Ms. Nandita Das – actor, director and social advocate – along with Professor Nadia Bernoussi – celebrated academic and legal expert from Morocco – and Mr. Abdoulaye Konaté – prominent artist and cultural voice in Mali – comprised the Jury for the 2018 edition of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize. This prize awards a hundred thousand US dollars to individuals, institutions, other entities and non-governmental organizations that have made exceptional contributions and demonstrated leadership in the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. Nandita was unanimously elected President of the jury by her fellow jurors.
Nandita Das on being a part of this jury, “As I am in the midst of a gruelling schedule, working towards the India release of Manto and its participation in international film festivals, to suddenly get this invite to participate in a meaningful initiative was truly rejuvenating. Having been on many film juries, right from 2005 when I was on the Main Jury at Cannes. I have always enjoyed the deliberation process. One gets to know different perspectives that reflect different experiences and contexts. This was the second time that I was on a jury for a social impact initiative. The last time was in 2016 for BBC World in London. They had asked me to be on a similar jury for a programme called Outlook Inspirations. Such engagements are very inspiring as one gets to meet and read about people who are doing incredible work around the world. It’s a good distraction between our own indulgences. Having been caught up with Manto, it was actually refreshing and brought back a certain sense of hope. Opportunities like this allow one to feel connected to a larger community of people, all of whom are seeking ways to make the world around them more liveable.
Having said that, it was not an easy process. To take out time from a hectic schedule, to review profiles of the candidates from all over the world that were nominated, and then deliberate extensively in order to arrive at a consensus during the meeting in Paris. I was amazed at the passion and commitment that people have to the various issues around them. Seldom does the media focus on them so it was good to be able to participate in an initiative that celebrates their work.
