Khadri Shamanna Awards, meant for reputed journalists, were presented to U.B.Rajalakshmi, editor of Taranga, a weekly and R.P.Venkateshamurthy, editor of Janatha Madhyama, at a programme in Hassan on Saturday.
H.R.Shreesha, secretary of Khadri Shamanna Memorial Trust, said the trust honours a journalist each year in memory of Khadri Shamanna, a journalist and social activist. “We don’t invite applications for the award. We select a suitable journalist considering his or her contribution to journalism. We could not present the award in 2020 due to COVID-19. Hence, we are presenting awards of 2020 and 2021 together”, he said.
K.V.Nagaraj, Hi.Shi.Ramachandra Gowda, H.R.Shreesha of Khadri Shamanna trust, Karnataka Union of Working Journalists president Shivanand Tagadur and others were present.
A discussion on the Emergency of 1975 was also held on the occasion. Journalists H.R.Shreesha, M.K.Bhaskar Rao, K.P.Vasudevan and retired police officer J.B.Rangaswamy spoke. They also opined that while in 1975 there was an Emergency declared by the government, at present an undeclared emergency had been in effect.