Rare honour for Vartha Bharathi journalist Shamshuddin Enmoor

Mangaluru: Vartha Bharathi sub-editor Shamshuddin Enmoor has been selected for the 2026 P Go (Padyana Gopalakrishna) Award for his special report on the problems faced by tribal and other disadvantaged communities in the Kudremukh National Park region.

The award is presented by the Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists’ Association to encourage young journalists who report on issues concerning rural communities. Enmoor’s report, titled ‘Will government policy bring light to the lives of tribals?’, was published in Vartha Bharathi on February 7, 2025.

The report focused on the lives and problems of people living in rural areas within the limits of the Kudremukh National Park and examined whether government policies and programmes were addressing the concerns of tribal communities.

The association had invited entries from working journalists from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Kasaragod districts. A jury evaluated the reports received and selected Enmoor’s report for the 2026 award. The association said the report was recognised for highlighting the concerns of people living in remote and underserved areas and bringing their issues into public focus.

The P Go Award, instituted in memory of journalist Padyana Gopalakrishna, is aimed at encouraging young journalists to take up rural and grassroots issues through their reporting. Enmoor’s selection has been welcomed as recognition of the importance of reporting on communities and issues that often receive limited coverage in the mainstream media.