MUMBAI: At its annual communication festival, Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC) felicitated IPAN president Rajiv Desai with the Award of Excellence for public relations.

The recipients of this year's awards for excellence for other streams are CNN's Satinder Bindra (television), O&M's Piyush Pandey (advertising) and Govind Nihalani (films).

The awards, which were given away by Serum Institute of India president Dr Cyrus Poonawala, have been institutionalised by the governing council of SIMC. Also present at the ceremony were Symbiosis Society founder and chairman S D Mazumdar and SIMC director Keval J Kumar.

Desai said, "It is indeed a privilege to share this platform with such creative minds. The fact that this award has been conferred on me by the students and the faculty of Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication makes it extra special. Public relations is crucial in a maturing democracy like India and underscores the importance of public opinion -- the cornerstone of a dynamic economy. I am gratified that SIMC has recognised this. This award is an honour for public relations discipline as a whole."

Over the 16 years as head of IPAN, Desai has counselled some of the most significant international and national companies. Before setting up IPAN, he held an appointment at the prestigious public relations firm, Hill and Knowlton in the United States. Additionally, Desai is a prolific writer and a journalist. His book, Indian Business Culture, was published by Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK, in 1999.

The awards were given away at a ceremony as part of the annual communication festival of SIMC -- Fest O'Comm, which started today (16 December).