New Delhi August 7, 2026: The Indian Catholic Press Association (ICPA) will honour journalist, author and human rights activist Gladson Dungdung with the ICPA–SVD Swami Devanand Chakkungal Award for Hindi Journalism for his sustained contribution to journalism and his work highlighting the rights and struggles of Adivasis and other marginalised communities.
Dungdung, based in Ranchi, has worked extensively as a journalist, researcher, author and publisher, focusing on displacement, land rights, indigenous peoples’ rights, human rights and social change.
He has contributed regularly to leading Hindi newspapers including Prabhat Khabar, Hindustan and Dainik Jagran, while also writing for several other national publications. He has served as a columnist for Hindi newspapers Khabar Mantra and Subham Sandesh.
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His journalistic record includes more than 500 articles and reports in Hindi and English published in newspapers, weeklies and magazines on displacement, land rights, human rights, indigenous peoples’ rights and social change.
Beyond journalism, Dungdung has undertaken fact-finding into 500 cases of alleged police atrocities and human rights violations and intervened in 300 cases through legal, advocacy and other forms of intervention. He has also trained around 5,000 professionals, including journalists, lawyers, police officers, teachers, doctors, elected representatives and social activists, on human rights issues.
A prolific writer, Dungdung has authored 35 books in Hindi and English on Adivasi life, forests, natural resources, displacement and conflict. His works include Adivasis and Their Forest, Endless Cry in the Red Corridor, Mission Saranda: A War for Natural Resources in India, Whose Country is it Anyway? and Crossfire.
He is also the founder of Adivasi Hunkar, an alternative media initiative focused on Adivasi issues, and has founded organisations working for indigenous rights, human rights and grassroots mobilisation in Jharkhand.
The award recognises Dungdung’s commitment to journalism that brings grassroots concerns into public discourse and gives greater visibility to communities affected by displacement, rights violations and social exclusion.
His work has also taken him to national and international forums, where he has addressed issues including Adivasi rights, land, forests, mining, police atrocities and human rights. He has presented papers and participated in conferences and seminars in Europe and Asia, as well as forums connected with the United Nations.
The ICPA–SVD Swami Devanand Chakkungal Award for Hindi Journalism thus recognises not only Dungdung’s contribution to Hindi media but also a journalistic vocation rooted in the concerns of indigenous communities, human dignity and social justice.
The Swami Devanand Chakkungal Award will be formally conferred on Gladson Dungdung during the 31st National Convention of Christian Journalists, organized by the ICPA, to be held in Bangalore on Saturday, 19 September 2026.
The Award for contribution to Hindi literature is sponsored by the Indore Province of the Society of Divine Word and the ICPA, in fond memory of Kerala- born Swami Devanand, who made a mark in Hindi literature.
By Catholic connect Reporter
