News / Columns / Soumya Bhattacharya

Soumya Bhattacharya

Soumya Bhattacharya

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

An estimate shows that the ITO intersection has been recording around 400,000 vehicles during peak hours.(HT Phot)

Published on Jun 26, 2021 01:01 am IST

The Lion King tells me that entitlement is everything

After a final showdown, Simba emerges supreme. He is the new lion king. It all feels right and good. But what exactly has Simba done to deserve this?(AP)

Published on Jul 23, 2019 06:51 pm IST

Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh: A gripping parable for our times

Amitav Ghosh’s Gun Island is as much an etymological mystery as a compelling study of illegal migration.(Ivo van der Bent / www.amitavghosh.com; Illustration: Malay Karmakar)

Updated on Jun 08, 2019 06:28 pm IST

Review: The Assassination of Indira Gandhi; The Collected Stories of Upamanyu Chatterjee

Delhi riots, November 1984.(HT Photo)

Updated on Jun 08, 2019 10:23 am IST

Review: Autumn Light by Pico Iyer

Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan viewed from the Chureito Pagoda in Yamanashi prefecture. A Zen master quoted in Iyer’s book says that in Zen practice, when you see a mountain, you become the mountain.(AFP)

Updated on May 24, 2019 10:01 pm IST

Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: Manchester City and Liverpool’s ace rivalry

A Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool in January.(REUTERS)

Updated on May 30, 2019 06:19 pm IST

In an epic year for the English Premier League, a look at its transformation

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their second goal against Chelsea on April 14. The English Premier League is in for a frenzied finish.(REUTERS)

Published on Apr 20, 2019 04:27 pm IST

Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: The two faces of sporting greatness

Like all great rivals, the two men inspire each other to ever-greater heights season after season. And yet they couldn’t be more different. Ronaldo comes across as a snarling, primal, elemental, almost atavistic creature. You may or may not like him, but he wrenches admiration out of you.(Reuters)

Updated on Mar 23, 2019 08:45 pm IST

Courting greatness: In the legend of Federer, the numbers are just the beginning

The Swiss great defeated Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the ATP Dubai Championship, to win his 100th title. A fifth of these are majors. He’s won 29 titles in his thirties alone.(AFP)

Published on Mar 09, 2019 07:06 pm IST

The unexpected outcome sets sport apart from other fields of popular culture: Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya

James Buster Douglas (right) defeated Mike Tyson at Tokyo Dome stadium, Japan , in 1990, leaving everyone surprised. The unexpected outcome brought an end to Tyson’s dominance in world boxing.(Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

Updated on Feb 22, 2019 11:29 pm IST

Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: The sports fan and his embrace of torment

A tense Arsenal supporter during a match against Tottenham Hotspur in December last year.(Getty Images)

Published on Feb 09, 2019 05:07 pm IST

Spinoff by Soumya Bhattacharya: There’s no better time to be a sports fan

A great deal of mutual respect underpins the relationship between tennis players Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.(Getty Images)

Updated on Jan 27, 2019 03:54 pm IST

The agony and ecstasy of a sports fan

Arsenal fans celebrate in the stands at Wembley stadium, London.(Getty Images)

Updated on Jan 11, 2019 10:18 pm IST

Because idols can’t err. Or can they?

The fame of successful sportspersons such as Cristiano Ronaldo blind their followers in to believing that their icons can’t do any wrong.(Getty Images)

Updated on Dec 15, 2018 05:45 pm IST

On top of the game: age and injuries no bar

(left) Novak Djokovic of Serbia with Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerland during the ATP Heritage Celebration in New York, 2013.(Getty Images)

Published on Nov 30, 2018 08:31 pm IST

What MS Dhoni can learn from Mithali Raj

Left: Mithali Raj, captain of the Indian women’s cricket team; MS Dhoni, former captain of the Indian cricket team(HT Photos)

Updated on Nov 21, 2018 08:13 pm IST

Kohli & Co: Swagger is no substitute for success

The margins are fine in elite sport. The ability to discern a turning point, win it, and change the narrative of a game is the hallmark of all great teams. This current India team has consistently failed to do that outside Asia.(HT PHOTO)

Updated on Nov 04, 2018 01:59 pm IST

The 2018 World Cup has seen a renewal in the quality of football

South Korea fans inside the stadium before the match. The Asian nation defeated Germany -- making the European football powerhouse exit the FIFA world cup in group stages for the first time in last 80 years.(REUTERS)

Updated on Jun 28, 2018 07:42 pm IST

A royal wedding like no other: Diana would have approved

In this frame from video, Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle exchange vows during their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, near London, May 19. Even the vows the couple exchanged were different from what they had been when Diana married Charles.(AP)

Published on May 22, 2018 07:18 pm IST

Review: The Only Story by Julian Barnes

Of passion in English suburbia: A street in a suburb of Birmingham, UK.(UIG via Getty Images)

Updated on May 18, 2018 06:42 pm IST

Ronaldo’s goal shows how sport can transcend tribalism in its ability to share joy

Cristiano Ronaldo (C) scores during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg football match between Juventus and Real Madrid, Turin, Italy, April 3, 2018(AFP)

Updated on Apr 07, 2018 09:16 pm IST

Chandigarh stalking case shows one person’s fight against the system can pay off

Varnika with her father Varinder Singh Kundu, Panchkula, August 7, 2017(Sant Arora Hindustan Times)

Updated on Aug 13, 2017 09:02 pm IST

Review: Doctor Socrates by Andrew Downie

Legend: Scotland’s John Wark marks Brazilian captain Socrates at the 1982 World Cup Finals in Seville, Spain on June 18, 1982.(Bob Thomas/Getty Images)

Updated on Jun 03, 2017 09:00 am IST

‘...the end of a couple is like a death...’; Review of Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Refugees at the Idomeni camp on the Greek Macedonia border on March 11, 2016(Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Updated on May 05, 2017 08:03 pm IST

Review of The Clothing of Books by Jhumpa Lahiri: A meditation on book covers

Reading from cover to cover: Children immersed in their books at Green School in Badung, Bali, Indonesia.(Getty Images)

Updated on Mar 18, 2017 08:54 am IST

‘Arsene Out’: Why it’s time for Arsene Wenger to call it a day

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger during his side’s UEFA Champions League match against Bayern Munich.(REUTERS)

Updated on Feb 17, 2017 04:52 pm IST

Could this be the greatest India team of all time?

Virat Kohli has won 15 of his first 23 Tests as skipper; only Steve Waugh won more – 17 – after his first 23 Tests as captain.(AFP)

Updated on Feb 14, 2017 05:28 pm IST

Serena vs Venus: The most amazing sister act in history shows America what it is

United States' Serena Williams, right, celebrates after winning the Australian Open championship in Melbourne on Saturday. She beat sister Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4(AFP)

Updated on Jan 28, 2017 06:30 pm IST

‘At Presidency, we sought and found worlds within words’

Alumni of Presidency University participated in a rally to mark the bicentenary celebrations of the Hindoo College, Kolkata, which was renamed Presidency College in 1855. The college, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, was given the status of an independent University in 2010. the institute .(Samir Jana/HT Photo)

Updated on Jan 19, 2017 08:33 pm IST

The consummate storyteller; Review of The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carre

John L Carre offering his whippet a grape, circa 1990.(Terry O’Neill/Getty Images)

Updated on Dec 24, 2016 12:24 pm IST

SHARE

Copy

Whatsapp Twitter Facebook Linkedin

Copyright © 2026 HT Digital Streams Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Your Subscription Plan

Saved Articles

Subscribe Now!

Follow Us On