Gauri Shinde at Fourth Edition of The Laadli National Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2011-12

Tuesday, 5th February, 2013 : The fourth edition of “The Laadli National Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2011-12” for honoring Media and Advertising professionals was organized by NGO, Population First, on Tuesday, 5th February 2013 at Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point, Mumbai.

The Laadli Media Awards were instituted in 2007, as part of the media advocacy efforts under the Laadli girl-child campaign. The objective of the awards was to felicitate, acknowledge, recognize and encourage media, journalists and advertising professionals to keep working on gender issues and to draw the attention of the public to their positive efforts in the media with regard to gender sensitive reportage.

The Oscar-winning and Indian cinema’s most well-regarded costume designer – Bhanu Athaiya – received the Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award at the event. The awards also had renowned ad-film director, Gauri Shinde receiving an award for Best Mainline Film for her directorial debut, ‘English Vinglish’. Other noted personalities like singer Sunita Rao, noted film-director Ashutosh Gowariker and famous Indian film director and screenwriter Sudhir Mishra, Director, R. Balki, Rajashree Birla, Bollywood actress, television talk show host Pooja Bedi, Prof. Nandini Sardesai were also present while the event was hosted by television journalist and columnist Ms. Barkha Dutt.

The leading author and columnist Ranjit Lal was awarded a Special Award for Best Book-Fiction on the issue of female infanticide for ‘Faces in the Water’. Mr. Sylvester da Cunha received a Special Award for our Laadli moppet, the Amul baby girl.

The Laadli National Media Awards was graced by the presence of the well-known classical singer Ms. Shubha Mudgal, who rendered few songs on women empowerment. There were short performances by children trained by India’s famous choreographer, Shiamak Davar, the Saxophone Sisters, and children from a village in Shahapur.
The book “SENSE AND SENSITIVITY” was launched during the award ceremony. This book is a compilation of the award winning entries of last three editions of the Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. It showcases the real stories from all over India and brings to limelight investigative reports, editorials, features and human interest stories on gender inequality and violence.

A panel of distinguished jury members, comprising eminent media and social sector personalities namely Vishwanath Sachdev, Sathya Saran, Mahesh Bhatt, Vimla Patil, Pradeep Guha, Deepa Gahlot, Ramesh Narayan, Pradyuman Maheshwani, Prakash Bal Joshi, Aanand Mahendroo, Neeru Nanda, Sameera Khan, Goutam Rakshit, Juhi Chaturvedi and Mrinmayee Ranade selected the awardees.

Eighteen awards were presented which were selected by our eminent jury members. In the four regional awards organized over the year, around 80 awards were given across all the States and Union Territories of the country covering 12 languages. The Laadli National Media Awards comprise the best of the season in addition to the special awards.

List of Awardees
WINNERS OF NATIONAL LMAGS 2011-12
Category/ Language
Name of the Awardees
Channel/ Publication
Title of the Entry
Sub- Category
Electronic – Malayalam
P.P. Sandhya
Asianet News
Shisuva Vivaham (Child Marriage)
Best Issue Based Programme
Print – English
Sharmista Choudhury
The Week
Tribal Warrior
Best Human Interest Story
Print – Marathi
Amita Bade
Prahaar
Mahila – Kacharavechak Nave…Swachata Vyavasthapak (Waste Managers, Not Garbage Pickers)
Best Column
Print – Hindi
Priyanka Dubey
Tehelka
MadhyaYugeen Pradesh
Best Investigative Report
Electronic – Malayalam
Shiny Benjamin
Jaihind TV
Ottayaal
Best Documentary
Print – English
Neha Bhatt
Outlook
What A Girl Wants
Best Feature
Print – Odiya
Susama Misra
Margadarshi
Sustha Samaj Gathanare Nari (Women in the Creation of a Healthy Society)
Best Article
Web – English
Deepa Ranganathan
The Alternative
Boys Don’t Cry
Best Feature
Electronic – Marathi
Prajakta Dhulap
IBN – Lokmat
Reportage – Kolhapurchya Leki (Daughters of Kolhapur)
Best Feature
Advertising- Hindi
DDB Mudra creative team
DDB Mudra
Age of Marriage (NRHM)
Best Public Service Advertisement
Advertising – Hindi
Sumanto Chattopadhyay
Ogilvy & Mather
Tejaswini (Tata Steel)
Best Advertisement
Special Award
Book – English
Ranjit Lal
Penguin Books India
Faces in the Water
Best Book – Fiction
Gita Aravamudan
Penguin Books India
Disappearing Daughters : The Tragedy of Female Foeticide
Best Book – Non-Fiction
Film – Hindi
Gauri Shinde
Eros International
English Vinglish
Best Mainline Film
Film – Beary
K V Suveeran
Thanneer Films
Byari
Best Feature Film
Drama – English/Hindi
Purva Naresh

Ok Tata Bye Bye
Best Drama
Special Award

Sylvester da Cunha
Amul Moppet
Bhanu Athaiya
The Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award

Laadli the Girl Child campaign was launched in June 2005 by NGO Population First with the purpose of creating a positive image of the girl child. In Hindi the word ‘laadli’ means the ‘beloved girl-child’. The programme works to stop the practice of pre-natal sex selection by addressing the core issue of son preferences and discrimination against the girl child. Since then, it has been working actively on various campaigns, activities with various groups like college youth, NGOs and other communities and has received an overwhel