Mumbai scribe Olga Tellis completes 50 years in journalism

Olga Tellis (pic courtesy Youtube)
Olga Tellis (pic courtesy Youtube)

Olga Tellis, Consulting Editor of the The Asian Age, has turned out to be one of the rare journalists, if not the only one, in India to complete 50 years in the profession.

She will be honored in a special function at the Mumbai Press Club on Wednesday at 3 pm.

“One of the best political reporters, she chased and tracked down important breaking stories and interviewed everyone who mattered in the political firmament – Sharad Pawar, George Fernandes, Datta Samant, etc. Reporting for magazines like ‘Sunday’ and the ‘Sunday Observer’, she rose to be a pioneer in the interview format,” said Gurbir Singh, Chairman of Mumbai Press Club inviting fellow journalists to the function.

Tellis is over 75 years old, making her, without doubt, the oldest serving journalist in India.

Tellis shifted to business journalism after starting off in ‘general reporting’ and can still be seen attending the odd press conference.

Many mumbai journalists remember her as the Business Editor of ‘The Asian Age’, where she currently serves as a ‘Consulting Editor’.

When asked how long she will continue in journalism, she said: “Forever IF MY EMPLOYERS SO WISH.. I don’t know anything else.”

There will also be a short discussion on ‘Journalism: Then and Now’ featuring two long-time associates of Olga – Arun Sadhu, freelance journalist and writer, and Dinkar Raikar, Chief Editor of the Lokmat Group.