CM Siddaramaiah Honours Senior Journalist Udayakumar at Khadri Shamanna Award Ceremony
Synopsis
The Khadri Shamanna Trust honoured senior Kannada journalist and retired Prajavani assistant editor Udayakumar with the Khadri Shamanna Journalism Award at Sheshadripuram College in Bengaluru. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah shared the event publicly, amplifying a community-driven recognition of Kannada journalism's quiet contributors.
Key Takeaways
Udayakumar , retired assistant editor of Kannada daily Prajavani , received the Khadri Shamanna Journalism Award .
The ceremony was held at Sheshadripuram College 's conference hall in Bengaluru on August 8, 2026 .
The award is instituted by the Khadri Shamanna Trust , named after veteran Kannada journalist Khadri Shamanna .
Eminent Kannada litterateur Prof.
Baraguru Ramachandrappa and senior journalist K.V.
Nagaraju attended the event.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah shared the event on social media, giving the community honour wider public visibility.
A quiet but meaningful recognition unfolded in Bengaluru on Saturday, August 8, 2026, as veteran Kannada journalist and retired assistant editor of Prajavani, Udayakumar, received the prestigious 'Khadri Shamanna Journalism Award' — Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shared the moment publicly, lending the state's highest office to a celebration of Kannada journalism's quiet stalwarts.
The ceremony was organised by the Khadri Shamanna Trust at the conference hall of Sheshadripuram College, Bengaluru. Udayakumar, who spent decades shaping editorial standards at Prajavani — one of Karnataka's most widely-read Kannada dailies — was the evening's central figure. The award bears the name of veteran Kannada journalist Khadri Shamanna, whose legacy the trust seeks to keep alive through annual recognition of journalists who serve the language and the public.
A Room Full of Karnataka's Literary and Media Voices
The event drew a distinguished gathering. Eminent Kannada litterateur Prof. Baraguru Ramachandrappa — a towering presence in Karnataka's literary world — attended alongside Woode P. Krishna, Honorary General Secretary of the Sheshadripuram Educational Institution. Senior journalist K.V. Nagaraju, Trust president Shrisha, and Smt. Sunita Udayakumar were also present, rounding out an audience that represented the best of Karnataka's journalism and letters community.
Why the Chief Minister's Attention Matters
Karnataka has a long tradition of private trusts and educational bodies instituting named awards to honour journalists and writers who rarely make headlines themselves. What changes when a Chief Minister amplifies such an event on social media is simple but significant: it pulls a non-governmental, community-driven honour into the public eye, signalling that the state's leadership values the Kannada press beyond its political utility. For a journalist like Udayakumar, whose career was built on the unglamorous discipline of daily editorial work, that visibility carries its own weight.
The Khadri Shamanna Trust's continued activity is part of a broader Karnataka ecosystem where literary and media institutions preserve the memory of pioneering journalists through structured recognition — keeping the names of figures like Khadri Shamanna in active circulation rather than letting them fade into footnotes.
Kannada journalism's unsung editors built the language's public discourse one edition at a time. Evenings like this one are how the community says it remembers.
Point of View
It serves a soft-power function: signalling solidarity with the Kannada press community, a constituency that shapes public narrative in the state. The Khadri Shamanna Trust's ceremony also reflects Karnataka's robust tradition of civil-society institutions preserving journalistic memory outside of state structures — a tradition that gains legitimacy, not direction, from political attention.
NationPress
8 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Udayakumar and why did he receive the Khadri Shamanna award?
Udayakumar is a senior Kannada journalist who served as assistant editor of Prajavani , one of Karnataka's major Kannada-language dailies, before retiring. He received the Khadri Shamanna Journalism Award in recognition of his long career in Kannada journalism.
What is the Khadri Shamanna Journalism Award?
The Khadri Shamanna Journalism Award is instituted by the Khadri Shamanna Trust to honour journalists who have made significant contributions to Kannada journalism, keeping alive the legacy of veteran journalist Khadri Shamanna .
Where was the award ceremony held?
The ceremony was held at the conference hall of Sheshadripuram College in Bengaluru on August 8, 2026 , organised by the Khadri Shamanna Trust.
Who attended the Khadri Shamanna journalism award event?
Notable attendees included eminent Kannada litterateur Prof. Baraguru Ramachandrappa , Woode P. Krishna of the Sheshadripuram Educational Institution, senior journalist K.V. Nagaraju , Trust president Shrisha , and Smt. Sunita Udayakumar .
