News / Author / Paramita Ghosh

Paramita Ghosh

Paramita Ghosh has been working as a journalist for over 20 years and writes socio-political and culture features. She works in the Weekend section as a senior assistant editor and has reported from Vienna, Jaffna and Singapore.

Articles by Paramita Ghosh

Review: A Mirror Made of Rain by Naheed Phiroze Patel

In this debut novel, families, tied by wealth, opportunity, and secrets of indiscretion, operate as tribes

Catching a reflection of life. (Ravi Choudhary/HT Archive)

books

Published on May 21, 2021 10:57 PM IST

ByParamita Ghosh

Review: Along with the Sun edited by Ki. Rajanarayanan

Caste, cattle and moneylenders decide the fate of the underclass in this anthology of 20 stories from the Karisal region of Tamil Nadu

A farmer ploughs his fields under the relentless sun. (Shutterstock)

books

Published on Feb 26, 2021 10:13 PM IST

ByParamita Ghosh

Review: Betrayed by Hope, a play on the life of Michael Madhusudan Dutt

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Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s Calcutta: An engraved illustration of Government House and Ochterlony Monument, Calcutta, 1890s. (Shutterstock)

books

Updated on Feb 12, 2021 03:03 PM IST

ByParamita Ghosh

Taming of the ’shrooms: Meet the fungi trackers in the north-east

Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak have been studying mushrooms for years, and recently spent two months documenting some of India’s vast variety. A new film captures their adventure.

The Roridomyces phyllostachydis, a luminous mushroom from Mawlynnong, Meghalaya. (Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak)

lifestyle

Published on Jan 29, 2021 05:26 PM IST

ByParamita Ghosh

These artists craft natural wonders to boost conservation

Paper, paint, creativity and a passion for the environment make the works of Nirupa Rao, Nibha Sikander and Niharika Rajput stand out.

Niharika Rajput at work on a paper sculpture of the Indian Roller.

lifestyle

Published on Jan 23, 2021 06:20 PM IST

ByParamita Ghosh

Sleep cycles: Are you a lion, dolphin, wolf or bear?

Identifying your chronotype — the pattern of when you are most alert and most suited to sleep — can help you find greater balance in your day, or so the theory goes.

lifestyle

Updated on Jan 16, 2021 10:15 AM IST

ByParamita Ghosh

A retelling of Jungle Book without the colonial baggage

Stephen Alter sets the Rudyard Kipling classic in a newly independent India, and has Mowgli, renamed Daniel, working at MIT.

“Mowgli’s story is so intriguing because it allows us to see a human child from the perspective of other species,’ says Alter, author of Feral Dreams: Mowgli & His Mothers.

books

Updated on Jan 08, 2021 08:44 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Twist in the tale: Pandemic-era fan fiction is a rather wild ride

Wizards are hoarding toilet paper at Hogwarts, vampires are fretting over immunity and superheroes are killing time by discussing their new fitness regimens. Take a look...

In Top Priority, inspired by the Harry Potter tales, fan fiction writer @JayGwen23 has Potter trying hard not to fight with Draco Malfoy over his new obsession with hoarding toilet rolls.(HT Illustrations: Mohit Suneja)

entertainment

Updated on Jan 10, 2021 04:20 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

The Enfield journey: A new book explores a bumpy ride into history

Amrit Raj’s Indian Icon: A Cult Called Royal Enfield takes a look at the challenges and deft moves that have gone into building the motorcycle brand.

Siddhartha Lal at the roll-out of the first bike from the Oragadam plant in Tamil Nadu.(Photo courtesy Eicher Motors)

books

Updated on Jan 08, 2021 07:19 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Art on a chopping board: An Insta series celebrates unsung heroes of the kitchen

Devi Menon casts pointed gourds in the tale of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, turns methi leaves into a divine canopy. Take a look at her whimsical series of art works.

