New Delhi: Indraprastha Vishwa Samvad Kendra (IVSK) organised the Devrishi Narad Patrakar Samman 2026 at Speaker Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi, on Tuesday, honouring 12 journalists and digital content creators for their notable contributions to journalism and public discourse.
NDTV CEO and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal attended the event as the chief guest, while RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar delivered the keynote address. RSS Sah Prachar Pramukh Narendra Thakur, Delhi Prant Pracharak Vishal, and Delhi Prant Sah Karyawah Rajesh Kumar were present as distinguished guests.
Twelve Journalists Honoured
Awards were presented across 12 categories. Those honoured included:
Pooja Rana, Senior Sub-Editor, OpIndia – Outstanding Young Journalist
Garima Upreti, Editor, Know the Nation – Women-Centric Journalism
Himani Diwan, Senior Assistant Editor, Kisan Tak – Rural and Environment Journalism
Vimal Tyagi, Public Mitra – Content Creator (YouTube)
Mayank Baliyan (@Baliyan_x) – Content Creator (X)
Manogya Tiwari (Manukahat) – Content Creator (Instagram)
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, The Pamphlet – Courageous Journalism
Neeraj Kumar Dubey, Editor, Prabhasakshi – Digital Journalism
Nihal Singh, Deputy Chief Reporter, Dainik Jagran – Print Journalism
Dr Ram Kinkar Singh, Special Correspondent, PTI Video – Television Journalism
Shashwat Panigrahi – Column Writing
Ramanuj Sharma, News Editor, Hindusthan Samachar – Innovative Journalism
Each awardee received a certificate, memento, shawl, and a cheque of ₹11,000.
Jury Comprised Senior Media Professionals
Entries for the awards were invited online and evaluated by a distinguished jury comprising Mamata Verma, Director General, DD News; Raj Kishore, Senior Consulting Editor, Amar Ujala Group; Rohit Vishwakarma, Managing Editor, NDTV India; Brajesh Kumar Singh, Group Editor Convergence, Network18; Aishwarya Pandit, Managing Director, ITV Network; and Harish Chandra Barnwal, Senior Vice President, Bluekraft Foundation.
Rahul Kanwal on AI and Journalism
Addressing the gathering, Rahul Kanwal reflected on the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence to journalism and said that while AI may be capable of writing stories, it cannot replicate the essence of human journalism.
“To understand the future of journalism, we should look towards Devrishi Narad, the first communicator of our civilisation. What made him unique was not merely carrying information, but his ability to travel, listen to people, understand context and create dialogue between different worlds. This is something AI cannot do,” Kanwal said.
Sunil Ambekar: Don’t See Every Issue Through Politics
In his keynote address, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Sunil Ambekar said journalists should present social realities in a manner that contributes to building a better society.
He cautioned media professionals against becoming participants in politics while covering political developments.
“Every issue in society should not be viewed through a political lens. Journalists should not become part of politics while reporting on it,” Ambekar said.
Highlighting India’s progress across sectors, he said the country had continued its development trajectory despite global disruptions and credited effective governance for ensuring stability.
Ambekar also underlined the importance of using technology for the welfare of humanity and said emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence should enrich the country’s knowledge traditions rather than replace human capabilities.
“No technology can replace human beings. The coming era belongs to India, and everyone should work together in the national interest,” he said.
Focus on RSS Centenary Programmes
Delhi Prant Sah Karyawah Rajesh Kumar briefed the audience on programmes organised in Delhi as part of the RSS centenary celebrations, while Network18 Group Editor Brajesh Kumar Singh explained the selection process adopted by the jury for the awards.
The event witnessed the presence of media professionals, editors, senior journalists, social media influencers and other distinguished guests. IVSK Vice-President Ritesh Agrawal introduced the organisation, while IVSK President Ashok Sachdeva delivered the vote of thanks.
