Manjunath Shanmugam

Manjunath, as most of you'll would know was killed by the petrol mafia in UP last year. The reason - being honest and straightforward and unwilling to step out of the path of honesty. He could have been richer quicker had he shielded his eyes from what he saw. But only monetarily..not as a person. He chose to stick to his principles and threatened to fight it out. The threat was ended and he lost his life to some pathetic souls to whom life meant nothing and money was all.

In his honor, a trust has been established - The Manjunath Shanmugam trust. Among other initiatives, these are the ones taken by the trust in remembrance of him:

1) Launch of a national RTI helpline that will help people across the country in using the Right To Information Act. (9250-400-100)

2) Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award.
The objective of Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award is to honour and encourage person/s or institutions who are working to uphold the values of truth and honesty in the Indian public life.

The trust is looking to award deserving candidates who have reported and actively rectified/have worked to rectify corrupt practices in government, public or corporate life.The nominees will be evaluated on the following parameters
a) Gravity of the situation and its impact
b) Corrective action undertaken , not merely reporting the situation
c) Extent of difficulty faced by nominee in correcting the situation

The valid entries will be assessed by a panel of distinguished jurors, drawn from the corporate sector as well as public life. Nominations will be accepted from 19th November, with details and form available on the MST's website www.manjunathshanmugamtrust.orgThe award carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs. One Lakh.

Please support the process by nominating candidates you think deserve it. The monetary award and recognition would only help bring more awareness about the fallacies of today's political system and society and action that would help rectify the same. It is through little steps that everyone learns to walk the full mile. The award maybe one of the little steps that our society can take before it can walk to its maturity, to a society free of such crimes. So please support it with the nominations.
If you wish to nominate someone, please download the nomination form and send it to the address mentioned. You can also spread the word around through your emails/blogs. There's a lot that even a few like-minded folks can achieve if they set their hearts to it. Many of us are constrained by time and other factors to be involved in the activities of the trust and on a larger scale, in eliminating societies vices, but even the small contribution and effort in the right direction, through such activities, would go a long way. Extend your hand....

Reiterating, the site is www.manjunathshanmugamtrust.org.

On behalf of the trustees.