Director | Curator 

SHOMA
CHAUDHURY

FOUNDER, LUCID LINES PRODUCTIONS
AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST
EDITOR, CURATOR, MODERATOR

Winner of Ernest Hemingway Award for political journalism

Winner of Chameli Devi Award for best woman journalist for “going where angels fear to tread’

Picked by Newsweek as one of “150 power women who shake the world”

At the helm of culture-shaping
public discourse

A large body of work
in defence of an open, just, and plural
society

Respected for her eloquence,
evidence-based argument,
ability to engage with adversarial people
and positions

Anchored more than 500 conversations
with the world’s
leading
personalities

Invited to speak around the world, including the US, UK, Australia, Morocco, Singapore, Italy,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan

Delivered the prestigious Gandhi
Oration in Sydney in 2018

    • Anchor, online show, ENQUIRY, which features conversations with frontline minds & IGNITION, a pop-up platform that explores keys to different worlds.
    • Former managing editor and co-founder of Tehelka, an acclaimed investigative and public interest news magazine, where she led a feisty team of journalists. Several of her stories in defence of human rights activists and citizens falsely accused helped free them from wrongful imprisonment.
    • Former co-founder & director, THiNK, a paradigm-setting international conference of ideas, where she interviewed people as varied as Robert de Niro, Shahrukh Khan, Thomas Friedman, chiefs of the CIA, Mossad & Taliban, along with a galaxy of philosophers, writers, artists, scientists, political leaders, economists, grassroot workers, and disruptors of every kind
    • Former co-founder and director, ALGEBRA, the Arts & Ideas Club, where she interviewed more than 200 eminent Indians from every discipline, at live stage events, across multiple cities.
    • Former founder & editor, CATCHNews, a digital newsmagazine

“Shoma is the best convenor of conversation in the world”

-TINA BROWN
Former editor, New Yorker

Such a hallmark of excellence

ABHINAV BINDRA

Olympic gold winner

Amazing platform! Felt fortunate to be on it

NEERJA BIRLA

Philanthropist

Mind-opening & insightful!

SONALI BENDRE

Actor, Cancer Survivor

Gifted communicator. Intelligent. Fearless. Feisty

ANANT GOENKA

Director, Indian Express

Unfailingly thoughtful

ROSHNI NADAR

CEO, HCL

Fascinating. Love the fresh perspectives

IAN JACOBS

Chancellor, University of New South Wales

Heartfelt. And thought-provoking

SHEKHAR KAPOOR

Director

These conversations are wonderful. You are such a pro!

ESTHER PEREL

Psychotherapist, Author

Need more thought-provoking conversations like yours!

VS SAMPATH

Former Chief Election Commissioner

You had me hooked!

SHARMILA TAGORE

Actor

Your interviews are very absorbing.

NALINI SINGH

Journalist

You’ve taken the art of interviews to a higher level. Congratulations.

RAM MADHAV

RSS ideologue

I watch your interviews with great interest. Amazing work.

CHINTA BHAGAT

L Catterton, Singapore

You’re truly the finest in conversations. Fearless. Intelligent. Feisty.

AMBREEN KHAN

Head, Corp Comm, The Indian Express

Best kind of interviewer

THOMAS FRIEDMAN

3-time Pulitzer winner

Always informed!

Ambuja Neotia

HARSH NEOTIA, Chairman

Incisive conversations

PTR THIAGARAJAN

Tamil Nadu, Finance Minister

Indomitable spirit.Formidable knowledge

NASEERUDDIN SHAH

Actor

Superb! We need your kind of dialogue based on data and facts

MOHANDAS PAI

Co-founder, Infosys
ADITYA

ADITYA PURI

Co-founder, Lucid Lines
Marketing & Operations Professional
Man for all seasons

Host, Syat House by the River, a boutique resort near Corbett National Park

Former General Manager, Future Group, where he helmed retail chains for fashion wear

Universally considered a conclave of calm, well of warmth, and algorithm of efficiency

Co-director, SYNAPSE, a first of its kind science tech society conference

Co-director, IGNITION, a pop-up platform exploring keys to different words

Co-producer, ENQUIRY, an online show featuring conversations with frontline minds

→ A jungle loving, river jumping, adventure seeking,nature lover masquerading as a multifaceted production and marketing professional in urban centres.

