THE EARTH TIMES
MARCH 31 – APRIL 14, 1996
World-wide tributes for a journalist
First word is ‘courage’
BY ASHALI VARMA
Executive Publisher of The Earth Times
“Courage” is the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Dita . A vibrant, vivacious and giving human being Dita at 84, had the vigor and zest for life that one associates with a much younger person.
None of us at The Earth Times ever realized what courage and commitment it must have taken to work for a daily paper as she did, when we published in February of this year.
The last time I saw Dita she looked tired and in pain but made light of it and shrugged it off saying, “I will be fine tomorrow, afte a good night’s sleep. I have to go to work at Newsweek tomorrow.
She loved her work, whether it was as Chief of Research for Newsweek International or writing for The Earth Times.
She loved people, getting to know them and telling their stories.
At the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, last September, Dita went out of her way not only to write about the challenges women faced but she made friends with the people she wrote about and spent time with them, even it meant she would get less time to rest.