About

Puja Changoiwala is an award-winning journalist and author

of three books — Homebound, Gangster on the Run and The Front Page Murders. A critically acclaimed writer of both fiction and non-fiction, she's drawn to stories that spotlight lives on the bladed fringes of Indian society — from the sewer divers of Mumbai to the water-starved villages of Odisha to those riding the 'Internet Express' trains in Kashmir.

Previously a senior correspondent with Hindustan Times, Puja's work explores and investigates the intersections of gender, crime, social justice, human rights, science and technology in India. Her reportage has been published across the likes of BBC, CNN, The Hindu, The Guardian, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, Scientific American, and The British Medical Journal, among dozens of other publications across the world.

Puja has been a speaker at major journalism and literature events, including the International Journalism Festival in Italy, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai, and the Lagos Poetry Festival in Nigeria. She has been interviewed for audio and video documentaries by leading platforms like VICE, Netflix, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She's also a recipient of several awards, honours, and fellowships, most recently the following:

British Council's Study UK Alumni Award, 2023.
2023 Walter E. Dakin Fellow, Sewanee Writers’ Conference.
South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) Journalism Award, 2022.
American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) Writing Award, 2022.
Journalism for an Equitable Asia Merit Award, 2022.
International Resident, Moniack Mhor Writers' Centre, 2022.
International Centre for Journalists’ Covid-19 Reporting Award, 2021.
Fellow, Global Investigative Journalism Network, 2019.
Red Ink Merit Award for Excellence in Indian Journalism, 2019.
Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity, 2018.
Iceland Writers Retreat Alumni Award, 2018.
Westminster Alumni Award - Outstanding Achievement, 2018.