Pointed gourds take the place of leather jars in a sketch based on the tale of Alibaba and the 40 Thieves.(Photos courtesy @DeviMenon)

lifestyle

Updated on Jan 02, 2021 08:28 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

For the record: Gen Z is taking to oral history

Young adults committed to recording the everyday on devices and social media are finding common cause with the Oral History Association of India, whose online sessions have seen record-high numbers in recent months.

Vincent Stone narrates the story of his father, a teacher turned intelligence officer, to oral historian Alessandro Portelli.(Photo courtesy TheOralHistorian.com)

lifestyle

Updated on Jan 02, 2021 12:01 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Balcony makeovers: Creating room with a view

In winter, it’s a place to take in the sun. In festive season, a space to decorate. A safe place to socially distance with your one or two “safe” visitors. In the pandemic, this is the ‘room’ that breathes.

Sonali Khullar on the balcony of her 17th- floor flat in Gurugram. The family recently redecorated it to create different seating areas and a zone for drinks and snacks.

lifestyle

Updated on Jan 01, 2021 06:33 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

How an essential worker experienced a pandemic

Had my wife not been brave, it would have been difficult to carry on doing my tasks, says Naman Jain, a doctor in a private hospital’s Covid ward

Dr Naman Jain posted in the critical care unit at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi.(Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

india news

Updated on Dec 29, 2020 06:47 PM IST

New Delhi, Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Sidekick story: Robin spreads his wings

Created in 1940 by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, he went from a character to a mantle for several avatars in the Batman world.

Dick Grayson, the first Robin, later became the superhero Nightwing.

entertainment

Updated on Dec 11, 2020 08:15 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Spies, crime, profit: Poet Arjun Rajendran’s new work is inspired by diaries from the 18th century

The diaries left behind by Ananda Ranga Pillai, right-hand man to the French governor of Pondicherry Joseph Francois Dupleix, shine a light on the intrigues and everyday life of the time.

Ships belonging to the East India Company at Fort St George on the Coromandel coast.

books

Updated on Dec 04, 2020 04:34 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Recovered but feeling negative? It could be post-Covid stress disorder

Headaches, lethargy, anxiety, insomnia. These stressers are similar to PTSD but not as severe so do not delay in getting expert help as they can be overcome.

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 27, 2020 07:55 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Suspense, drama, auction! Another side to the artistry of Bhanu Athaiya

Athaiya is best known for winning an Oscar for costume design for the film Gandhi. On December 2, an auction will showcase her paintings from the 1940s and ‘50s.

Lady in Repose by Bhanu Athaiya, circa 1950. “This painting is not the work of an acolyte of male masters. It does not offer itself up for the delectation of the male gaze. It is the work of an artist whose sensibility would be described as feminist today,” art critic Ranjit Hoskote writes in the catalogue for the auction.(Photos courtesy Prinseps)

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 29, 2020 03:02 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

A pretty long shelf life for fact and fiction: Biblio turns 25

One of India’s longest-running little magazines, this independent venture is devoted to book reviews.

Brinda Datta, managing editor, Biblio.(Photo: Anjali Khosla)

books

Updated on Nov 29, 2020 08:46 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

The great pandemic-era return to the nest is proving hard on young adults and parents

The children are older, perhaps wiser, but mostly, not richer. The parents are having to renegotiate their lives too. Five young people tell Wknd what it’s been like trying to fit back in.

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 21, 2020 11:14 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

‘The labour market looks bleak for India’s young women’

Sara Elder of the International Labour Organization discusses a new report on the pandemic’s impact on the economic futures of young people.

“Scarring does occur when a young person has to start out their working life in times of economic crisis like the current,” says Elder.

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 20, 2020 07:37 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

The parent perspective: Adjusting to a sea change all over again

With children back home for the long term, there’s a renegotiation of the little things - time, habits, chores and the use of patience.

Theatre artists Gunjan Gupta and husband Dhruv, with her parents Gouri Shankar and Sunita Gupta. “Initially, I had to come to terms with what I could and could not now do in my own home,” Shankar says.

