Veteran woman journalist wins Examiner weekly’s golden pen award

By Jose Kavi

New Delhi, March 11, 2024: Nirmala Carvalho, a veteran journalist who contributes regularly to Church publications in India and overseas, has won the prestigious Golden Pen Award for excellence in journalism, given by The Examiner, a 175-year-old weekly published from Mumbai.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay, presented her the 21st award on March 10 during a function in the western Indian city to mark the 175th anniversary of the weekly, which, he said, has “stood as a beacon of truth, a voice of reason, and a source of inspiration for countless individuals across India and beyond.”

The weekly also presented its Silver Pen to Christopher Mendonca. This year, it introduced the Bronze Pen for youth and presented it to Firuza Pathan.

Carvalho, who writes for The Examiner among other publications, says the award surprised her. “I’m giving thanks to God, but feeling humble,” the 62-year-old who started her journalism career four decades ago, told Matters India March 11.

The mother of four sons and one daughter writes for AsiaNews published from Italy and Cruxnow.com, a US-based online publication. She has also contributed for Matters India.

The award citation hails Carvalho for covering a range of topics related to the Catholic Church, including religious freedom, social issues, and political developments. “Her work has also been featured in numerous international publications and translated into many languages,” it adds.

The award committee says Carvalho’s coverage predominantly focuses on the intersection of government and politics and culture and society, with specific attention to topics like the Indian bishops, religious persecution, Catholicism in India, and Indian politics and the Church in Asia.

This is her third award.

In 2010, she received an AsiaNews Journalism Scholarship in Rome.

Six years later, she won the CBCI Commission for Social Communications Award for Church and Minority Sensitive Reporting.

In 2009, she received the Steins International Award for Religious Harmony in the Field of Human Rights.

“My vocation as a Christian journalist began in high school with me writing letters to the editor, either complimenting them on a particularly good story, or sharing a societal concern or at times airing a contrary point of view. Thus began my fruitful, challenging yet most satisfying vocation as a Christian journalist,” she recalled.

Carvalho, who is also based in Mumbai, has brought to light stories on human rights abuses, persecution and oppression that have given hope and help for the marginalized.

“Often raising awareness has resulted in an attitudinal change towards those who otherwise live on the periphery of society’s vision. Additionally, sharing with the world the stories of the contribution of the Christian missionaries to human dignity and human development has been a unique privilege,” she says.

She is the wife of Dr Pascoal Carvalho, who has served on the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The award was instituted by the Mascarenhas family of Mumbai in honor of their parents.

The Examiner was established on July 10, 1849, by the Jesuits. It is the oldest English language Catholic newspaper in India.

“As we reflect on this momentous occasion, it is impossible not to be awed by the rich history and the legacy of excellence that The Examiner embodies,” the cardinal said.

The prelate, who is one of the nine cardinal advisers, noted that since its inception, The Examiner has steadfastly upheld the values of the Church, fostering dialogue, and serving as a catalyst for positive change within the Catholic community and society at large.

Father Anthony Charanghat, who has associated with the magazine for 50 years and edited it for more than 25 years, thanked God for the 175 years of uninterrupted publication.

The priest said The Examiner is a religious magazine which gives primacy of place to human relationship with God.

“Hence, The Examiner is called to function as a mirror of God’s Love revealed by His Word, who is Christ. The Examiner, being a Catholic religious newspaper, has to interpret the deeper insights of God’s Word in the language of the common person,” he added.