K.A. Beena wins Statesman Award for Rural Reporting
K.A. Beena, member of the Network of Women in Media, India, was awarded the Second Prize in The Statesman Awards for Rural Reporting 2024. She won the award for her report, “Permanently on the Precipice: Sujatha’s Life as Panchayat President and After“, published in The AIDEM.
The report chronicles the struggles of Sujatha Ramesh, a Dalit woman elected Panchayat President in Tamil Nadu, who was denied the right to hoist the tricolour, faced death threats, and resisted systemic caste discrimination.
The Statesman Awards for Rural Reporting celebrates journalists who give voice to India’s villages and marginalised communities. The award organisers commended Beena’s work for reflecting “a deep engagement with social realities”, reporting on the “peripheral voices of modern India”, and “showcasing how urban culture often forgets the dire need for protection of victims of caste-based-discrimination.”
Congratulations, K.A. Beena!
