Nishtha Gautam

Nishtha Gautam is Editor, Views at the Hindustan Times, where she curates expert opinion for the newspaper’s Opinion and Reflections pages and shapes its editorial voice through the daily editorials. Her career spans journalism, academia, public policy, and screenwriting, with a sustained focus on the intersections of politics, culture, and global affairs.

Previously, Nishtha taught English literature at the University of Delhi, led research on gender inequities at the Observer Research Foundation, served as Features and Opinions Editor at The Quint, and designed interdisciplinary courses in international affairs at O.P. Jindal Global University. She has been invited to speak on politics and culture at leading institutions in India and abroad, including Chatham House, London.

Her latest book, Sita’s Veil (Yatra, 2025), a translation of a Hindi novel, has been shortlisted for several literary awards. She also co-edited In Hard Times: Security in Times of Insecurity (Bloomsbury, 2022). A screenwriter with two feature films in development, she is currently working on a book examining the theory and evolution of Indian nationalism.