KaleybungRatna Puraskar

Kalimpong Press Club instituted Kaleybung Ratna Puraskar (Kalimpong Gem Award) from the year 2008 on the occasion of its tenth year of establishment. The objective of initiating this award was to encourage and honour persons of Kalimpong Sub Division who have contributed / contributing in certain fields categorised by the Club viz. Adventure (including rescue), Agriculture(all allied fields), Sports & Athletics, Business, Education, Environment, Literature, Journalism (Print and Electronic), Fine Arts, Creative Politics, Arts, Film-Videographic World, Profession (all), Social Service, Health Service, Medical Science and Research / Studies etc. The Terms & Conditions for a person to be nominated for the award are as follows: 1. should either be a resident of Kalimpong Sub-division or stayed in Kalimpong as a resident and may have moved to other places for business/profession or studies. 2. should preferably be young or middle aged but not more than of 60 years. 3 should preferably be a less familiar to the people of Kalimpong or other places (unknown face in the crowd). 4. should not have received or privileged with, a prominent award of district level or above it, except felicitation . 4. should not be a relative of the member of nomination committee or jury. Each year the Kalimpong Press Club selects the category of the awardee and it selects members for the nomination committee. A three member nomination committee selects atleast three nominees for the award with their remarks and submits a panel to the jury A three member jury also nominated by the KPC selects one awardee amongst the three with their remark on the selection and submits the name to the KPC.. For the first time three categories were selected for the award and they were Adventure, Games & Sports and Agriculture. On 16th November 2008 three eminent citizens of Kalimpong received the Award and they were Manoj Dahal (Mount Everest Climber of 2008) in Adventure, Bharat Chhetri (International & Olympic Hockey Player) in Games & Sports and Dr. Mikthuk S.Foning (Agri Horti culturist and Floriculturist) It also felicitated Sukhbahadur Tamang ( a rafting specialist for his outstanding rescue work during several accidents ands floods in Bihar) with special gallantry citation. The category for the year 2009 was Drama, Film/Video world category which included script writing, direction, acting, photo/video/cinematography, editing and other allied technical fields (music, lyrics, dance, singing are excluded). On the occasion of the Club's Foundation day cum National Press day on 16th November 2009 Kaleybung Ratna Puraskar 2009 was awarded to Lalit Golay a drama, video and film actor, director and script writer. The 3rd KALEYBUNG RATNA PURASKAR for the year 2010 was awarded to Sudesh Pradhan for his social service. Despite of being a policeman, his role in helping the patients and their accompanying family members in finding the appropriate hospitals and providing necessary helps like blood and financial help during their treatment in different hospitals of Kolkata was acknowledged as a distinguished social service. It also felicitated with an award on Excelence in Journalism to a promising journalist and the recipient was Prabin Khaling a reporter cum photographer of the Telegraph. The 4th Award in 2011 was awarded to Mrs. Babita Dhamala a boutique specialist who started dress designing as her profession, trained several girls and encouraged unemployed girls and housewives to this profession for their livelihood . It also awarded Manoj Rai a video Journalist of Dainandini news Channel with Excellence in Journalism for his outstanding help in relief work of the earthquake victims of 18th October 2011. Later Manoj was awarded the Godfrey Philips Bravery Award in 2013 In the year 2012 the award giving ceremony could not be held due to various political disturbances. In the year 2013 the award is conferred upon Roshni Rai a legal executive of Palmolive India and marathon runner for her zeal towards Games and sports as well as her contribution to the Gorkha society. Her project to run the Mumbai marathon along with other Gorkha runners in the year 2012 and 2013 to clear the misconception regarding the nationality of Gorkhas through by highlighting that Gorkhas are very much Indian as other fellow Indians.( It will be awarded on 4th May 2013)