Nirmala Carvalho, Kavitha Karkare Win 'Graham Staines Award for Peace'

Media Release

Bangalore, Jan 23: Nirmala Carvalho and Kavitha Karkare selected for the "Graham Staines  award for Peace" on the occasion of the tenth death anniversary.

Nirmala and Kavitha

Nirmala Carvalho for her immense contribution to the civil society by her writings which have created awareness of human rights violations against women and other minority groups in India and throughout the world. Over the past four and a half years as a correspondent with the Italian based news agency ' AsiaNews , she has consistently reported on various human rights Her articles have been published in India and abroad, and her active campaign against violence has not only generated awareness but also elicited international responses to incidents that have taken place in India.

Carvalho is a brave journalist whose articles have constantly defended the rights of the deprived and marginalized people who live on the periphery of society's vision.

Carvalho has brought to light the insufficiency of the response from the Government of Orissa and the police authorities. Reporting the brutal killings, rapes and burning of priests, nuns, pastors, believers including women and children, she has been able to paint the true picture of the intensity of attacks against the already poor Christians in Orissa. Yet, in the face of these grave violations and injustice, Carvalho has continuously written of the message of forgiveness, love and hope.

Kavita Karkare, widow of Hemant Karkare, chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad killed in the 28/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008, said she was initially angry after the Mumbai terror attacks, "but now I think I am overcoming the anger. Because this anger and violence will not help to solve the problem. We should come together and do something constructive".

Showing kindness to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, Kavita Karkare, a lecturer in a Mumbai college, has said that her family is ready to forgive the terrorist. In an interview to a TV channel, Karkare said, 'He is only 21 years old. He should be given opportunity to change his theories.'. This intricacies of divine civility is the root of ahimsa and from Christ to Gandhiji.