Bano Haralu honoured for contributions in journalism, environmental conservation

Staff Reporter
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 22

The former editor of Eastern Mirror, and a recipient of the Chameli Devi Jain Award in 2001, Bano Haralu was on Wednesday felicitated by the Pranabananda Women’s College (PWC), Dimapur in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the field of journalism and environmental conservation.
Haralu, besides her exploits in the field of TV journalism, is also known for her ground-breaking works on environmental awareness that has put to stop the widespread massacre of the migratory birds Amur Falcons, in the district of Wokha.
She is the second media personality in Nagaland, after the editor of Nagaland Page Monalisa Changkija, to be accorded such recognition by the college. The PWC has made it tradition every year to choose one Naga woman, who has made outstanding contribution to the society, and award her for the same.
Haralu described it as an “absolute honor” for her to receive the award on Wednesday which coincided with the college’s annual Freshers’ Day. In her acceptance speech, she encouraged the students to stay true to their ideals in life.
“Don’t let others take you for granted and don’t take others for granted. But most of all, don’t be a pushover in life,” Haralu said in a message to the students. She said that the guiding principle for the students must be to “uplift the poorest of the poor.”
Encouraging the students to “dig dipper into your roots, of your ancestors and your villages”, she said knowing one’s roots was of prime importance. “It is what makes you who you are. It is your identity.”
Haralu also reflected on the role that can be played by the students of PWC in the backdrop of the various incidents of assault on people from the Northeast states in the metros.
“It is extremely important that, if we want to be understood, we should also understand the others. We all have a role to play in bridging that divide,” she said while noting that the PWC, with its students from all tribes and communities, could set an example for the rest to follow.
Haralu also asked the students not to be discouraged by the fact that they pursue their education in Nagaland and not elsewhere. “Because you are in Nagaland, don’t feel that you are away from the center of education.”
She reasoned that being able to look at things “from the outside” could, and should, rather be an advantage.