Noted journalist P. Sainath has been selected as one of the three recipients of the Fukuoka Prize for 2021. Mr. Sainath will receive the ‘Grand Prize’ of the Fukuoka Prize while the Academic Prize and the Prize for Arts and Culture will go to Prof. Kishimoto Mio of Japan and filmmaker Prabda Yoon of Thailand respectively.
In a statement issued by the Secretariat of the Fukuoka Prize Committee, Mr. Sainath was described as a “very deserving recipient of the Grand Prize of Fukuoka Prize”. The Secretariat noted his work for creating a new form of knowledge through his writings and commentaries on rural India and for “promoting civil cooperation”.
The Fukuoka Prize is given annually to distinguished people to foster and increase awareness of Asian cultures, and to create a broad framework of exchange and mutual learning among the Asian people. The Grand Prize has earlier been awarded to Muhammad Yunus from Bangladesh, historian Romila Thapar, and sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan. Eleven Indians have received the Fukuoka Prize so far.
115 people from 28 countries and areas have received the Prize in the past 30 years. The Prize was established in 1990.
Prof. Mio has been recognised for her understanding of Chinese history. Prabda Yoon will receive the prize for increasing understanding of Japan in Thailand and for pursuing “a deeper philosophical insight into the future of humanity”, said the statement from the Secretariat of the Fukuoka Prize Committee.
This year’s award ceremony will be held online on September 29.
