Tinni Bhattacharyya ’16

HI! My name is Sreyashi Bhattacharyya, but I go by Tinni. A lot of people ask me how I got Tinni from Sreyashi, and well the thing is that I didn’t. My brother, a fellow lovaborable (lovely and adorable, I’m hoping it’ll catch on) Obie, named me Tinni the first time he saw me and it just stuck. Strangely enough though, my brother also used to call the TV a “Tinni” when he was a wee little toddler, so over the past 19 years I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m pretty much named after a TV. Like a true 90s kid, I guess.

While I’m originally from India, since my dad’s a diplomat I grew up with my parents and my brother hopping around the world! I grew up as nomad in Brussels, Beijing, Delhi, Tokyo, and Dhaka, making a new home in each place. As I was moving to a new country every two to three years, my idea of home was never a concrete physical space, instead it was where I collected beautiful memories and built a home with my family. By the time I graduate, Oberlin will be the one place in my entire life that I’ve lived in for more than three years. So I wanted to start this blog, “Humans of Oberlin,” to celebrate the home I’ve created and continue to create here. I dream of this blog becoming a place for me to share my story, the stories of my closest friends, and the stories of strangers (who hopefully one day will be one of my friends as well).

I’m really excited about writing this blog this year and I hope that you enjoy reading it in your warm cozy homes!