Year 1956, nine years after Independence of India, one journalist dared to dream of a newspaper free from influences and interests, totally credible, wedded to truth and public good and devoid of commercial concerns and set about making it a reality. Karpoor Chandra Kulish’s dream and ideals drove him to launch Rajasthan Patrika with a borrowed capital of Rs 500 (about 100 US dollars then). Today Rajasthan Patrika is the most authentic voice of India’s largest state, besides being the only Hindi daily with readership in most parts of India including such non-Hindi speaking states as West Bengal, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest circulated Hindi newspapers of the Indian sub-continent, and is among the top 50 newspapers of the world with over 13 million readers in India.

The phenomenal growth from virtual scratch was possible only due to Karpoor Chandra Kulish’s grit and determination and his faith in the people of Rajasthan, who responded generously to his brand of journalism based on truth, courage and independence. Karpoor Chandra Kulish never swerved from the path of fairness and honesty. Professional excellence went hand in hand with coverage of news and expression of views always focused on public interest and welfare. He set high standards and healthy traditions for his successors to imbibe and follow.

Even today, the ideals and traditions of Karpoor Chandra Kulish remain the driving force for Rajasthan Patrika. In a recent BBC-Reuters survey, Rajasthan Patrika was listed among the top five “most trusted” publications of the country. The interests and problems of citizens as readers remain the newspaper’s prime focus and concern.

The Rajasthan Patrika Group is glad to announce the Karpoor Chandra Kulish Award 2008. This annual award, in the hallowed memory of Karpoor Chand Kulish, is aimed at recognizing efforts of thought leaders in media, journalist’s outstanding contributions to upholding professional values as well as protecting and promoting ethics and morality, right and freedom of the people for better quality of life. The award theme for year 2008 shall be “Terrorism & Society”.

There is no entry fee for the award.

“Terrorism & Society ”:The Second KCK Award for excellence in print journalism will be open to those who have authored and published the most compelling write-ups in media contributing to changing the lives and meeting the aspirations of people. We seek to honor journalists who covered events of people’s struggle for a life of dignity, fulfillment and honor.

We expect the contributions to represent manifestation of man’s unique spirit and goodness of life. They shall also depict strong focus on showcasing self-governance leading to effective social change.