Shoma Chaudhury

Shoma Chaudhury is an Indian journalist, editor, and political commentator, known for her strong but nuanced, often counter-narrative, stands on national issues. She was managing editor and one of the founders of Tehelka, an investigative public interest newsmagazine. She was also the founder and editor-in-chief of Catch News, a digital news platform; and director and co-founder of THiNK, a cutting-edge thought leadership forum. She is currently director and co-founder of Algebra – the Arts and Ideas Club, a unique new space for critical conversations.

Chaudhury was born in Darjeeling and grew up in the tea gardens of West Bengal, where both her parents were doctors. She studied in St Helen’s Convent in Kurseong; La Martiniere School in Kolkata; and in Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. She topped the national ISC Board in English in Class 12, and also topped Delhi University twice, both for her Bachelors and Masters degree in English Literature. She is married and lives in Delhi.

Before joining print journalism, Chaudhury was employed at Doordarshan, directing more than 40 weekly television shows on books and writers. Her journalistic career began as Books Editor at The Pioneer later moving to the India Today, and then the Outlook news magazine. She joined as Director of Special Projects and Features Editor at Tehelka, and went on to become its Managing Editor before she resigned.

She is also a literary critic in India and was one of the judges of the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2006. She engages in public debate through platforms like the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tehelka Think Fest and has featured on the Riz Khan Show on Aljazeera. She was recently a panellist at the "Outcry in India" discussion at the Women in the World Summit on 4–5 April 2013.

On 21 November 2013, Chaudhury was in the news because of the way she handled a complaint of sexual assault by the young woman journalist against the Tehelka's founder, Tarun Tejpal. Chaudhary, who is a prominent voice on women issues, was criticised by the media and some colleagues for possibly underplaying the case at her own magazine. On 28 November, she resigned her post as managing editor of Tehelka.

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