On World Press Freedom day, Radical Desi has announced a new award for the daring journalists who have stood up for the oppressed and questioned the power.  

Named after the newspaper started by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar – an undisputed leader of the so-called untouchables in India - the Mooknayak journalism award will be given annually to exceptional media personalities.  

The announcement coincides with the 130th birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar.  

Mooknayak, which literally means "leader of the voiceless," was launched in January, 1920 and gave a platform to the Dalit community that continues to suffer caste-based oppression within the Hindu society.  

The first award will be given to Hartosh Singh Bal, a New Delhi-based political editor of The Caravan magazine, which has done many challenging stories under a right wing Hindu fascist regime. Press freedom is under great risk in the current political environment in the world’s so called largest democracy.  

The award will be presented to Bal at an appropriate time and location once the COVID 19 restrictions are over.  

Radical Desi is an online magazine that covers alternative politics.