Magsaysay Award – The Nobel Prize of Asia | Indian Winners .

Introduction to Magsaysay Award

 

The Magsaysay Award, sometimes also known as Nobel Prize of Asia, was introduced in 1957, in the memory of the Philippines President Late Ramon Magsaysay, who died on March 17, 1957. The president died in a plane crash, is remembered by his countrymen for his great leadership. The President is loved by the people for his courage, simplicity, justice.

The prize was introduced by his admirers from America, the Rockefeller Brothers, in April 1957 under the Rockefeller Brothers Fund based in New York City with the contemporary Philippine government. It is awarded to honor the spirit of greatness in various fields viz. Government Service, Public
Service, Community Leadership, Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts, Peace and International Understanding and Emergent Leadership etc to people of Asia.

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay was born on August 31, 1907. He was the seventh President of the Republic of the Philippines, elected on December 30, 1953. He was a die-hard anti-Communist. He was an automobile mechanic by profession. He was nominated for the post of President by his party Nacionalista Party. He was married to Luz Magsaysay in 1932 and fathered three children.

Ramon Magsaysay’s Life History

1. 1907 – In Iba, Zambales, Philippines to Exequiel Magsaysay and Perfecta del Fierro.                                                    

2. 1927 – Entered in the University of the Philippines for Pre-engineering course                                                           

3. 1941 – Joined the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.                                                     

4. 1946 – Elected under the Liberal Party to the Philippine House of Representatives                                                      

5. 1953 – Resigned his post as Defense Secretary and became the Presidential Candidate of the Nacionalista Party 

6. 1953 – 1n December, elected as the seventh president of the country

Indians Winners of Magsaysay Award                    

Name                                              Year            Field(s)

Chintaman Deshmukh              1958 Community Leadership
Chintaman Deshmukh              1959 Government Services
Amitabha Chowdhury               1961 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Mother Teresa                               1962 Peace and International Understanding
Dara Khurody                               1963 Community Leadership
Verghese Kurien                           1963 Community Leadership
Tribhuvandas Patel                    1963 Community Leadership



Welthy Fisher                             1964 Peace and International Understanding

Jayaprakash Narayan              1965 Public Service
K.D. Chattopadhyay                  1966 Community Leadership
Satyajit Ray                                 1967 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm.
M.S. Swaminathan                    1971 Community Leadership
M.S.Subbulakshmi                    1974 Public Service
Boobli G Verghese                       1975 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
H. Holck-Larsen                          1976 Peace and International Understanding
Sombhu Mitra                             1976 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Ela Ramesh                                  1977 Community Leadership
Mabelle Arole                              1979 Community Leadership
Rajanikant Arole                       1979 Community Leadership
Gour Kishore Ghosh                  1981 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Pramod Karan Sethi                 1981 Community Leadership
Chandi Prasad Bhatt                1982 Community Leadership
Manibhai Desai                          1982 Public Service
Arun Shourie                              1982 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Rasipuram Lakshman             1984 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Muralidhar Amte                     1985 Public Service
Lakshmi Chand Jain               1989 Public Service
Ravi Shankar                            1992 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Banoo J. Coyaji                         1993 Public Service
Kiran Bedi                                  1994 Government Services
Pandurang Athavale              1996 Community Leadership
Tirunellai Seshan                    1996 Government Services
Mahasweta Devi                      1997 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Mahesh C. Mehta                    1997 Public Service
Jockin Arputham                   2000 Peace and International Understanding
Aruna Roy                                2000 Community Leadership
Rajendra Singh                      2001 Community Leadership
Sandeep Pandey                     2002 Emergent Leadership
James M. Lyngdoh                2003 Government Services
Shantha Sinha                       2003 Community Leadership
Laxmi N. Ramdas                 2004 Peace and International Understanding
V Shantha                               2005 Public Service
Arvind Kejriwal                    2006 Emergent Leadership
Palagummi Sainath            2007 Journalism, Literature & Creative Comm. Arts
Deep Joshi                               2009 ---------------
Neelima Mishra                    2011 Emergent Leadership
Harish Hande                       2011 ---------------
Kulandei Francis                   2012 ---------------