On 23rd October this year, P. Sainath was in Chitradurga, head quarters of the district of the same name in Karnataka. He was there to receive the Basavashree Award for his yeoman service rendered through People’s Archive of Rural India on the rural folk in the way of a Journalistic Movement. The award has been instituted by Shri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, the present pontiff of the Shrimurugha Mutt, located in this town about 200 kilometres away from Bangalore.
This Award is meant to honour the work of academicians who are engaged in fruitful research on the movement and philosophy of 12th century A.D. Sharanas like Basaveshwara, and publish their specialized works or such social workers/ institutions involved in selfless service to the humanity to create an egalitarian society, an ideal espoused by Basaveshwara. The Award consists of a cash prize of Rupees Five Lakh and a Citation.
The citation reads: Basavashree Award for the year 2016 is being conferred on P. Sainath for his yeoman service rendered through People’s Archive of Rural India to the rural folk in the way of Journalism Movement.
Sri Murugha Math Chitradurga is pleased to confer its Basavashree Award 2016 on Sri Sainath, for his yeoman service rendered through People’s Archive of Rural India on the rural folk in the way of a Journalistic Movement, which resounds the bells of revolution of Sharanas of 12th century A.D. Karnataka. Hence, Sri Murugha Math Chitradurga honours Sri P. Sainath by conferring its prestigious Basavashree Award – 2016.
About Basava/ Basavanna
Basavanna was a 12th century poet in the Bhakti movement focussed on Shiva, a statesman and social reformer and Hindu philosopher who believed in the equality of all human beings irrespective of caste and gender. He rejected religious rituals and embraced a personalised worship, believing the body of each human being itself to be a temple. He was the chief minister of the Kalachuri-dynasty king Bijjala I in Karnataka. Vachana Sahitya in the Kannada language are among his literary works.