 The Team 

Ritika Passi

Ritika Passi

Executive Editor

Writer and curator, researcher and analyst. Ideas and narratives are her bread and butter. 2024 MoFA Taiwan Fellow. 2023 NASC Fellow, Takshashila. 2021 Perth USAsia Indo-Pacific Fellow. Formerly at Global Trade Observer and Observer Research Foundation. SciencesPo alum.

Taruna Ummatt

Taruna Ummatt

Vice President, Marketing and Operations

Topper of the Goldman Sachs-ISB Leadership Program for Women Entrepreneurs .
24 years in Marketing and Operations. Winner of 17 awards, including FICCI BAF, ASSOCHAM EME, and Indian Television Academy Award. Honorary Doctorate (PhD) from Rai University. Formerly with TV Today Network, ITG.

Manik Sharma

Manik Sharma

Deputy Editor

Writer, editor, cultural columnist, relapsed engineer and disgruntled poet, Manik has been writing about art, cinema and culture for more than a decade. He was the last editor of Arre, wrote a popular column called Devil's Advocate and has been widely published in India & abroad.

Navamita Chandra

Navamita Chandra

Senior Editor

Writer, theatre artist, and creative strategist. 7 years in a range of communication roles. Psychology and film studies graduate.

Aishwarya Gupta

Aishwarya Gupta

Head, Intellectual Property Management

Journalist, lawyer, policy strategist. 2019 Schwarzman Scholar. Over 12 years of experience across investigative journalism, capital markets, policy and government affairs. Graduate in law, political science and international relations.

Atharva Pandit

Atharva Pandit

Editorial Assistant

Writer and ex-journalist. Author of the novel Hurda. 2021 South Asia Speaks Fellow. Loves to read bulky books and watch lengthy movies.

Nooruddin

Nooruddin

Senior Motion Designer & Video Editor

Editor and animator. 5 years of work experience with multiple brands like Canon, MTV Beats, Colors Infinity, Adani Group, Select Citywalk. Animation and Visual effect diploma from MAAC. Post graduate from IGNOU

Rumjhum Gupta

Rumjhum Gupta

Designer and Visualizer

Creative practitioner passionate about driving change through design. A dabbler of various mediums and modes with an artistic vision. Believes in the value of balancing clear communication and aesthetics. Graduated from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

Dipanshu

Dipanshu

Graphic Designer & Video editor

Artist and creator. Self-taught. Keen eye for visual storytelling. Passionate about bringing brands to life with a design savvy approach.

Himanshu Rana

Himanshu Rana

Assistant Manager, Operations

MBA Finance graduate, skilled Data Analyst known for turning complex data into actionable insights. With expertise in financial analysis and advanced analytics, drives strategic decisions and enhances business performance

Kamal Kant

Kamal Kant

Assistant Manager, Accounts & Finance

An MBA graduate with 8 years of experience in managing accounts payable/receivable, petty cash, reconciliations, and TDS/GST payments. Known for precision, efficiency, and continuous improvement in financial processes.

DEEPANJALI RAO

DEEPANJALI RAO

Event Consultant

Events consultant and philanthropist. Previous stints with Interpol and G20. 22 years across brands like Wizcraft, Star Radio City, Showtime, Radio Mirchi, and DeePositive Foundation.

Aniket Maithani

Aniket Maithani

TECH CONSULTANT

11 years of experience in tech innovation and business strategy. 6 years as consultant and CTO, specialising in fintech and edtech. Amity University graduate.

Mallika Vayalombrone

Mallika Vayalombrone

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT

Currently at For Young India. Dancer and yoga practitioner. Sociology and MBA graduate.

 About Us 

We are an independent intellectual properties company based in New Delhi, passionate about the power of ideas and conversation.

In a hyper-polarised world, we seek to create middle ground. Space for intelligent connection.

Our goal is to create a vibrant eco-system of platforms that enable informed dialogue, discovery, and debate. Spaces that invigorate minds. Challenge perspectives. Move hearts. Bridge divides.

From large international conferences and festivals to salons, roving pop-up platforms, and digital series, we envision platforms that are not only multi-disciplinary but anti-disciplinary in their mission to disrupt ideological, cultural and political silos.

Our canvas ranges from the urgently public to the intimately personal. We seek to engage with a diverse range of frontline minds across the world to explore the biggest questions of our time. From politics, science, technology, business, and environment to film, literature, art, media, and health. From spirituality, sexuality, and religion to sports, climate, and public policy. We are interested in every facet of the human experience.

Our mission is to connect disparate worlds.
Expand democratic space. Deepen public discourse.

 Our Sponsors 

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