dsja jury member

Prof. Kishalay Bhattacharjee

Jindal School of journalism & communication

As journalists we go to edge of human experiences identify issues report them tell the stories amplify them and hope to shake the collective conscience of humanity and force change. It is truly an honor to part of jury of the first Danish Siddiqui Journalism Award. Danish's work embodies the best in journalism practice. He not only demonstrated extraordinary courage and let his stories speak for themselves but his work has the aesthetic of a complete story. His work is a delight to watch and study. He's complete journalist and I think this is a fitting tribute to the craft that he practiced and to his dogged and daunting adventures in journalism. I hope journalists across regions apply for this award for us to be able to study read and experience and acknowledge great journalism. Best of luck to celebrate Danish Siddiqui's legacy. By doing the kind of meaningful, impactful work that we would like to honor and recognize. Thank you very much.

Kishalay Bhattacharjee is a Professor and Dean at the Jindal School of Journalism and Communication and Director of New Imaginations. A seasoned journalist, he has over two decades of experience reporting from India’s conflict zones. Bhattacharjee is also an award-winning author, with notable works including “Che in Paona Bazaar: Tales of Exile and Belonging from India’s Northeast” (2013), “Blood on My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters” (2015), “An Unfinished Revolution: A Hostage Crisis, Adivasi Resistance and the Naxal Movement” (2017), and “Where the Madness Lies: Citizen Accounts of Identity and Nationalism” (2023).
He has received several accolades for his work, including the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award (2006-07) and was nominated for the best current affairs programme by the Association of International Broadcasting (AIB) Awards in 2013. His documentary “Santi, Lucy and Thoibi,” which focuses on HIV and Hepatitis C co-infection, was selected for international festivals in Goa and Barcelona.
Bhattacharjee was the first recipient of the Penguin Random House Writers Residency Award (2016) and served as Chair and Senior Fellow at India’s premier think tank, the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in 2011. He has also been a Panos Fellow for HIV/AIDS (2007) and an Edward Murrow Fellow in Journalism (2006).