The fiasco triggered off by the decision of President Ram Nath Kovind’s office to segregate the awardees in the 65th National Film Awards between those who were to be given the award by the President at a special function in New Delhi on Wednesday and those who were to receive the awards from Union ministers Smriti Irani and Rajyavardhan Rathore reflects poor thinking and was in rank poor taste. It is small wonder then that an estimated 50 of the 125 awardees refused to attend the event in protest.
Indeed, the virtual boycott was an appropriate rebuff for an indefensible act, especially because the awardees had been informed that they would receive the award from the President. The awardees were informed of the change only after they reached the venue. They were told that, breaking from tradition, the President would give only a select few awards—11 of the 70 categories. The rest would be given by Ms Irani and her deputy Rathore. If many among the awardees took this as an affront, it was not unnatural. Ms Irani is believed to have assured them that she would convey their ‘sentiments’ to the President’s office. But the damage had been done and some awardees went back to the hotel where they had all been put up.
If it is true that Ms Irani knew of the intended segregation well in advance, as is being claimed in a section of the media, it was her duty to inform the awardees promptly. As some of them later said, had they known, many of them would not have brought their next of kin along. This was like treating some of the awardees as second class awardees. Reports also say that some of the nameplates of those who were absent were removed and the names of the absent winners were not even announced. The decision that the President would give away only the ‘major’ awards and would stay for one hour was unfortunate.
As many as 69 awardees signed a letter addressed to the President saying “It feels like a breach of trust when an institution/ceremony that abides by extreme protocol fails to inform us of such a vital aspect of the ceremony with a prior notice.” That some of those who had signed attended the ceremony to keep up the protocol is quite another matter. The least that the President’s office and the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting must do is to express regret for the fiasco to the awardees who were not conferred the award by the President. Time-honoured conventions and protocol must be respected by all including the high and mighty.
