By IANS
New York : A Mumbai-based blogger and columnist won the Bastiat Prize for Journalism here for his regular weekly column in an Indian business daily.
Amit Varma won the award Wednesday for his weekly column ‘Thinking it through’ in Mint business daily from the Hindustan Times group. He has also been blogging for the last three years.
The Bastiat Prize for Journalism, instituted six years ago, after the 19th century French philosopher and writer Frédéric Bastiat, who believed in the institutions of free society, carries a cash prize of $10,000, and is given by the International Policy Network (IPN), with offices in Britain and the US, to encourage, recognise and reward writers around the world whose published works elucidate the institutions of the free society.
Varma beat five other finalists, including first runner up Clive Crook (Atlantic Monthly) and second runner up Jonah Goldberg (National Review). There were submissions from over 280 writers in 60 countries.
“I am pleasantly surprised to win the prize given the calibre of other finalists. I felt flattered to find myself in the final list,” Varma told IANS after receiving the prize.
“Bastiat,” he added, “is one of my intellectual heroes, his ideas are still relevant to modern India.”
Bibek Debroy of International Management Institute, New Delhi, was in the panel of five judges.