BIRTHDAY OF OUR VERY OWN UTPAL CHATTERJEE….

Pradeep Gogte : Kolkata, 27th August 2024.
Today is August 27 and Utpal Chatterjee’s birthday. Utpal,many happy returns of the day.
Here is a snapshot of Utpal’s outstanding career in journalism. Utpal did his fellowship in Journalism from Oxford, under the mentorship of the fabled Sir.Neville Maxwell and has since been lawfully wedded to journalism and the news media, throughout his career. He worked for several leading Indian national newspapers, journals and was with Doordarshan virtually since its infancy from 1980-87 as a news presenter, election anchor and leading interviewer. The likes of film maestro Satyajit Ray and singing legend, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay loved watching him on TV.Later, he went on to interview 21 Heads of State, starting with Presidents George Bush (Sr.) in 1988 and Bill Clinton in 1992
during the coast-to-coast U.S. Presidential elections. He has also interviewed the late Princess Diana and other celebrities like Robert Redford. But he met and interviewed all British Prime Ministers from Margaret Thatcher till David Cameron at Westminster, as well as Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989, in wintry, freezing Moscow.
Moreover, he has interviewed 10 Nobel Laureates and travelled with three Indian Prime Ministers, as part of their respective media delegations.
His official assignments have taken him across all the continents, except Africa and Australia over 55 times.
For his yeoman service to the cause of journalism, he was
• Recognised for being an “OUTSTANDING INDIAN for enriching national values, public service and international journalism” by the NIFI (National Integration Forum of India)
• In December 2018, he was recognized as the “LEGEND OF BENGAL” by the All India
Human Rights Council.
• Bestowed with the National Education Leadership Award and “Lifetime Achievement
Award for Excellence in being the Ideal Indian Citizen”
Utpal was, along with former Vice President of India, Mr. H. Ansari and former West Bengal Governor, Mr. M. K. Narayanan, invited to join a select panel of Distinguished ( the highest professorial rank in U.S.) visiting Professors by the St. Xavier’s University, New Town, Kolkata.
Among the most acclaimed of Indian journalists and public speakers,Utpal was, until recently, the Honourable and outstabding Sheriff of Kolkata and its first citizen.
He is on the BBC panel of experts and also writes for other foreign journals.For the sixth year running, he is the Rotary Ambassador.Till not too long ago,he was the Goodwill Ambassador for the Department of Income Tax, Govt of India.
Utpal, what an amazing repertoire of achievements you’ve collected over several decades.
We’re all indeed very proud of you.Have a great birthday !