Burkina Faso’s acclaimed journalist Mariam Ouedraogo presented the award before an audience of eminent figures from the media world….reports Asian Lite News
UK-based journalist Anasudheen Azeez, editor of London Daily from Fleet Street, was conferred with the first V. P. Ramachandran Memorial Award during the International Media Festival of Kerala, organised by the Kerala Media Academy. The award was handed over by Mariam Ouedraogo, a noted journalist from Burkina Faso, in the presence of leading media personalities, while eminent journalist Karan Thapar also honoured Anasudheen Azeez on the occasion.
Veteran journalists Babu Sebastian, Thomas Jacob, and guests including Prof. K. V. Thomas and K. C. Narayanan graced the occasion.
Expressing immense joy on receiving the honour, Anasudheen fondly remembered his mentor and teacher V. P. Ramachandran, whose guidance at the Kerala Media Academy shaped his career. “VPR was the major force that pushed me beyond barriers and languages. It was he who instructed me to make the shift from Malayalam to English. His Gandhian values of journalism and ethics remain a model for all aspiring journalists,” he said.
Anasudheen urged young journalists to look beyond borders and ceilings, reminding them that journalism is not about money but about professionalism and responsibility. He also noted that V. P. Ramachandran, unlike many of his contemporaries, never aligned with powerful cliques in Delhi and upheld the highest ethical standards throughout his career.
Thanking the Kerala Media Academy for the award, Anasudheen said the recognition carried deep personal meaning as it connected him back to his roots and to the ideals of his mentor.
The festival’s highlight was also the presentation of the Media Person of the Year 2024 Award to Mariam Ouedraogo from Burkina Faso. The Indian Media Person of the Year Awards went to senior journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Karan Thapar.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, inaugurating the festival, observed that journalism in India was passing through “one of its most challenging phases”, where criticism of the ruling establishment was often branded as sedition. He said most of the media was controlled by corporate monopolies with the government’s backing, which made an international festival of this kind highly significant.
The Chief Minister also expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people, condemned the ongoing massacres in Gaza, and handed over a declaration of support signed by delegates to Abdullah Abu Shawesh, Ambassador of Palestine to India.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, Kerala Media Academy Chairman R. S. Babu, Director of Public Relations T. V. Subhash IAS, poet Prabha Varma, jury member Thomas Jacob, and several leading editors and media union representatives.
