The 1967 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts

RESPONSE of Ray Satyajit

In my country, in the days of my boyhood, the cinema was apt to be looked upon by the elderly and the conservative with a certain distaste. This applied more to the profession than to the films themselves. One could enjoy going to the movies, but that didn't necessarily imply that one would approve of a member of one's family joining the film profession.

When I decided, some 15 years ago, to plunge into this very profession, such prejudices were already on the way out, but I made at least one person unhappy and that was my mother.

When my first film won a festival prize my mother was pleasantly surprised. From that time onwards, until her death some years ago, she grew to be proud of my work, and of the prizes which came to me from all parts of the world.

For myself, I have never ceased to be surprised at the fact that my films have been able to reach audiences beyond the limits of my own country. I am surprised because my films are stories about people who form a tiny segment, not only of humanity as a whole, but of India itself.

I feel particularly honored and gratified by the Magsaysay Award because it relates not only to the craftsmanship of my films, but to their content as well. Unlike some other arts such as music and painting, cinema, by its very nature, makes concrete statements about people and society. If through my films I have been able to make statements which have been found illuminating, and therefore worthy of recognition, and if through them I have been able to convey some of the joys and sorrows of my people, as well as some of the unique flavor of my country, I would feel more than compensated for my efforts, and more than hopeful about the work that lies ahead.

Once again, may I express my sincere gratitude to the Magsaysay Award Foundation for the great honor they have bestowed on me.