Dr. H.H. Mate was recently conferred 'Bharat Gaurav Puraskar' (BGP). I lost count (I'm not good with numbers) of how many awards he has been given so far, all i know is that he had crossed a ton (Ccp ADCs' had gifted him a brand new car to commemorate this feat) and i also know that four more awards still awaits him.
He is slated to be awarded 'Best Educationist Award' this coming Monday on 22nd Sept in the Award Presenting Ceremony in the Speaker Hall in the capital & three more viz. Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award, Dr. Ambedkar Sadbhavana Award & India Pacific Gold Award on 17 Nov at Dy. Speaker Hall, Constitution Club of India, New Delhi in the 34th National Seminar & Award Presentation Ceremony organised by Economic Growth Society of India.
For those of us, who doesn't know tit-bits about the 'Noble Son of India' awardee he is the Founder Principal & Director of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Foundation School, Tuibuong, Ccp.
Hailing from the same place (Ccp) as this 'learned man' i'd seen him many a times in the market square or around his school premises but never had the opportunity of exchanging pleasantries.
However, i'd the rare opportunity of attending a seminar, thanks to bro#Semson, 'Contours of Kuki Nationalism' organised by Kuki Kibom & Hills Today (?), in which many scholars including the 'down to earth'-Dr. Hi Hi Mate (citizens of Ccp knows him by this name) presented a 'thought provoking' papers on various diverse topic or topic of interests, our interests, to be exact.
Despite numerous private break for a leak owing to my not so longstanding/ weak bladder, i was all ears to what conspired between the scholars & several enthusiast listeners inside Bijang-Vengnuom Community Hall.
When 'Bharat Gaurav Puraskar' awardee occupied the podium & thundered with his rather coarse-husky voice i remember having told bro Semson, that the speaker bear uncanny resemblance to Lenin, much to his amusement. I couldn't quote him but i recollect his having said that he doesn't need to refer any book or quote anybody in preparing that august paper.
To that the audience applauded him frantically but the look on other speakers (paper presenter), seated on the stage, were insipid if not irked or provoked. We (bro Semson, Mrs. Semson & a friend) looked each other in utter disbelief. I thought how on earth can somebody do that, on purpose or by dint of a mere 'oops!'.
His paper, speech to be precise, was nevertheless enthralling but it stretched on for too long and by that time my bum really hurts; it was already numb. And my concentration couldn't keep pace with his enthusiasm thanks to one of the adhoc 'time-keeper' who signalled him that his time was up. But 'resilience' must be his 'pet-name' he still continued for at least five more minutes until he said 'Thank you' and step down. Again a thunderous applause reverberated through the half-empty Hall.
Amidst all the accolades & laurels, our Lenin-look-alike scholar & a renowned personality, a 100+ awards to his feather ( if you thinks i meant hair, he is almost bald now) the latest addition being his 'BGP' award. But the link to this award, provided below, raised an eye-brow.
The link provided here http://www.indiaprideaward.com/awardess.html with the heading 'Nomination form' and sub-heading 'More Details' clearly stated that a hefty sum of Rs. 51000 is a 'must' for registration fee to avail 'Bharat Gaurav Puraskar' and in the event of those applicants not getting the said award the whole amount would be refunded it further stated. One phrase creeps in my mind 'no ullu banawing'...
Need i say more? The rest rest on your discretion. But I sincerely don't have an iota of info about the other 'prestigious' awards (see the attached file at the bottom). Perhaps, this revelation could just be the tip of the iceberg.
Let me be honest, i hold no grudges against him nor idolized him and this is not an attempt to malign the 'Father of Awards'. I know, i'll not gain anything in return for not 'toe-ing the line' but will ended up earning the ire of his many loyalist, admirers or fans. I just want the truth to be told and affirmed myself that I'm a logical prick
And one pertinent question arises if we ever plan on celebrating CH anniversary this coming Oct (15 Oct) won't it be a good idea to constitute an award to honour our highly acclaimed scholar, scientist, writer & educationist? CH Oopsy Rosy Award 2014- 'Baap ka Award' or 'Baap ka A(wk)ward' may suffice.
Last but not the least, let me present this - 'If you're looking for Dr. H. H. Mate in a hospital, you'll find him in 'A-ward'.
(DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are entirely that of the writer, Nehtinthang Haokip and doesn't, in any way, reflect CH-You'll Never Walk Alone & Publish or Persih line of views & opinions--Admins)
Below here is the list of Dr. Mate's Awards from his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/HH-MATE/314679298572789:
A. INTERNATIONAL AWARDS AND HONORS (Alphabetical Order)
- American Medal of Honour ABI (NCUSA) 2003 Gold Medal
- International Excellence Gold Star Award NIED (London, England) 1998 Cash
- International Millennium Gold Star Award IFNRI (Bangkok, Thailand) 2000 Cash
- Man of the year Award ABI (NC, USA) 2003 Citation + Cash
- Pride of India Award & Gold Medal FFI (Washington, USA) 1999 Cash + Gold Medal
- UNICEF Award UNICEF (Paris, France) 1998 Cash
- World Medal of Honour ABI (NC, USA) 2004 Gold MedalFamous
- Bal Sahyog Award UCM (New Delhi) 2000 Gold Trophy +Certificate
- Bharat Exellence Award FFI(New Delhi) 1997 Gold Trophy + Certificate
- Bharat Gaurav Award IIF(New Delhi) 1997 Gold Trophy + Certificate
- Bharat Jyoti Award IIFS(New Delhi) 2000 Gold Trophy + Certificate
- Bharat Shiksha Ratna Award GSHEG(Delhi) 2010 Gold Trophy + Cash
- Best Citizen of India Award IPH(New Delhi) 1998 Gold Trophy
- Communal Harmony Award NFCH(Mumbai) 1999 Cash + Citation
- Devoted Teacher Award & Silver Medal SFS(Mansarovar, Rajasthan) 1998 Silver Medal+ Certificate
- Glory of India Award & Gold Medal FFI (Banglore) 1997Gold Trophy & Gold Medal
- Journalism Award IPPH(New Delhi) 1997 Cash + Certificate
- Man of Achievement Award IPH(New Delhi) 1999 Citation+ Volume
- Millennium Achiever Award & Gold Medal IISA(New Delhi) 2000 Gold Medal + Citation
- National Child Welfare Award DSWCD(Mumbai) 2004 Cash +Citation
- Paryavaran Dronacharya Award & Gold Medal ICWESSAR (Jaipur) 1998 Silver Medal + Certificate
- Vanyajeeva Dronacharya Award & Silver Medal ICWESSAR (Jaipur) 2006 Silver Medal + Certificate
- Vikas Ratna Award IEF(New Delhi) 1998 Cash + Certificate
- Vijay Ratna Award IIFS(New Delhi) 1998 Gold Trophy + Certificate.
- Famous Writer Award Kuki Students' Organisation,(CCp) 2001
- Good Reader Award Reader's Digest, India (Mumbai) 1999
- Life Dedicated Service Award DSRFS (Ccp) 2009
- State Teachers' Award Dept. of Edn.(s) Govt, of Manipur,(Imphal) 2003
- The North Eastern Personalities IPPH(New Delhi) 1997
- The Rising Personalities of India IPPH(New Delhi) 1998
- The Best Citizen of India IPH(New Delhi) 1998
- The Man of Achievements IPH(New Delhi) 1999
- The Millennium Achievers IISA(New Delhi) 2000
- The Contemporary Who's Who ABI(North Carolina, USA) 2003
- The Indian Personalities UCM(New Delhi) 2005