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 20, 2020 07:11 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Preserving relics in Manipur from WW2 battles that India forgot

Arambam Angamba Singh, a self-taught battle historian, has built a private museum in Imphal and is organising war-site tours to get global historians interested.

Arambam Angamba Singh and his team of volunteers in Imphal have collected over 200 objects — from gas masks to spent grenades, old photographs and bits of battle fatigues — from sites spread across the countryside. “I want to spread the message that in war, there are no wins, only losses,” he says.(Photo courtesy AA Singh)

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 08, 2020 10:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Does Stoicism hold the answer to life in these chaotic times?

Ryan Holiday, co-author of Lives of the Stoics, says the ancient Greek philosophy is straightforward, and can help, even if it isn’t the easiest to follow.

‘We have this caricature of philosophers being totally out of touch with real world,’ says Ryan Holiday. ‘The truth is that the ancients live moments just like this one.’(Photo: Jared Polin)

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 06, 2020 08:43 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

A lost language: How the deaf are navigating a masked world

Overnight, their ability to communicate freely with the world has vanished. As most communities and workplaces lag in adjusting, see how some deaf individuals are innovating so they can carry on.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 31, 2020 10:56 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Betting on Bombay: What it took to turn the clock back for web series Scam 1992

Old photographs, videos and stock footage helped the production crew recreate the ’80s and ’90s. Vintage props helped too. One of the hardest parts — finding enough of those iconic blue checked shirts.

Pratik Gandhi (at centre) as the stockbroker Harshad Mehta in the web series Scam 1992, directed by Hansal Mehta. The series is based on Sucheta and Debashis Basu’s book,The Scam: Who Won, Who lost, Who Got Away.(Photo: Sony Liv)

lifestyle

Updated on Nov 01, 2020 09:29 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

The science of burnout (and how to beat it)

As work invades all other time zones, here are warning signs to watch for, and ways to keep from fizzling out.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 30, 2020 10:22 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Bored, restless urban India is turning to exotic, exorbitant plants

It’s the green revolution no one saw coming. Plants that cost as much as Rs 20,000 a piece are finding eager takers.

Anindita Chakrabarty, 35, a data scientist in Mumbai, says she’s spending part of her travel budget on plants. “My holidays were mainly among nature and among wildlife. Now, when I walk through a room filled with plants, I feel like I have managed to find a substitute in the pandemic,” she says.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 25, 2020 07:07 AM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

Close your eyes: A first-of-its-kind film for the blind tells a story in sound

A boy loses his mother to gunfire in Kashmir. A machine-gun rattles, doors creak open, you hear the pitter-patter of feet on fallen leaves, in the unusual and effective Gulfam by Sanamjit Talwar.

Unable to shoot in the lockdown, Sanamjit went back to the drawing board, rethought his cast and crew choices, and rewrote the 130-minute screenplay of Gulfam to feature sound alone.(Photo: Megha Hiran)

entertainment

Updated on Oct 23, 2020 08:09 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

#Farmstagram is offering trapped urban Indians some peas and quiet

Why doomscroll when you can stroll through Instagram accounts that offer lush landscapes, fresh produce and a sense of escape.

Sanjay Austa says he wants his farm account to be educational, so he’s honest about the harvests, discoveries and mistakes he makes at his orchard in Meena Bagh Ratnari, Himachal Pradesh.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 24, 2020 05:04 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

I write for the curious, says Namwali Serpell, winner of the Arthur C Clarke award

The Old Drift is a sweeping family saga trailing four generations of three overlapping families — Black, White and Brown — but it is really the story of a nation, Zambia.

Serpell’s stupendous debut has been called stealth sci fi; it uses real science to imagine a near future world of mass surveillance and drone warfare.(Photo courtesy Melissa Graeber)

books

Updated on Oct 18, 2020 12:36 PM IST

Hindustan Times | ByParamita Ghosh

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Paramita Ghosh

Paramita Ghosh has been working as a journalist for over 20 years and writes socio-political and culture features. She works in the Weekend section as a senior assistant editor and has reported from Vienna, Jaffna and Singapore.

