Uday Basu

Uday Basu is the Kolkata Chief of Bureau of a leading English national daily of India. Son of a vastly learned Professor of English, he graduated with Honours in English from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and joined the Editorial Department of the daily, two years after the Marxists came to came to power in Bengal in 1977. Over the years he keenly watched the rise and fall of the Left and intimately interacted with top Marxist leaders, their rivals and more importantly, a cross-section of people of Bengal. His regular analytical pieces are widely read and enjoyed for their depth of understanding of Bengal politics, objectivity and authenticity. He has many scoops under his belt, including the one on the resignation of the last Marxist Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, that was eventually not accepted by his party. He has the distinction of having learnt French in Kolkata and interviewed former French President Francois Mitterrand in French in Kolkata.