Soumya Bhattacharya is the editor of Hindustan Times, Mumbai. He is the author of five books of fiction, non-fiction and memoir.
Articles by Soumya Bhattacharya
Traffic back in Delhi, even in non-peak hours
"There are some stretches where we have observed increased traffic volume but it will be unfair to say that this has become a trend" a senior traffic officer said.
Published on Jun 26, 2021 01:01 AM IST
Soumya Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
The Lion King tells me that entitlement is everything
The movie’s plot demolishes the notion of meritocracy. Monarchies, politics and business will find it familiar
Published on Jul 23, 2019 06:51 PM IST
Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh: A gripping parable for our times
Amitav Ghosh’s new novel, Gun Island, explores many of the writer’s recurring motifs: Irrawaddy dolphins; the Sunderbans; climate change. But at the heart of the novel is the theme of illegal migration and refugee crisis, displacement and renewal. Exclusive interview plus extract from the book
Updated on Jun 08, 2019 06:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Review: The Assassination of Indira Gandhi; The Collected Stories of Upamanyu Chatterjee
Upamanyu Chatterjee’s first volume of short stories, that includes three pieces written in the 1980s, showcases the trajectory of his writing career
Updated on Jun 08, 2019 10:23 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Review: Autumn Light by Pico Iyer
Autumn Light is an elegant meditation on mortality, ageing, dwindling and love
Updated on May 24, 2019 10:01 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: Manchester City and Liverpool’s ace rivalry
The English Premier League brought out some of the toughest competition seen so far, with each team upping the ante.
Updated on May 30, 2019 06:19 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
In an epic year for the English Premier League, a look at its transformation
How did ‘a slum sport played in slum stadiums’ become a globalised TV spectacle awash with obscene amounts of money? Read Michael Cox’s The Mixer
Published on Apr 20, 2019 04:27 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: The two faces of sporting greatness
Ronaldo and Messi have both pursued, and attained greatness. The end is the same; the means are different.
Updated on Mar 23, 2019 08:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Courting greatness: In the legend of Federer, the numbers are just the beginning
Roger Federer, who recently won his hundredth ATP title, has said he was not chasing that landmark. Yet, his achievement is remarkable in all sorts of ways.
Published on Mar 09, 2019 07:06 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
The unexpected outcome sets sport apart from other fields of popular culture: Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya
The unfolding in front of our eyes of what seems barely credible is one of the enduring and defining charms of sport
Updated on Feb 22, 2019 11:29 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: The sports fan and his embrace of torment
Masochism is built into the mental makeup of the ardent sports fan. Throw him as many unpalatable results as you like, he will keep coming back
Published on Feb 09, 2019 05:07 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: There’s no better time to be a sports fan
Football, tennis and cricket are all illuminated by the talents and collective greatness of athletes who count as among the best ever to have played their chosen sports.
Updated on Jan 27, 2019 03:54 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
The agony and ecstasy of a sports fan
SPINOFF: Soumya Bhattacharya writes about the purpose a sport serves to those who follow and watch sport but have no stake in it in terms of money or a career.
Updated on Jan 11, 2019 10:18 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Because idols can’t err. Or can they?
SPINOFF: It’s not fair to expect elite athletes to be role models in terms of personal conduct, writes Soumya Bhattacharya
Updated on Dec 15, 2018 05:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
On top of the game: age and injuries no bar
Autobiographies of sportspersons tend to be anodyne. Just as official interactions with them are mediated, and full of platitudes, autobiographies, too, have become another form of a mediated encounter, a whirring of the PR wheels, an output of the spin factory.
Published on Nov 30, 2018 08:31 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
What MS Dhoni can learn from Mithali Raj
‘Indian male cricketers, and only they, seem to decide when to stop playing. Not time, not the selectors....’
Updated on Nov 21, 2018 08:13 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Kohli & Co: Swagger is no substitute for success
SPINOFF: He is undoubtedly one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era, but as a captain, Virat lacks tactical nous, says Soumya Bhattacharya
Updated on Nov 04, 2018 01:59 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
The 2018 World Cup has seen a renewal in the quality of football
The big beasts of world football have not been able to bully the so-called lesser teams. The first round of the 2018 World Cup in Russia has showcased the joy, drama, excitement, and sheer quality that international football on the biggest global stage still has to offer
Updated on Jun 28, 2018 07:42 PM IST
A royal wedding like no other: Diana would have approved
In that most insular, class conscious and whitest of white cliques, aka The Firm, this was a magnificent, unprecedented celebration of diversity. The monarchy appeared accepting, even encouraging, of a new reality
Published on May 22, 2018 07:18 PM IST
Review: The Only Story by Julian Barnes
Love, and what love has to do with truth, have been the central themes of Julian Barnes’s oeuvre
Updated on May 18, 2018 06:42 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Ronaldo’s goal shows how sport can transcend tribalism in its ability to share joy
Cristiano Ronaldo’s heartstopping goal shows how, unlike in music, films or literature (which are admired as a work in its entirety), a single, discrete, defining moment in sport can communicate joy which is unrivalled in its purity
Updated on Apr 07, 2018 09:16 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Sachin Tendulkar’s three commandments to Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team ahead of 2nd Test
Sachin Tendulkar said that the Centurion Test against South Africa will show how well the Indian cricket team can play under pressure. India are down 1-0 in the three-Test series
Updated on Jan 13, 2018 11:01 AM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Soumya Bhattacharya & Soumitra Bose
Chandigarh stalking case shows one person’s fight against the system can pay off
Varnika Kundu’s fearless response to her ordeal shows that, however heavily weighted the system may be in favour of the powerful, an individual can, on occasion, successfully fight it. But for that to happen, certain circumstances need to come together in her favour.
Updated on Aug 13, 2017 09:02 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Review: Doctor Socrates by Andrew Downie
Andrew Downie’s biography of footballer Socrates, Doctor Socrates: Footballer, Philosopher, Legend, is the fascinating story of a true legend.
Updated on Jun 03, 2017 09:00 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
‘...the end of a couple is like a death...’; Review of Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Mohsin Hamid’s new novel Exit West can lay claim to being one of the first post-Brexit, post-refugee-crisis fictions
Updated on May 05, 2017 08:03 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
Review of The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri: A meditation on book covers
Jhumpa Lahiri’s new offering ponders about the aesthetic and commercial purposes of book covers and their relationship with the writer and the reader
Updated on Mar 18, 2017 08:54 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Soumya Bhattacharya
‘Arsene Out’: Why it’s time for Arsene Wenger to call it a day
Arsene Wenger has been a polarizing figure among the Arsenal fans for quite some time now and the defeat against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League can prove to be the tipping point.
Updated on Feb 17, 2017 04:52 PM IST
Hindustan Times, New Delhi | Soumya Bhattacharya
Could this be the greatest India team of all time?
After the forthcoming home series against Australia, India play Tests away against England, South Africa and Australia. How India fare in those arduous series will tell us where this side stands in the pantheon of great India Test teams.
Updated on Feb 14, 2017 05:28 PM IST
New Delhi | Soumya Bhattacharya
Serena vs Venus: The most amazing sister act in history shows America what it is
Serena Williams pushed sentiments aside in an emotion-charged 6-4 6-4 defeat of sister Venus to win the Australian Open on Saturday and a record 23rd grand slam title in the professional era
Updated on Jan 28, 2017 06:30 PM IST
‘At Presidency, we sought and found worlds within words’
Soumya Bhattacharya writes about his time at Presidency College, which, he says, laid some sort of foundation for the best years of his life.
Updated on Jan 19, 2017 08:33 PM IST