Shashi Tharoor nominates Kerala fishermen for Nobel Prize

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 06: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday in a letter to Ms Beritt Reiss Anderson, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee nominated the fishermen of Kerala for this year's award in recognition of their "selfless, lifesaving service" during the devastating floods that had besieged the state last year.

"I would like to nominate the fishermen of Kerala for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. They represent an outstanding and wholly deserving candidacy, one that would be a worthy addition to the champions of humanity that the award has recognised over the years," Tharoor wrote in his letter to Berit Reiss-Anderson, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

"Even as their own houses fell victim to the deluge, their thoughts and concerns were directed towards the larger safety of strangers When the state government offered compensation in cash and kind for their efforts, many of them politely turned down the offer, pointing out that they found it unseemly to accept a reward for their humanitarian service," Tharoor noted.

"The lasting image of a fisherman bending low in the water so as to allow an elder person he had rescued to climb on his back and get on to his boat is a particularly striking reflection of this spirit that has been etched into the hearts of a grateful community," he wrote.