Souhardya De


Souhardya De is an Indian writer, columnist, and podcaster from Midnapore, West Bengal. He is a recipient of the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, a civilian award for Indian citizens under the age of 18, in 2021. He is a Think Big scholar at the University of Bristol and a Don Lavoie Fellow in political economy at the Mercatus Center.

Personal life

De pursued high school studies at the Vidyasagar Shishu Niketan in Midnapore, West Bengal, graduating in July, 2022. He did an undergraduate certificate in History from the University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education with a bursary. Later, he was awarded a Think Big scholarship for his undergraduate education in History at the University of Bristol, where he also worked as a student fundraiser.
His father, Shakti Prasad De, is a professor in the faculty of history at Midnapore College and his mother, Jayati De, is a teacher at a government school in West Bengal.

Career

He was a columnist for the Sunday Guardian and a podcaster, hosting a show called Cosmographia: The Graeco Romans, the Egyptians and Us. In 2021, Souhardya was one of the recipients of the PM-YUVA Fellowship, a stipend for young authors writing about the Indian independence movement, announced by the Ministry [of Education (India)|Ministry of Education]. His book Pratap Jung: The Ultimate Sacrifice was published by the National Book Trust as part of the PM-YUVA series in 2023.

Honours and awards