The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established in 1957 to honor the legacy of Ramon Magsaysay, the seventh president of the Philippines.
It's often called 'Asia's premier prize and highest honor' or the 'Nobel Prize of Asia.'
The award celebrates individuals and organizations in Asia who have demonstrated greatness of spirit and selfless service for the betterment of society.
Awardees are selected annually by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) board of trustees.
Each recipient receives a medallion with an embossed image of Ramon Magsaysay, a certificate, and a cash prize.
History
The award was given to commemorate his example of integrity in governance and courageous service to the people.
It recognizes and honors those who have made significant contributions that have transformed their societies for the better.
The award is presented in a formal ceremony in Manila, Philippines, every November.
From 1958 to 2008, the awards were given in six fixed categories: Government Service, Public Service, Community Leadership, Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts, Peace and International Understanding, and Emergent Leadership (for individuals under 40).
Since 2009, with the exception of the Emergent Leadership category, the awards are no longer given in fixed categories, allowing for a more flexible recognition of diverse contributions.
Notable Indian Recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award
Over the years, many notable individuals and organizations from India have been recognized with the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Some of the prominent Indian recipients include:
- Vinoba Bhave (1958): The first Indian recipient, honored for Community Leadership.
- Mother Teresa (1962): The first Indian female recipient, for her work in Peace and International Understanding.
- Verghese Kurien (1963): Known as the "Father of the White Revolution" for his work in establishing the Amul dairy cooperative movement.
- Jayaprakash Narayan (1965): Recognized for his leadership of the "Total Revolution" social and political movement.
- M.S. Subbulakshmi (1974): The first Indian musician to receive the award, for her Public Service.
- Ela Ramesh Bhatt (1977): Founded the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) to empower women.
- Pramod Karan Sethi (1981): Acknowledged for his innovation of the "Jaipur Foot," a low-cost prosthetic limb.
- T.N. Seshan (1996): Honored for his efforts in reforming India's electoral system as the Chief Election Commissioner.
- Aruna Roy (2000): A social activist who co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and spearheaded the campaign for the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
- Rajendra Singh (2001): Known as the "Waterman of India" for his campaign on the 'Right to Water.'
- Anshu Gupta (2015): Founder of the NGO Goonj.
Complete List of Indian Recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award
| Year | Recipient(s) | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Vinoba Bhave | Community Leadership |
| 1959 | Chintaman Deshmukh | Government Service |
| 1961 | Amitabha Chowdhury | Journalism & Arts |
| 1962 | Mother Teresa | Peace |
| 1963 | Verghese Kurien, Dara Nusserwanji Khurody & Tribhuvandas Kishibhai Patel | Community Leadership |
| 1965 | Jayaprakash Narayan | Public Service |
| 1966 | Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay | Community Leadership |
| 1967 | Satyajit Ray | Journalism & Arts |
| 1971 | Moncompu Sambasivan Swaminathan | Community Leadership |
| 1974 | M.S. Subbulakshmi | Public Service |
| 1975 | Boobli George Verghese | Journalism & Arts |
| 1977 | Ela Ramesh Bhatt | Community Leadership |
| 1979 | Rajanikant Arole & Mabelle Arole | Community Leadership |
| 1981 | Gour Kishore Ghosh & Pramod Karan Sethi | Journalism & Arts; Community Leadership |
| 1982 | Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Manibhai Desai, & Arun Shourie | Community Leadership; Public Service; Journalism & Arts |
| 1984 | Rasipuram Lakshman | Journalism & Arts |
| 1985 | Muralidhar Devidas Amte | Public Service |
| 1989 | Lakshmi Chand Jain | Public Service |
| 1991 | K.V. Subbanna | Journalism & Arts |
| 1992 | Ravi Shankar | Journalism & Arts |
| 1993 | Banoo Jehangir Coyaji | Public Service |
| 1994 | Kiran Bedi | Government Service |
| 1996 | Pandurang Shastri Athavale & T.N. Seshan | Community Leadership; Government Service |
| 1997 | Mahasweta Devi | Journalism & Arts |
| 2000 | Jockin Arputham & Aruna Roy | Peace & Community Leadership |
| 2001 | Rajendra Singh | Community Leadership |
| 2002 | Sandeep Pandey | Emergent Leadership |
| 2003 | James Michael Lyngdoh & Shantha Sinha | Government Service |
| 2004 | Lakshminarayan Ramdas | Peace |
| 2005 | V. Shantha | Public Service |
| 2006 | Arvind Kejriwal | Emergent Leadership |
| 2007 | Palagummi Sainath | Journalism & Arts |
| 2008 | Prakash Amte & Mandakini Amte | Community Leadership |
| 2009 | Deep Joshi | Community Leadership |
| 2011 | Neelima Mishra & Harish Hande | Emergent Leadership; Community Leadership |
| 2012 | Kulandei Francis | Emergent Leadership |
| 2015 | Anshu Gupta & Sanjiv Chaturvedi | Emergent Leadership |
| 2016 | Bezwada Wilson & T.M. Krishna | Human Rights & Arts |
| 2018 | Bharat Vatwani & Sonam Wangchuk | Health & Education |
| 2019 | Ravish Kumar | Journalism (Prime Time) |
| 2023 | Dr. Ravi Kannan R. | Healthcare |
| 2025 | Educate Girls | Gender Justice in Education |
Malayali Recepicients of Ramon Magsaysay Award
Four individuals of Malayali origin have been honored with the Ramon Magsaysay Award:
- Varghese Kurien (1963): An entrepreneur and social activist from Kerala, he is known as the 'Father of the White Revolution' for building the cooperative dairy movement.
- M.S. Swaminathan (1971): A renowned agricultural scientist from Kerala, he was one of the primary architects of India's 'Green Revolution.'
- T.N. Seshan (1996): Hailing from Kerala, he was the Chief Election Commissioner of India who received the award for his resolute efforts to reform the electoral system.
- V. Shantha (2005): An eminent oncologist from Kerala, she was recognized for her dedicated service in providing affordable and quality cancer care.
Why in News?
The 67th Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025 is given to the Indian non-profit organisation, 'Foundation to Educate Girls Globally' aka 'Educate Girls.'
'Educate Girls' is also the first Indian organization to receive the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award.
This NGO was founded in founded in 2007 by Safeena Husain and was started in Rajastan by addressing the problem of female illiteracy by bringing unschooled girls into classrooms.
It is dedicated to mobilising community and government resources for girls’ education in rural and educationally disadvantaged areas of India.
Other recipients of Ramon Magsaysay Award 2025:
- Shaahina Ali (Maldives): for protecting the marine ecosystem of the Maldives,
- Flaviano Antonio L. Villanueva (Philippines): a priest, for his lifelong mission to uphold the dignity of the poor and the oppressed.
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