Remembering Abhinanda: A Life Dedicated To Making A Difference

EVANSTON, IL — Journalist. Traveler. Doodler. Borderline Misanthrope. Bibliophile. Insomniac. Those are the words Abhinanda Datta used to describe herself on a social media profile. Datta, a lover of words both in her professional career and personal life, died unexpectedly Wednesday, March 17, in Evanston. She was 28.

Datta is survived by her parents, Amitabha and Sahana, of Kolkata, West Bengal (India); her beloved dog, Muffin; elder sister, Aanandita, of Mumbai, Maharashtra (India); and her brother-in-law, Pranay Rao.

BORN TO WRITE

Abhinanda Datta was born and raised in India. Her grandfather, Dr. Amaresh Datta, was an eminent Shakespearean scholar and Abhinanda took after him with a great interest in English literature, according to her family. The elder Datta died last August at the age of 101, and a state funeral was held in his honor.

"Writing has always been a passion, but when I learned about the abuse women my age faced, I decided to forego fictional stories to write about those who needed to be heard," Abhinanda Datta once wrote. "That is how at the age of 14 I decided that I would dedicate my life to making a difference."

Even before graduating from high school, Datta started having her work published. She reported on topics like the abuse of women, yoga and India's 60th year of independence, while also critiquing books, films and music for The Telegraph in Schools, the largest student-run newspaper in East India.

"She had a natural gift of the gab, and had an excellent command over her English. This helped her to be a meticulous editor," said Biswanath Dasgupta, editor-in-charge, The Telegraph In Schools. "An excellent artist, she blossomed on the pages of her paper TTIS with beautiful illustrations/doodles for poems, short stories and cover stories."

Datta received a high school degree from Our Lady Queen of the Missions in 2011, where she studied English, history, political science and economics. She was also involved with the drama team, school band and editorial board at the school in Kolkata.

At Jadavpur University in Kolkata, she earned a bachelor's degree in English Literature in 2014 and a master's degree in English Literature two years later. After graduation, she was a retainer for the books page of The Telegraph where she wrote stories on books and authors.

In 2017, Datta was a journalism resident for Cape Argus in Cape Town, South Africa.

Datta would graduate with a master's of science degree in journalism from Northwestern University in 2018. Soon thereafter, she began working for 22nd Century Media and eventually became an editor for the media company that was formerly based out of the suburbs of Chicago. Datta worked there until the company folded in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Datta's work has also appeared in The Huffington Post, Medill News Service, Medill Justice Project and Chicago Magazine.

After the closure of 22nd Century Media, Datta became a field editor for Patch, a national media company based out of New York City. At the time of her death, she was covering the Illinois communities of Plainfield, Oswego, Bolingbrook and Romeoville for Patch.

"Abhinanda joined Patch in the early days of the pandemic, a strange time for us all, but she dove right in without missing a beat, covering the chaos of the early days of COVID-19," said Shannon Antinori, regional manager and Abhinanda's manager at Patch.

During her time at Patch, Datta received much recognition for her work, which included reporting on countless bars and restaurants trying to survive during the pandemic, animal rescue, important community fundraisers and corruption in government.

MANY PASSIONS

Datta had a lifelong love for animals, especially dogs. Her boyfriend, Jake Hoffman, of Philadelphia, said she instantly fell in love with every dog she met. This love came through not just in front of her family and friends, but also in her reporting, as she often chose to cover pet-centered stories.

"I have been ridiculed for treating this furball like a human child. But, I have no qualms in saying that I love him more than I could ever love any other living being. Happy Birthday, Muffin!! You will always be my #1," Abhinanda wrote last year about her dog in a social media post.

Art and books were also very important to Datta. Her artwork included ink drawing and doodling, as she called it, and Datta drew inspiration from all aspects of her life. Hoffman said among Datta's goals was to eventually write books.

"I have a yearly book challenge, so I read. My goal for this year is 100 books, and I am done with 20 so far," Datta said in a column for The Lockport Legend last year. "When I am not nose-dipped in a book, I like volunteering at animal shelters across Chicago."

Creating unique dishes in the kitchen was another outlet for the self-described introvert. Hoffman said Datta never made the same dish twice and was always inventive while using key Indian ingredients in her culinary masterpieces.

"Most people will remember her for her love for animals, her artwork, her fierce passion for causes," Aanandita Datta and Pranay Rao said in an email to Patch. "She obviously loved writing. In books, horror, fantasy and romance were her favorite genres. Stephen King and Virginia Woolf were among her favorite authors. We also connected on our angst with George R. Martin not writing the next 'Game of Thrones' book."

A company-wide virtual memorial service was held for Datta at Patch on March 18. Her reporting and artwork were featured as her colleagues and management reflected on her time with the company.

"I was just absolutely blown away by her skills and how she put them to use at Patch," said Lauren Traut, managing editor at Patch. "She will be greatly missed. She was such a bright spot."

A funeral service was held March 19 at Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago. The service was broadcast live via Zoom for family members and friends unable to attend.

Datta was cremated after the funeral, according to family. Her ashes will be sent to India in the future for a puja, a worship ritual performed by Hindus.

