By MM News
Bengaluru: The National Confederation of Human Rights Organizations (NCHRO) conducted a Seminar entitled, “VTR and Dalit-Bahujan Empowerment” followed by “2018 Mukundan C Menon Award Ceremony” at Paalana Bhavana, Bengaluru. The seminar welcomed over 250 delegates to meet, listen and inspire with.
Highlights of the event included a welcome and opening speech by Prof P Koya, General Secretary
NCHRO, chaired by NCHRO Chairperson, Prof A Marx.EM Abdul Rahiman, Chairman of the Empower India Foundation, was the keynote speaker.
Kancha Ilaiah (Director of the Centre for Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at Maulana Azad National Urdu University) addressed the audience with a thought-provoking presentation which provided insight and perspective.
Speakers at the Seminar included Smt.Kalai Selvi (Writer & Human Rights Activist), Adv. KP Muhammed Shareef (NCHRO Vice Chairperson), Adv. Bhavai Mohan (President, NCHRO Tamil Nadu
Chapter), Adv S Balan(President, NCHRO Karnataka Chapter), Anish Ahmed (Secretary, Popular Front of India). “Facts Do not Lie” compilation of Independent Fact Finding Reports which was released by Adv Bhavani Mohan by handing over to Kalai Selvi.
VT Rajshekhar is the pioneering ideologue of Dalit-Bahujan empowerment and has a long history of working for the rights of people especially for the Dalits and other vulnerable groups. He was formerly a journalist on the Indian Express, where he worked for 25 years. Over a period spanning more than half a century, he has represented the sentiments and issues of Dalits in India, used his language and social analysis against upper caste hegemony and Indian apartheid in the form of untouchability and casteism using the Dalit Voice magazine as the main platform. He is also the author of a great number of pamphlets and books, in which he emphasized, that in Indian context, caste is the common denominator or the base structure on which the super structures like politics, law, religion and social institutions are built.
The Mukundan C Menon Award 2018 was awarded to Shri V T Rajshekar by Anish Ahmed,in recognition of his work in the pursuit of advancing civil liberties and human rights. The Mukundan C Menon Human Rights Award instituted by NCHRO is awarded each year to organizations and individuals which embody excellent activism in the defence of human rights. The NCHRO Award is given in memory of Mukundan C Menon the veteran journalist, human rights defender and the first General Secretary of NCHRO. The award was established in 2006 soon after his death on Dec 12, 2005. Each year we are proud to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of individuals and organizations in promoting and protecting human rights and freedoms. V.T. Rajshekar was the 13th recipient of the Award.
