Barkha Dutt

The freedom of expression cannot be defined selectively.

— Barkha Dutt

Politics was Ahmed Patel's whole life.

— Barkha Dutt

Patriotism need not be puritanical.

— Barkha Dutt

An idea you disagree with has to be fought with a better idea.

— Barkha Dutt

I'm not a big fan of government interference in most matters.

— Barkha Dutt

Covid-19-affected patients cannot be orphaned.

— Barkha Dutt

A message you abhor has to be trumped with a more powerful one.

— Barkha Dutt

Yes, fear and repression may be permanent citizens in Narendra Modi's Gujarat.

— Barkha Dutt

Hindi news is much more determinedly populist and lowbrow than the English channels.

— Barkha Dutt

The working conditions of Indian labourers in the Gulf countries are notoriously abusive.

— Barkha Dutt

National security is that old rabbit that's pulled out of the hat every time politicians run out of other tricks to keep…

— Barkha Dutt

No one wants to trivialise the gigantic challenge of battling terrorism or undermine the sacrifice of our soldiers and policemen.

— Barkha Dutt

There are only a handful of educational institutions that can be called emblems of a Thinking India.

— Barkha Dutt

Most of us will agree that my former medium, television news, has been reduced to tawdry entertainment.

— Barkha Dutt

Our ideas of consent have evolved and changed because feminism has pushed the boundaries.

— Barkha Dutt

Hinduism especially - in the absence of codified rituals or a book of rules to circumscribe it - has always functioned as…

— Barkha Dutt

For decades, the Left has occupied a special place in the minds of educated Indians - outside of the two states (Bengal…

— Barkha Dutt

We can barely deal with men who set their own rules; to ask us to accept a woman who is individualistic, passionate,…

— Barkha Dutt

In a country like ours where the poor barely have the right to live, a legally recognised right to die would push…

— Barkha Dutt

Every time that zealots clash with the zany and Religion and Freedom take opposite positions across the trenches, the issue becomes larger…

— Barkha Dutt

Most of us in the media are, by and large, sentimental about our national identity, but comfortable enough in our skins as…

— Barkha Dutt

What other, newer democracies find relatively easy - conducting an election, the counting of votes, the peaceful transition of power - seems…

— Barkha Dutt

My father, a former Air India official, but essentially an inventor at heart - a man who loved to sometimes break machines…

— Barkha Dutt

For too long now we have watched the Left perch prettily on the periphery of the government, enjoying influence without accountability. In…

— Barkha Dutt

I don't care if a flight attendant is fat as long as she doesn't sneak back to the galley for a gossip…

— Barkha Dutt

Even those of us who do not understand the nuances of economics have come to accept that reform cannot be bloodless. We…

— Barkha Dutt

No matter what you think of him otherwise, there are no two ways about it - Narayana Murthy is inextricably linked to…

— Barkha Dutt

When Sania Mirza says she feels hurt or fed up at constantly grabbing the headlines for the wrong reasons, it's an understandable…

— Barkha Dutt

There comes a time in the life of every government when the media decide that it has blundered so fatally that a…

— Barkha Dutt

Women - whether in politics, media or business - can't have it both ways. We can't demand to be judged irrespective of…

— Barkha Dutt

Apart from democracy, globalisation and economic liberalism is our 20th century area of commonality with the U.S., the burgeoning numbers of skilled…

— Barkha Dutt

If we began deconstructing the myths at the heart of every religion, we would be citizens of a Marxian Utopia.

— Barkha Dutt

Much of India's Hindu-Muslim divisions can also be located in the context of history, fomented further by the politics of divide and…

— Barkha Dutt

Nostalgia can be an awful bore, especially for those whose memories are painted in hues different from ours.

— Barkha Dutt

It has become impossible for India to talk about caste with any candour.

— Barkha Dutt

Much like the death sentence, I believe, hidden cameras should be used in the 'rarest of rare' cases.

— Barkha Dutt

Textbook journalism everywhere in the world has always frowned upon the sting as a tool of reporting.

— Barkha Dutt

I don't watch television news and, so, whatever I know is from online snippets released by various channels.

— Barkha Dutt

A hidden camera can only be a good journalist's last resort. But sometimes, it's the only option.

— Barkha Dutt

There is an undeniable need to stop candy-flossing the impact of fundamentalism.

— Barkha Dutt