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Barkha Dutt Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 5, 2026 • 3 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth18 December 1971

Age53 Years

BirthplaceNew Delhi

ProfessionJournalist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

FamilyFather: S. P. Dutt; Mother: Prabha Dutt; Sister: Bahar Dutt

Barkha Dutt Biography

Barkha Dutt is an Indian journalist known for frontline reporting during the Kargil War, a long tenure at NDTV where she hosted We The People, and later st

Early life and background

Barkha Dutt was born on 18 December 1971 in New Delhi. She grew up in the city where she attended Modern School and later graduated in English Literature from St. Stephen's College, New Delhi. She went on to complete a master's in mass communication at Jamia Millia Islamia's Mass Communication Research Center and earned a second master's in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

Her family has close ties to media and public life. Her father, S. P. Dutt, worked for Air India, and her mother, Prabha Dutt, was a journalist with the Hindustan Times. Her younger sister, Bahar Dutt, followed a journalistic path as well.

Career

Dutt began her career in broadcast journalism soon after college, joining NDTV in 1994 at the age of 21. She rose to national prominence through her reporting during the 1999 Kargil War, and became a familiar face to Indian television audiences.

At NDTV she anchored and produced a long-running prime-time talk show, We The People, which she hosted for sixteen years. Over more than two decades at the channel, she took on reporting and editorial responsibilities and in February 2015 was named Consulting Editor at NDTV.

In addition to her television work, she published a book titled This Unquiet Land: Stories from India’s Fault Lines, which was launched in December 2015 and attended by a number of public figures.

On 15 January 2017 Dutt announced her departure from NDTV after 21 years, saying she would move on to explore new opportunities and ventures. In January 2019 she joined Tirangaa TV, where she hosts a primetime program, Democracy Live.

Honours and recognition

Over the course of her career Dutt has been recognized with a number of awards. She received the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Women Mediaperson and the Ramnath Goenka Award for Journalist of the Year. She has been named among the World Economic Forum’s list of Global Leaders of Tomorrow. Her work earned her recognition from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and the Association for International Broadcasting.

In 2008 she was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s civilian honors, and she has received other journalism awards including national broadcasting and television awards.

Public profile

Dutt is a high-profile figure in Indian journalism, known for frontline reporting and long-form interview formats. Her on-screen presence and editorial roles over two decades made her one of the best-known television journalists in India. Over her career she has covered major national events and produced work that has drawn both public attention and institutional awards.

Personal life

Dutt is from New Delhi and is identified as Indian by nationality. She has been married twice and is currently listed as divorced. She does not have children. Her listed personal interests include travel, reading and music.

Latest updates

After leaving NDTV in 2017 Dutt pursued new projects and, in 2019, joined Tirangaa TV, hosting the show Democracy Live. Her book This Unquiet Land was released in December 2015, marking a notable entry into long-form writing alongside her broadcast career.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Barkha Dutt, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded
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Recent Work

This Unquiet Land: Stories from India's Fault Lines

A book published in December 2015 exploring stories from across India.

2015
Democracy Live

Primetime program on Tirangaa TV which Barkha Dutt began hosting after joining the channel in 2019.

2019
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined NDTV in 1994 and reported on the 1999 Kargil War
  2. Hosted We The People on NDTV for 16 years
  3. Served as Consulting Editor at NDTV (from February 2015)
  4. Left NDTV in January 2017 after 21 years
  5. Joined Tirangaa TV in January 2019 and hosted Democracy Live
  6. Author of This Unquiet Land (2015)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Barkha Dutt born?

Barkha Dutt was born on 18 December 1971.

What is Barkha Dutt known for?

Barkha Dutt is known for journalist.

What is Barkha Dutt’s marital status?

Barkha Dutt's marital status is listed as Divorced.