Paranjoy Guha Thakurta

Last updated

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.jpg
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - June 2016
Born (1955-10-05) 5 October 1955 (age 69)
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Alma mater University of Delhi
Occupation(s) Journalist, writer
Notable work Gas Wars
Relatives Tapati Guha-Thakurta (sister) [1]
Website paranjoy.in

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta (born 5 October 1955) is an Indian journalist, writer, publisher, documentary film maker and teacher. [2] He has been a guest faculty member at IIM Ahmedabad for 18 consecutive years, and also taught at the IIMs at Calcutta and Shillong, the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Asian College of Journalism and Jamia Millia Islamia among other educational institutions. [3] He is the only Indian journalist referred to in the famous Hindenburg Report on Adani.

Contents

Career

Guha Thakurta was educated at La Martiniere Calcutta, pursued his undergraduate degree in economics from St. Stephen's College and completed his master's degree from Delhi School of Economics in 1977. With the Emergency of 1975–77, he decided to be a journalist over being a lecturer. In June 1977, he joined a Kolkata-based magazine as assistant editor. Through his career spanning over 45 years, he has been associated with major media houses like Business India , Businessworld , The Telegraph , India Today and The Pioneer . He also hosted the chat show India Talks on CNBC-India which ran over 1400 episodes. [3]

In 2013, he directed a short documentary film Coal Curse which highlighted the wrongs in the Indian coal mining industry. [4] The 45-minute film, supported by Greenpeace, delved into the political economy of coal in contemporary India with the Singrauli example serving as a case study. This was Guha Thakurta's second film on coal, the earlier one being 'Hot as hell: Why Jharia is burning', that was produced in 2006 by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust.

His 2014 book Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis , co-authored with Subir Ghosh and Jyotirmoy Chaudhuri, dealt with alleged irregularities of the prices of natural gas in the Indian market. Reliance Industries Limited, one of India's major conglomerates which is also involved in oil and gas exploration and production, sent a legal notice to Guha Thakurta and others for defamation through this book. [5]

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta (right) and Aakar Patel (left) at an Amnesty International event in New Delhi. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta Aakar Patel.jpg
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta (right) and Aakar Patel (left) at an Amnesty International event in New Delhi.

In 2016, he joined EPW (Economic and Political Weekly) as Editor. Following his article on how Adani Group was benefited by the government policies, a defamation notice was sent to the Sameeksha Trust and the authors of the article. Soon after that, Guha Thakurta resigned as the Editor of EPW. [6] The article brought to light how the Government tweaked the rules which favoured a certain company within the Adani Group to the tune of Rs 500 Crores. [7] EPW tried to reach out to Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Industry and Commerce, but no explanation was given for this policy decision. The Adani Group is headed by Gautam Adani who is understood to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Guha Thakurta was appointed Editor of the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) in January 2016 replacing C Rammanohar Reddy, who steered the prestigious journal since 2004. Guha Thakurta resigned as editor of EPW on July 18, 2017, over alleged differences with the board of the Sameeksha Trust that runs the journal. [8] [9]

Guha Thakurta co-authored an article [10] [11] about the Adani Group's tax evasion following which Adani Power sent a legal notice to the Economic and Political Weekly. Fearing an expensive lawsuit by one of India's biggest corporate houses EPW then decided to take down the article, [12] prompting Paranjoy Guha Thakurta's resignation. [13]

The Hindenburg Research report on Adani published on January 24, 2023, alleged that Adani had engaged in a number of questionable practices, including opaque accounting, environmental violations, and bribery. The report caused a significant drop in Adani's share price and led to calls for investigations into the company's activities. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is the only Indian journalist who was referred to in the report.

Guha Thakurta was a member of the sub-committee set up by the Press Council of India to look into the malaise of paid news. Initially, the report titled Paid News: How Corruption in the Indian Media Undermines Democracy" was to be released on 26 April 2010, but it was deferred after many members of the Council raised objections. [14] A diluted version of the report, which was released on 30 July 2010, raised a storm. A number of newspaper establishments were named as having indulged in editorial malpractices. These included Bennett, Coleman and Co (owners of The Times of India ), HT Media (owners of Hindustan Times, Hindustan and Mint ), Dainik Jagaran, Dainik Bhaskar, Punjab Kesari, Lokmat, Eenadu , and Sakshi group, among others. [15]

In September 2010, the Central Information Commission (CIC) of India directed the council to make public the report as part of suo motu disclosure mandated under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. [16]

Guha Thakurta has since written extensively on the issue of "paid news". In a December 2013 article for First Post , he explained why the malaise of "paid news" is a threat to democracy:

The independence of the media and its ability to bring about transparency in society by playing an adversarial role against the establishment get compromised because of corruption within the folds of the media itself. Paid news is one particularly egregious manifestation of the ills of the corporatized media that puts out information that poses as if it has been independently and objectively produced but has actually been paid for. [17]

PIL on 2G case

Guha Thakurta was one of many well-known people who joined a public interest litigation in the 2G spectrum case, originally filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) led by lawyer Prashant Bhushan. [18] He has written extensively on the scam, with the first article on the subject appearing in The Economic Times in November 2007. Soon after its publication, a legal notice was served on him by Reliance Communications. [19]

Pegasus Spyware

Paranjoy Guha Thakurta was targeted with Pegasus spyware between April and July 2018. Through a forensic analysis, Amnesty International's Security Lab have confirmed that his phone was successfully compromised and that these infections were consistent with other known infection vectors.

