NEW DELHI: Internationally renowned sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar received the Lifetime
Achievement Award from CNN-IBN on Monday.
Music maestro A R Rahman, who brought home the prestigious Oscar this year for his compositions in
â€?Slumdog Millionaire’, was named the CNN-IBN Indian of the year 2009.
Filmmaker-thespian Kamal Haasan shared the award for Special Achievements with the Indian Cricket
Test Team.
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Rahman won a double honour, as he was also declared CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2009 in the
Entertainment Category. He was awarded for his manifold achievements for putting India on the global
entertainment map with his wins at the Golden Globe and Oscar Awards 2009.
The names were announced at a glittering ceremony where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh bestowed the
honours. A large number of cabinet Ministers, industrialists, corporate leaders and eminent citizens
were present. The award ceremony will be telecast on CNN-IBN on 25 December from 9:30 pm onwards.
Bharat Ratna Pt. Ravi Shankar was honoured for his truly global musical spirit and unparallel
achievements that have risen above cultural and national barriers, finding millions of admirers
Veteran actor Kamal Haasan who was honored for being India’s most versatile, and arguably, one of the
greatest actors on the Indian screens in a career spanning 50 years.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Singh said �our greatest inheritance is our democracy and the freedom of
expression it gives us. The country is proud of its vibrant media. But we should introspect whether
the media does justice in portraying the diversity and complexity of the issues of the day and
whether there is adequate balance in the purveying of ideas and information. The media have a
responsibility to ensure that it is not just the loud who are heard, but also the silent.’
Noting that �often those who are loud are better organized, better funded, and better served by the
system,’ Singh asked â€?if the media only purveys their viewpoint, who will speak for the silent
majorities?’
Referring to his recent visit to Copenhagen in connection with the summit on climate change, he said
the media has a vital role to play. �We cannot live in a society where millions are outside the shop,
on the pavement, looking into a glitzy world they can never hope to enter. The media cannot be just a
window to an unattainable world. It should seek to open the door to an attainable and a sustainable
future for each one of us.’
He said every society and every profession needs role models as they represent �our best and our
brightest. But among them are also those who are our conscience keepers, whose ideas reinforce our
values and whose actions set new standards of ethical conduct.
