The 1992 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts

RESPONSE of Ravi Shankar

I am overwhelmed by the great honor bestowed upon me by the conferment of the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 1992 in the field of Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts. The award is doubly valuable to me because it has been instituted in the name of one of your great national leaders and, being an Asian award, is a reaffirmation of the bonds that link all of us Asians. I therefore, am delighted to accept this award, which I shall always cherish as a symbol of the love and nobility of the Filipino people.

The spirit behind the Ramon Magsaysay awards is, in fact, analogous to the spirit that has been a guiding force behind my work in the field of music. As in the case of the Awards, my work in music too has been motivated by a search for excellence and by an effort to build bridges of friendship the world over. Through music, I have attempted in my own modest way to create a better appreciation of India and to demonstrate that the unity of mankind transcends all differences of race, religion, language, etc. I do sincerely believe that it is only through the realization of this oneness of humanity that we can build a better world in which to live, free from all conflicts and destructive tendencies.

With these few words, I would once again like to thank the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation trustees for the great honor bestowed upon me.