Works

Books

ISBNDuring the book launch of "Loose Pages: Court Cases That Could Have Shaken India" at the Press Club of India. Visible in the picture are the authors, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Sourya Majumder at the podium. Arun Shourie is also visible. Book Launch of Loose Pages Court Cases That Could Have Shaken India.jpg
ISBNDuring the book launch of "Loose Pages: Court Cases That Could Have Shaken India" at the Press Club of India. Visible in the picture are the authors, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and Sourya Majumder at the podium. Arun Shourie is also visible.

Documentaries

Music Videos

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharavi</span> Slum in Mumbai

Dharavi is a residential area in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It has often been considered to be one of the world's largest slums. Dharavi has an area of just over 2.39 square kilometres and a population of about 1,000,000. With a population density of over 277,136/km2 (717,780/sq mi), Dharavi is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anil Ambani</span> Indian businessman (born 1959)

Anil Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian businessman, chairman and managing director of Reliance Group. The Reliance Group was created in July 2006 following a demerger from Reliance Industries Limited. He led several stocks listed corporations including Reliance Capital, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Power and Reliance Communications.

<i>Abhimaan</i> (1973 film) 1973 film by Hrishikesh Mukherjee

Abhimaan is a 1973 Indian Hindi musical drama film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Asrani, Bindu, and David. The film is perhaps best remembered for its songs, composed and arranged by S. D. Burman, written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and sung by playback singers Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Manhar.

Delhi School of Economics (DSE), popularly referred to as D School, is an institution of higher learning within the University of Delhi. The Delhi School of Economics is situated in University of Delhi's North Campus in Maurice Nagar. Established in 1949, the campus of the Delhi School of Economics houses the University of Delhi's departments of Economics, Sociology, Geography and Commerce, as well as the Ratan Tata Library. Out of the four academic departments, the Departments of Economics, Sociology and Geography come under the Faculty of Social Sciences, while the Department of Commerce comes under the Faculty of Commerce and Business Studies.

New Delhi Television Ltd is an Indian news media company focusing on broadcast and digital news publication. It was founded in 1984, by economist Prannoy Roy and journalist Radhika Roy.

Ruma Guha Thakurta was an Indian actress and singer primarily associated with Bengali language films. She founded Calcutta Youth Choir in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adani Group</span> Indian multinational conglomerate

Adani Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Ahmedabad. Founded by Gautam Adani in 1988 as a commodity trading business, the Group's businesses include sea and airport management, electricity generation and transmission, mining, natural gas, food, weapons, and infrastructure. More than 60% of its revenue is derived from coal-related businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramachandra Guha</span> Indian historian and writer

Ramachandra "Ram" Guha is an Indian historian, environmentalist, writer and public intellectual whose research interests include social, political, contemporary, environmental and cricket history, and the field of economics. He is an important authority on the history of modern India.

The Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) is a weekly peer-reviewed academic journal covering all social sciences, and is published by the Sameeksha Trust. In January 2018, academic Gopal Guru was named the new Editor of the journal. Guru will be Editor for a period of five years. The previous full-time editor was Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. The Trust had earlier appointed Guha Thakurta as the new editor of the journal with effect from 1 April 2016. His appointment came at a time when many social scientists were opposing the supposed removal of the previous editor C. Rammanohar Reddy, who resigned in January 2016 only to controversially end in 2017 with Guha Thakurta also resigning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gautam Adani</span> Indian billionaire businessman (born 1962)

Gautam Shantilal Adani is an Indian billionaire businessman who is the founder and chairman of the Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate involved in port development and operations in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravish Kumar</span> Indian journalist and anchor (born 1974)

Ravish Kumar is an Indian journalist, author, media personality and YouTuber. He was the Senior Executive Editor of NDTV India. He hosted a number of programmes including the channel's flagship weekday show Prime Time, Hum Log, Ravish Ki Report, and Des Ki Baat.

