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Santwana Bhattacharya

@santwanabhatt

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You can shut down a city. You cannot shut down a question.

Why is a generation looking up from its screens and stepping out onto the streets? What happens when the young realise that those running the world may have little stake in the future they will inherit?

My new column in The New Indian Express — on Gen Z, the politics of protest, and a future that cannot be managed through curfews.

A curfew does not make the street empty of questions.

Read here: https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinion/2026/Oct/10/a-curfew-does-not-make-the-streetempty-of-questions

#Opinion #GenZ #Democracy #India #thenewindianexpress by @santwanabhatt

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6 days ago

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

Neither of these are recent. One from October 2025, the other from December. Not that old—just four to six months ago.

One was taken at a community festival at the club across the road from our home in Gurgaon. The other, during a quiet celebration of a personal milestone—on the way to One Horizon, also close by.

As I recover from eye surgery in Hyderabad, with limited phone time, these feel like fragments from another world. Almost another era.

Was there no conflict or war then? Of course there was. But it didn’t feel this frenzied, this whimsical, this uncaring… this self-destructive. by @santwanabhatt

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6 months ago

At a family wedding in Mumbai on February 21, 2026 — of a Nair girl and a Kutchi Jain boy. You can smile like that only at a close family event!
Not once did I sense any deep difference between the two families, except perhaps in temperament: Nairs, by nature, a little more sombre and reserved, Kutchi Gujaratis exuberant, full of song and dance.
The boy’s aunt — warm and friendly — insisted on a photograph with me. And there we were. India can be a warm indulgent place — often far more than some would have us believe. Or allow us be in a drastically changing world.

The third face in the frame is my daughter, Tiyas, taking the selfie. by @santwanabhatt

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7 months ago

Honoured to have received a warm felicitation from the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations on International Women’s Day. Thank you.

As usual, journalists rarely give up an opportunity to speak — or speak up — when there is a forum. It was a chance to share a quick mix of a personal anecdote and reflections from the editorial role: moments where gender did come into play, and many more where it never did.

Grateful for the engaging interaction. 🌸 by @santwanabhatt

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7 months ago

This isn’t a new picture — just one I rediscovered in my album. Taken right after Kantara 2 released, when Rishab Shetty had become a national star.

Undoubtedly a fan moment for me! What truly took me by surprise, though, was how grounded he was — even as the crowd around us cheered his name. @rishabshettyofficial by @santwanabhatt

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8 months ago

Merry Christmas to you all!

For those of us who grew up in Kolkata, Christmas was as eagerly awaited as any other festival. Often called a city of protests and rallies, Kolkata is just as much a city of celebration — one that dresses up every year and spills onto the streets with a shared, carnivalesque joy.

I am sure every city and town has its own story of syncretism, lived quietly as a way of life. We must do all we can to keep that spirit alive. by @santwanabhatt

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10 months ago

He was one of our most incisive columnists. Even as his health declined, he continued to write whenever he could—always framing his irregularity as though it were his fault. That gentle courtesy, that instinctive politeness, remained with him despite his vast professional experience and deep knowledge.

I process this news with profound regret. My heartfelt condolences to his family.

Amb. P. S. Raghavan
RIP 🙏🏽 by @santwanabhatt

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a year ago

Not just a star of the celluloid, but a man of hearts. A quintessential Jat of the hearth!
Dharmendra carried an India we still hold close — warm, candid, irresistibly charming. His cinema gave us everything: the unforgettable, the somewhat forgettable, and always that unmistakable intensity — iconic swear words included.
With his passing, it feels like a slice of our own growing-up years has slipped away. #Dharmendra RIP by @santwanabhatt

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a year ago

ঝর্ণা চিত্রকর।
পূর্ব মেদিনীপুর। হাঁসছড়া

This is a pata chitra by Jharna Chitrakar (painter-artist) from Hansjhuri, West Midnapore, Bengal.

Sharad Subhachha/Greetings to all of you! by @santwanabhatt

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a year ago

At a time when Trump has struck oil in Pakistan—or is it grease—it wouldn’t have harmed India one bit if Govt and Oppn spoke the same truth for a change.

My column:

It's the world's job to spin around, our job is to be the axis | https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2025/Aug/03/its-the-worlds-job-to-spin-around-our-job-is-to-be-the-axis by @santwanabhatt

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a year ago