Tarzie Vittachi (September 23, 1921 – September 17, 1993), was a Sri Lankan

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

. He was born in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

, Ceylon. Vittachi authored two popular columns "Bouquets and Brickbats", and "Fly by Night" in the ''

Ceylon Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka. It is now published by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House), a government-owned corporation. The newspaper commenced publishing on 3 January 1918. D. R. Wije ...

''. He later became the youngest editor (at 32) of the oldest newspaper in Asia, ''

The Ceylon Observer ''The Ceylon Observer'' was an English-language daily newspaper in Sri Lanka published by Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL). It was founded in 1834 as ''The Observer and Commercial Advertiser'' and was published from Colombo. It ceas ...

'', which was founded in 1834.Ramon Magsaysay Awardees - Vittachi Tarzie
/ref> He wrote a book known as ''Emergency 58'' about the country's race riots in 1958 that won him the Magsaysay Prize in 1959. From 1957 he was chairman of the World Subud Association for 25 years. From 1960 to 1965 he was Asian director of the

International Press Institute International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia University ...

, an organization of editors devoted to promoting the freedom of the press. He was, at the same time, a correspondent for ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'', the BBC and ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' of London and wrote a column for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

''. A book about the role of the Children's Fund in arranging truces to protect children in time of conflict, called "Between the Guns", was published posthumously.Varindra Vittachi, Ceylonese Journalist And U.N. Aide, 69
The New York Times

Publications

*''Emergency '58: The story of the Ceylon race riots'' (1959) Andre Deutsch *''The Brown Sahib'' (1962) Andre Deutsch *''Trials of Transition in the Island of the Sun. A political satire'' (1962) *''A Reporter of Subud'' (1963) Dharma book Co. *''Times of Transition'' (1964) *''The Fall of Sukarno'' (1967) *''The Brown Sahib Revisited'' (1987) New Delhi: Penguin *''South America, Central America and the Caribbean''. 2nd ed. (1987) Europa Publications International ''*A Memoir of Subud'' (1988) Subud Publications International *''Between the Guns: Children as a Zone of Peace'' (1993) Hodder & Stoughton *''Special Assignment: A Subud Trilogy'' (1996) Subud Publications Int. *''Subudo Reporteris'' (2005) Susila Budhi Dharma and *''Fruitful Droppings: From the Legacy of Tarzie Vittachie'' by Matthew Barry Sullivan (1997) Subud Publications International

References

External links

* The 1959 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Art

Sri Lankan writers Sri Lankan journalists 1921 births 1993 deaths People from Colombo Alumni of the University of Ceylon Ramon Magsaysay Award winners 20th-century journalists {{Asia-journalist-stub