New Delhi: ThePrint’s founder and Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta was conferred the Capital Foundation National Award Sunday for his “unique and distinguished” contribution to journalism.
The award, instituted by the Capital Foundation Society — a non-profit organisation — was presented to him by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, who was the chief guest at the ceremony, organised at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi.
Former Supreme Court judge Arjan Kumar Sikri referred to Gupta as a “fearless journalist” as he read from the citation. “To uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, we need fearless and independent judges. Likewise, to uphold the values of journalism, we need independent and fearless journalists, and I think you tick all the boxes which are necessary. That is your personality…It’s an honour for the Capital Foundation Society to be giving you the award for your unique contribution to journalism,” Justice Sikri said.
The awardees included 19 other noted personalities. Among them were former Odisha governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, former Supreme Court judge Madan B. Lokur, former Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court Ajay Kumar Mittal, founder and Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank Uday Kotak, as well as chief guest Khan.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Khan shared his views on “unity in diversity”.
“If you look at world civilisation…for any civilisation to grow, the sense of unity was absolutely essential. The unity was there because most of the civilisations either belonged to the same race, they spoke the same language, they adhered to the same religious tradition…,” he said.
“Aatma (soul) does not make any distinction nor does it leave out anyone. That is our cultural and civilisational heritage,” the chief guest continued.
He went on to say that India has always been considered a “knowledge civilisation”.
“This is the time for India now…we should fully realise our potential and once we convince ourselves that this is our heritage, there is no reason why we should leave any stone unturned to achieve,” he further said.
The award ceremony, an annual event, was physically organised for the first time in two years Sunday.
Since its inception in 1987, the Capital Foundation Society has been engaged in providing a platform for policy dialogue and debate on issues of national and international importance. Over 250 events have been organised by the foundation.