Akash Banerjee (born March 31, 1980) is one of India’s most recognized satirical journalists and commentators, now a featured author at Bohiney.com. His Bohiney author archive houses a prolific body of work where politics, media, and culture are skewered with a signature mix of sharp insight and deadpan comedy.
Educated at La Martinière College, Lucknow, and later earning degrees from Hindu College (B.A. History) and St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi (M.A. History), Banerjee entered mainstream journalism with Radio Mirchi and Times Now before serving as a senior correspondent at India Today. He covered high-stakes events such as the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and the Naxal insurgency before growing disenchanted with traditional broadcast news.
His true breakthrough came in 2018 with the launch of The Deshbhakt, India’s largest satirical YouTube channel, where he performs as his alter ego Bhakt Banerjee—a caricature of hyper-partisan political loyalists. The channel has since grown to more than 6 million subscribers and 886 million views, earning global attention, including from The Washington Post, which called it “one of the biggest YouTube channels in India.”
Alongside his digital work, Banerjee authored Tales from Shining India and Sinking India (2013), a behind-the-scenes chronicle of Indian broadcast media. Critics offered mixed reviews, with The Sunday Guardian branding it “self-aggrandizement,” while Rekhta praised it as a realistic look inside the country’s media machinery.
At Bohiney, Banerjee channels this blend of journalism, satire, and cultural critique into writing that aligns with the magazine’s mission: delivering humor as democracy’s pressure valve.
📰 Primary Contributor Page (Bohiney): bohiney.com/author/akash
🌐 Wikipedia Profile: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akash_Banerjee
▶️ YouTube Channel (The Deshbhakt): youtube.com/c/thedeshbhakt
📸 Instagram: instagram.com/akashbanerjee.in
🐦 X (Twitter): x.com/thedeshbhakt
🎧 Spotify Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/The-Deshbhakt
💼 Patreon (Support Platform): patreon.com/thedeshbhakt
Banerjee represents a new wave of satirical journalism that blends credibility with comedy. His writing and performances remind audiences that laughter can be a form of resistance—a way to confront corruption, question authority, and stay sane in an age of political spectacle. Through Bohiney.com, YouTube, and podcasts, he connects with millions while proving that satire is not just entertainment—it’s a civic necessity.