In this debut novel, families, tied by wealth, opportunity, and secrets of indiscretion, operate as tribes

Caste, cattle and moneylenders decide the fate of the underclass in this anthology of 20 stories from the Karisal region of Tamil Nadu

.

Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak have been studying mushrooms for years, and recently spent two months documenting some of India’s vast variety. A new film captures their adventure.

Paper, paint, creativity and a passion for the environment make the works of Nirupa Rao, Nibha Sikander and Niharika Rajput stand out.

Identifying your chronotype — the pattern of when you are most alert and most suited to sleep — can help you find greater balance in your day, or so the theory goes.

Stephen Alter sets the Rudyard Kipling classic in a newly independent India, and has Mowgli, renamed Daniel, working at MIT.

Wizards are hoarding toilet paper at Hogwarts, vampires are fretting over immunity and superheroes are killing time by discussing their new fitness regimens. Take a look...

Amrit Raj’s Indian Icon: A Cult Called Royal Enfield takes a look at the challenges and deft moves that have gone into building the motorcycle brand.

Devi Menon casts pointed gourds in the tale of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, turns methi leaves into a divine canopy. Take a look at her whimsical series of art works.

Young adults committed to recording the everyday on devices and social media are finding common cause with the Oral History Association of India, whose online sessions have seen record-high numbers in recent months.

In winter, it’s a place to take in the sun. In festive season, a space to decorate. A safe place to socially distance with your one or two “safe” visitors. In the pandemic, this is the ‘room’ that breathes.

Had my wife not been brave, it would have been difficult to carry on doing my tasks, says Naman Jain, a doctor in a private hospital’s Covid ward

Created in 1940 by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, he went from a character to a mantle for several avatars in the Batman world.

The diaries left behind by Ananda Ranga Pillai, right-hand man to the French governor of Pondicherry Joseph Francois Dupleix, shine a light on the intrigues and everyday life of the time.

Headaches, lethargy, anxiety, insomnia. These stressers are similar to PTSD but not as severe so do not delay in getting expert help as they can be overcome.

Athaiya is best known for winning an Oscar for costume design for the film Gandhi. On December 2, an auction will showcase her paintings from the 1940s and ‘50s.

One of India’s longest-running little magazines, this independent venture is devoted to book reviews.

The children are older, perhaps wiser, but mostly, not richer. The parents are having to renegotiate their lives too. Five young people tell Wknd what it’s been like trying to fit back in.

Sara Elder of the International Labour Organization discusses a new report on the pandemic’s impact on the economic futures of young people.

With children back home for the long term, there’s a renegotiation of the little things - time, habits, chores and the use of patience.

Arambam Angamba Singh, a self-taught battle historian, has built a private museum in Imphal and is organising war-site tours to get global historians interested.

Ryan Holiday, co-author of Lives of the Stoics, says the ancient Greek philosophy is straightforward, and can help, even if it isn’t the easiest to follow.

Overnight, their ability to communicate freely with the world has vanished. As most communities and workplaces lag in adjusting, see how some deaf individuals are innovating so they can carry on.

Old photographs, videos and stock footage helped the production crew recreate the ’80s and ’90s. Vintage props helped too. One of the hardest parts — finding enough of those iconic blue checked shirts.

As work invades all other time zones, here are warning signs to watch for, and ways to keep from fizzling out.

It’s the green revolution no one saw coming. Plants that cost as much as Rs 20,000 a piece are finding eager takers.

A boy loses his mother to gunfire in Kashmir. A machine-gun rattles, doors creak open, you hear the pitter-patter of feet on fallen leaves, in the unusual and effective Gulfam by Sanamjit Talwar.

Why doomscroll when you can stroll through Instagram accounts that offer lush landscapes, fresh produce and a sense of escape.

The Old Drift is a sweeping family saga trailing four generations of three overlapping families — Black, White and Brown — but it is really the story of a nation, Zambia.

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