In India, paid news is the practice of cash payment or equivalent to journalists and media organizations by individuals and organizations so as to appear in their news articles and to "ensure sustained positive coverage". This practice started in the 1950s and has become a widespread organized activity in India through formal contracts and "private treaties". Pioneered by Bennett, Coleman & Company, Ltd. (B.C.C.L.) group through their Times of India publication and widely adopted by groups such as The Hindustan Times, Outlook and others, the practice was brought to Western media attention in 2010. Paid news financially benefits the "individual journalists and specific media organizations" such as newspapers, magazines and television channels according to a 2010 investigative report of the Press Council of India. It is paid for by politicians, organizations, brands, movies and celebrities who seek to improve their public image, increase favorable coverage and suppress unfavorable information.

<i>The Polyester Prince</i> Biography of Dhirubhai Ambani written by Hamish McDonald

The Polyester Prince: The Rise of Dhirubhai Ambani is an unauthorised biography of the Indian business tycoon and founder of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Dhirubhai Ambani by Hamish McDonald, an Australian journalist and author. This book was published in 1998 in Australia by Allen & Unwin but never published in India.

<i>Gas Wars</i> 2014 book

Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis is a book written by Indian journalists Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Subir Ghosh and Jyotirmoy Chaudhuri. The book was officially released on 15 April 2014. The book deals with the issue of irregularities in the determination of the price of natural gas in India.

Subir Ghosh is an Indian journalist and writer, whose works have appeared in print and online since 1991. His areas of focus are environment, human rights, conflict and Northeast India.

<i>Sue the Messenger</i> Book written by Subir Ghosh

Sue the Messenger: How legal arm-twisting by corporates is shackling reportage and undermining democracy in India is a book written by Subir Ghosh, with Paranjoy Guha Thakurta. The book was released at a gathering in New Delhi on 4 May 2016.

<i>Moneylife</i> Personal finance magazine published in India

Moneylife is an online personal finance website. The original fortnightly print edition ceased production from May 2018.

Salil Tripathi is an Indian author and editor. He is Chair of PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee. He is a contributing editor to The Caravan. and Mint. He is a contributing advisor to the think tank, Bridge India since June 2019.

Avay Shukla is a retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), an environmentalist, and a writer.

References

  1. ↑ "Dangerous untruth: Vasudevan's wife; Shock at misinformation about cause". Telegraph India . 10 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Paranjoy Thakurta". Jaipur Literature Festival. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  3. 1 2 Das, Agnibesh (22 December 2012). "There are no TV or print journalists. Just good or bad ones". The Weekend Leader. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Khurana, Chanpreet (19 April 2013). "Paranjoy Guha Thakurta - The black truth". Live Mint . Retrieved 12 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "RIL sends notice to Gas Wars authors". The Hindu . 18 April 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Paranjoy Guha Thakurta quits as EPW editor". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Dasgupta, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Advait Rao Palepu, Shinzani Jain and Abir. "Modi Government's Rs 500-Crore Bonanza to the Adani Group". thewire.in. Retrieved 19 July 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Paranjoy Guha Thakurta quits as editor of Economic and Political Weekly over differences with board". Scroll.in. 18 July 2017.
  9. ↑ Staff Reporter (18 July 2017). "Paranjoy Guha Thakurta quits as EPW editor". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "Modi Government's ₹500 Crore Bonanza to Adani Group Company". EPW.in. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 12 July 2017.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ↑ "Modi Government's Rs 500-Crore Bonanza to the Adani Group". TheWire.in. 19 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "Adani Group 'SLAPP' Pushes EPW Editor Out of His Job". TheWire.in. 18 July 2017.
  13. ↑ "EPW Editor Steps Down After Legal Notice by Adani Group". TheQuint. 20 July 2017.
  14. ↑ "'Paid News': The Buried Report". Outlook . 6 August 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Final report on Paid News" (PDF). Press Council of India. 2010.
  16. ↑ Ghosh, Subir (21 September 2011). "'Paid news' report spectre returns to haunt Press Council". Asian Correspondent. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (5 December 2013). "Why paid news is a threat to Indian democracy". First Post. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  18. ↑ Singh, Shalini (15 December 2010). "PIL filed in SC to recover revenue lost to 2G scam". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (16 September 2010). "2G scam: Why I filed a PIL against the telecom minister". Rediff.com. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  20. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2009). "Documentaries".
  21. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2013). "Documentaries". Paranjoy.in.
  22. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2014). "Documentaries". Paranjoy.in.
  23. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2015). "Documentaries". Paranjoy.in.
  24. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2015). "Documentaries". Paranjoy.in.
  25. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2018). "Documentaries". Paranjoy.in.
  26. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2021). "Documentaries". Paranjoy.in.
  27. ↑ Guha Thakurta, Paranjoy (2021). "Dike Dike Hao Hushiar". YouTube.
  28. ↑ Dharti Tumhari, Dharti Hamari (Hindi & English subtitles) , retrieved 4 October 2022
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.