs from The Hindu)
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