Two Indians in this year’s Ramon Magsaysay awardees

Two Indians, human rights activist Bezwada Wilson and south Indian classical musician TM Krishna, have been conferred the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2016.

Bezwada Wilson, who was born to a dalit family in Karnataka, has been lauded for his efforts towards "asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity." The Chennai-born Carnatic musician TM Krishna has been awarded for "ensuring social inclusiveness in culture."

The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award, named after former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay, to honour "greatness of spirit in selfless service to the peoples of Asia",says the web site of the foundation that selects the awardees.

The four other awardees for 2016 are Conchita Carpio-Morales from the Philippines, Indonesian Dompet Dhuafa, Vientiane Rescue from Laos and the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers.

Carpio-Morales has been awarded for her work in "restoring faith in the rule of law". Dhuafa has been honoured for "expanding the transformative impact of zakat", which in Islam is a form of alms-giving and religious tax. Vientiane Rescue is a group that's been awarded the Magsaysay for its volunteering to save lives at risk. And Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Building gets the award for contributing "to the reconstruction and progress of developing countries" towards the goal of building a world of genuine solidarity.