Noted broadcaster Sir David Attenborough to be presented with Indira Gandhi peace prize
The prize is awarded to him for a lifetime of doing more to reveal the wonders of the natural world than any other individual, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust said
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust will present the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2019 to renowned broadcaster Sir David Attenborough on Monday.
He was named the recipient of the award in November last year. His name was selected by an international jury chaired by former President Pranab Mukherjee, who died last week.
The virtual award ceremony will be attended by Congress president and Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi.
“Few individuals have come to be as identified with the well being of our planet, of all living creatures, and their relationship with human beings, as Sir David,” the Trust had said while announcing his name last year.
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The prize is awarded to him for a lifetime of doing more to reveal the wonders of the natural world than perhaps any other individual, it added.
“In a lifetime of communicating effectively and evocatively about the natural world, he has become a powerful and persuasive voice on the need to heed warnings of looming ecological disaster, to maintain the Earth’s delicate balance, and to cherish and preserve the natural world,” the Trust said.
Suman Dubey, the secretary of the Trust, had said Sir David had tirelessly worked to “awaken humankind to the need to preserve and protect the biodiversity on our planet, to live in a sustainable and harmonious way with all life, and to stop being what he has called: ‘a plague on earth’.”
Sir David’s work has received widespread recognition across the world. Apart from his knighthood, he has received awards from the Royal Geographical Society, UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize, the Micheal Faraday Prize, the Descartes Prize and Fellowship of the Royal Society, and several Emmy and BAFTA awards.
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Sir David’s current series with the BBC Natural History Unit—Seven Worlds, One Planet—is broadcast on BBC One on Sunday nights.
Last year, Sonia Gandhi had presented the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2018 to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based environment think-tank, for its work in environmental education and protection.
