About Speaker
Utpal Kumar

Biography

Utpal Kumar is the opinion editor at News18 and Firstpost. In more than two decades of his journalistic experience, he has worked with several media houses in the country. He started his career at The Pioneer and went on to work at the Hindustan Times, Mail Today (India Today Group), and the Sunday Guardian.

Kumar has written hundreds of articles for reputed newspapers and magazines. He has been the Books Editor in most of the places he has worked, and has reviewed hundreds of books and interviewed authors of great eminence. He is among the most trenchant nationalist voices in the mainstream media. Eminent Distorians and the Discovery of Bharat: From Antiquity to Independence is his second book. His first book, Bharat Rising: Dharma, Democracy, Diplomacy, published in January 2024, was a bestseller.

Utpal Kumar

Utpal Kumar

Opinion editor at News18 & FirstPost

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Bihar does not lack history, talent, or resilience—it lacks collective urgency and sustained support. For decades, its story has been told in fragments, often defined by what it is not, rather than what it can become. Grand Trunk Road Initiatives was born to change that narrative—through research, dialogue, and platforms that bring Bihar back into meaningful national and global conversations.
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