Live for today, for yesterday has gone and tomorrow still has to come. With this motto in life, this 24 year old young journalist gets going everyday. A through bred Delhite, this graduate in English honours (and several diplomas) went onto to become a journalist working for a leading National daily in Lucknow, (Uttar Pradesh) from the past 4 years. A true gemini to the soul, she loves meeting people and issues related to the underprivileged, women and children touch her the most. a budding development journalist, Tarannum loves writing about the feat achieved by her key areas, and can go anywhere to do that, with nothing stopping her.

She has had a number of firsts to her credit. Three decades ago, she became the very first IPS officer of UP. Other firsts in her list include first woman Additional Director General of Police in Uttaranchal, first woman Inspector General of Police (Organisation and Management) in UP Police and also, the first Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Range of Bareilly in UP a decade ago. But this is not all. With a persona like hers, Bhattacharya is sure to have many more firsts in her list, which keeps growing.

Her career graph too has been a challenging one. Bhattacharya’s first charge in the uniform was as the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Malihabad in Lucknow district way back in 1975. Famous not only for mangoes but also for goons, Bhattacharya managed to catch 13 dacoits in a year alongwith her team, which also included Makhan Singh, who was killed in an encounter. The other significant cases in her kitty include the gruesome murder of National Badminton Champion Syed Modi in 1987 and also, the various crimes in the banking and public sector companies, for which she was even pressurised at times.

But success has not gone into her head. According to colleagues and juniors, Bhattacharya is a softy at heart, who does not fail to share a smile with her collegues. “She is tough when she is on the job, but otherwise, she is very compassionate,” they say. Some even feel that with her around, they feel more responsible. “Her sensitive attitude is transported onto you if she is with you,” they opine. For many women who are in the police, Bhattacharya has served as a role model. And that’s not all. Even the men in khaki look at her for inspiration and courage.