Shoma Chaudhury is an award-winning journalist, editor, curator. And founder of Lucid Lines, an independent ideas, events, and intellectual properties company. Currently hosts a podcast called ENQUIRY, and a live conversation series called IGNITION.

She was picked by Newsweek in 2011 as one of “150 women who shake the world”. Was invited to deliver the Gandhi Oration in Sydney in 2018, the first Indian to do so. Has been awarded the prestigious Ernest Hemingway Award for Political Journalism, the Ramnath Goenka award and the Chameli Devi Award for Best Woman Journalist for — in the words of the citation — “going where angels fear to tread”.

Combines entrepreneurial and leadership skills with sharp editorial acumen, and a gift for communication across print, TV, and digital mediums. Has built a large body of work in defence of an open and free society. Has helmed several media outfits and has a track record for curating distinctive, high-quality thought leadership events.

Has hosted more than 500 conversations on stage, interviewing the most cutting-edge minds globally on politics, policy, economy, business, science, technology, civil society, cinema, literature, sports, media, philosophy, health & religion.

Formerly, had co-founded and was director of THiNK, a paradigm-setting conference of ideas, where she interviewed people like Robert De Niro, Tom Friedman, Gary Kasparov, Dr Ian Lipkin, Sherry Turkle, Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan, former chiefs of the CIA, Mossad, and Taliban together on the same platform with a galaxy of politicians, artists, corporate czars, scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs, farmers, dalits, tribals, and activists from India, Africa, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, China, Russia, Pakistan and Europe and America.

Also had earlier co-founded and was director of Algebra – the Arts & Ideas Club, a membership forum for critical conversation, where she hosted close to 200 live stage events, 4 times a month in 4 cities, with top-notch Indian speakers from every discipline.

Was formerly managing editor and co-founder of Tehelka, an acclaimed investigative and public interest news magazine, where she led a feisty team and wrote extensively on politics, economy, environment, media, literature, and civil liberties. Several of her stories in defence of human rights workers and others falsely accused by the State were instrumental in triggering campaigns and freeing them from wrongful imprisonment.

She was also editor and founder of CatchNews, a digital news-platform.

Among more than 500 speakers she’s hosted are Fareed Zakaria, Tina Brown, Sir Malcolm Grant, Kara Swisher, Raghuram Rajan, Nandan Nilekani, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Javed Akhtar, Naomi Klein, UN Climate chief Christiana Figueres, Esther Perel, Afghan peace negotiators like Shukria Barakzai, Israeli activist Robi Damelin, and hundreds more.

Is an experienced speaker and been invited to address many forums in India and abroad, including America, Britain, Scotland, Australia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Is a Rockefeller Fellow.

Tina Brown – former editor, New Yorker – says of her:
“Shoma Chaudhury is a powerful instrument of challenge & persuasion in India’s public life and the best convener of conversations in the world”