Harish Vasudevan, a green activist and an expert in environmental law, is the winner of the 'Asianet News Keerthimudra Award' in the environmental category.
A lawyer by profession, Vasudevan is also an active environmentalist who worked closely in association with various environmental movements in the state. He was in the forefront of the campaigns to save Munnar, Nelliampathy and Wetlands in Kerala and also in the campaign to ban Endosulfan. He led many successful legal battles in the National Green Tribunal and in various courts in Kerala.
He was selected by a jury consisting of environmentalist Lata Ananda, Ajaykumar Varma, executive director of Kerala Suchitwa Mission and C Jayakumar, director of 'Thanal,' a leading environmental organisation based in Thiruvananthapuram. The selection was partly based on audience poll.
The award recognises individuals who play a vital role in raising awareness about critical environmental issues and motivating and inspiring others to take positive steps towards environmental excellence and sustainability. The finalists also included Geetha Vazhachal, Maina Umaiban, Dr. Mohammed Asheel and Shibu K Nair.
Asianet News constituted the award to celebrate its completion of 20 years in news broadcasting. The award will be presented to youngsters from Kerala who have proven themselves in various fields including politics, literature, sports, music, environment and agriculture. The award carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh and a memento.