Datta's family said she leaves behind some books and "loads of artwork" as her main possessions. They are looking to donate her books to a charity and her money to an animal welfare group in the near future.

REMEMBRANCES OF ABHINANDA DATTA

"Abhinanda’s passion for journalism took her all over the world, from India to South Africa to here in Illinois. She cared about justice and standing up for what’s right — from working with the Justice Project at Medill to documenting mental illness in U.S. prisons to reporting on abuse against women — and that came through in her work here as well. She was dedicated to animal welfare and loved reporting on rescues and efforts to help homeless pets. She loved animals and often expressed to me that when the pandemic was over, she’d love to meet my dog, and I had hoped to make that happen. Her kindness and desire to make the world a better place were also reflected in her work, and I hope we at Patch can continue that legacy in ways that would make her proud. She will be dearly missed."

— Shannon Antinori, Patch regional manager and Abhinanda's manager at Patch

"Abhinanda was an overwhelmingly talented individual who was incredibly passionate about journalism, art, books and helping animals. She had a smile that always lit up the office and a slightly cynical sense of humor that made me laugh. Recent events have made me reflect on a quote Abhinanda loved from a book she enjoyed called 'The Night Circus,' 'and there are never really endings, happy or otherwise. Things keep going on, they overlap and blur, your story is part of your sister's story is part of many other stories, and there is no telling where any of them lead.' I am endlessly thankful that I got to call her a friend, and I believe I speak for all who were close to her when I say I am beyond happy our stories overlapped."

— Alex Ivanisevic, friend and colleague at former 22nd Century Media

"Each week, it's my task to prep a roundup of the best good news stories in Illinois. Without fail, I'd always check out Abhinanda's work first, as she was unmatched at getting to the heart of a happy story and celebrating the joy in the communities she covered."

— Lisa Farver, colleague at Patch

"Abhinanda was a pleasure to work alongside at 22CM. She was a great journalist and person who made a positive impact."

— Sean Hastings, colleague at former 22nd Century Media

"Abhinanda was so smart, talented, and had such a good heart. She was such a wonderful addition to our editorial team and she will be greatly missed."

— Autumn Johnson, regional managing editor at Patch

"Abhinanda and I covered towns in the same county and had some crossover at times. Any time I messaged her about something going on, she was always ready to lend a helping hand, and most of the time, had a local story of her own which I used for my own reporting. If I ever saw something in one of her towns, I'd shoot her a message, and she would always already be on it. She was passionate about her towns, and always tuned in to the local issues."

— Andrea Earnest, colleague at Patch

"Abhinanda was an amazing woman, with a kind heart, sharp wit and a beautiful soul. The world needs more people like her. She is deeply missed."

— a friend

"Abhinanda was a very sweet person and kind soul. I remember the first time I interviewed her [a few years back] for an editor position at 22nd Century Media. She was so well-spoken and had so many unique worldly experiences for such a young person, I was very impressed. Sadly, 22CM folded, but myself, Jason Addy and Abhinanda all ended up at Patch. Right from the start, Abhinanda's name came up again and again as she was being recognized by her colleagues all across the country. She was doing important work and excelling at it. I was not surprised as I will always remember that first time I met her and the impression she made.

— Eric DeGrechie, a colleague at Patch and the former 22nd Century Media

Abhinanda Datta, A Star Tiger TTIS Reporter

"I met Abhinanda way back in 2008 when she was in class IX at Queen of the Missions. She joined The Telegraph in Schools, (TTIS), a weekly tabloid for school children, published by ABP Pvt Ltd, as a budding student reporter, on that year. A shy but confident girl with sparkling creative ideas, she impressed our edit team from day one. She was with us till 2011. As the editor-in-charge of the paper, she impressed me most with her creativity and responsibility. An extremely focussed kid, she was very sure about her future. After joining TTIS, she was absolutely sure that she would become a journalist and an editor, and at the end she had achieved her goal in her life.
She had a natural gift of the gab, and had an excellent command over her English. This helped her to be a meticulous editor. An excellent artist, she blossomed on the pages of her paper TTIS with beautiful illustrations/doodles for poems short stories and cover stories. She was humble and extremely down to earth in her behaviour and never ever let us feel that at that time her father used to hold the top most position in the company. We fondly call our student reporters who are like our sons and daughters, Tiger Reporters, and Abhinanda was a STAR TIGER. She made us proud when she went to the US and joined some well-known community papers as an editor.
Abhinanda will be in our prayers. We do not have any word to express our shock grief and sorrow. TTIS famliy has lost one of its brightest stars. We join her family in this hour of grief. We are sure whereever she is now she will fill that space with her sparkling creativity.

— Biswanath Dasgupta, editor-in-charge, The Telegraph In Schools

"I was heartbroken to hear of the passing of Abhinanda. I worked with Abhinanda in Medill's downtown newsroom while she was pursuing her MSJ there. I always enjoyed working with her. She was brilliant, engaging, dedicated, and always a pleasure to see. We shared a love of animals, and we used to talk often of how much joy and pleasure they gave us.

— Stephan Garnett, faculty member, Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University