Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.
Articles by Joydeep Thakur
WB train collision: A 9-min, 7-km mystery
At the last station before it went out of control, all was well with the Uttarbanga Express. But at 2.04 am it rammed Ranchi-bound Vananchal Express at Sainthia station, killing 69 people and injuring more than 150. Joydeep Thakur reports.Tracking the doubts
Updated on Jul 21, 2010 12:34 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Sainthia
Rescuers return valuables found in disaster debris
As dozens of dreams died at Sainthia station on a dark Monday morning, some young hawkers whose lives revolve around train timetables resisted the urge to make a quick buck from the debris of the disaster.
Updated on Jul 20, 2010 12:33 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Sainthia
Rescuers who returned valuables and saved lives
They had a lifetime chance to do away with their poverty at one go. But instead they chose to keep aside their greed, when it came to choosing between humanity and earning a livelihood in an unethical manner. Joydeep Thakur reports.
Updated on Jul 19, 2010 05:22 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Sainthia
Bengal Govt points finger at Maoist activists
The West Bengal government is saying Friday’s train tragedy in Jhargram was the handiwork of the Maoists. Chances are the government is right.
Updated on May 29, 2010 12:12 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur and Surbek Biswas, Kharagpur / Kolkata
A deafening sound, silence, then another crash
Sukumar Banerjee’s five relatives, including two children aged five and ten years, died in Friday’s mishap.
Updated on May 29, 2010 12:09 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, West Midnapore
Kolkata body wants SRK to give up Lux Cozi
An association in Kolkata on Wednesday wrote to filmstar Shahrukh Khan, requesting him to give up ambassadorship of the hosiery brand Lux Cozi, whose tie-up with the actor’s cricket team is on hold.
Updated on Feb 25, 2010 12:55 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
SRK’s IPL team axes deal with tainted Todi
Filmstar Shah Rukh Khan put on hold the deal between his Indian Premier League team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Ashok Todi, owner of the Lux Cozy hosiery brand, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Feb 23, 2010 12:32 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
SRK’s IPL team cozies up to tainted Todi, irks Kolkata
Barely a week after his standoff with the Shiv Sena in Mumbai, Shah Rukh Khan has just stepped into another controversy — this time in Kolkata. With the third edition of IPL T20 due to begin on March 12, resentment against Khan’s tie-up with hosiery brand Lux Cozy is growing in this city. Joydeep Thakur reports. Tragic tale
Updated on Feb 20, 2010 01:55 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
‘Experts to head historical bodies’
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that the Centre would appoint professionals to head historical and cultural institutions in the country. Joydeep Thakur reports.
Updated on Jan 16, 2010 11:56 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Warming sea water threatens Coral, to lead to their extinction
The sea around India is warming, bleaching the treasure of corals spread underneath. Should the seas continue to warm at the current rate, corals spread between the Andaman and the Lakshadweep will only be a step away from extinction within 70 years, a new study has predicted. Joydeep Thakur reports.
Updated on Jan 02, 2010 05:45 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Behavioural patterns of birds, animals in metros changing
Behavioural patterns of animals and birds are changing in Indian metros due to pressure of urbanisation. Scientists explain behavioral patterns, including biological clock, of animals are changing in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.
Updated on Nov 27, 2009 04:56 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Fish move north to beat the heat
According to a study, conducted by the Sea Around Us Project at Canada’s University of British Columbia, India could lose 40 per cent of fish population over the next 50 years, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Nov 22, 2009 12:37 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Counting tigers by studying droppings
After years of searching for a foolproof method of counting tigers, officials in the Sundarbans have decided to analyse the animals’ droppings — or scat — to estimate the big cat’s population in the delta, Joydeep Thakur reprots.
Updated on Nov 10, 2009 12:44 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Special food for railway's diabetic passengers
Soon diabetics need not carry their own food any longer while travelling long distance on Indian Railways, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Oct 22, 2009 02:41 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Diabetic food for railway passengers
Soon diabetics need not carry their own food any longer while travelling long distance on Indian Railways.
Updated on Oct 21, 2009 03:56 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur joydeep, Kolkata
8 Brazilian monkeys worth Rs 12 lakh stolen
Thieves in Kolkata have set a new record by stealing four pairs of Brazilian monkeys from the Alipore Zoo, so far supposed to be a safe haven for wild animals.
Updated on Aug 10, 2009 12:37 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur and Surbek Biswas, Kolkata
Lalgarh falls, but where have all the Maoists gone?
The triumphant security forces walked in, unchallenged, unopposed. There was no enemy to be fought or taken. The Maoists had melted away into the adjoining wilderness, perhaps to strike back at a time of their choosing, report Debdutta Ghosh and Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Jun 29, 2009 11:42 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Debdutta Ghosh and Joydeep Thakur, Katapahari
Tidal waves, disease stalk Sunderbans
Tidal waves continued to lash Aila-hit islands in the Sunderbans through Saturday night and Sunday. Villagers claimed the water level had increased since Saturday and could go up to five metres in low-lying areas by Monday, report Joydeep Thakur and Debdutta Ghosh.
Updated on Jun 08, 2009 12:19 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur and Debdutta Ghosh, Gosaba/lahiripur
After cyclone comes tidal wave
Sunderbans’ battle against nature has started again. At 9.30 am on Saturday, tidal waves lashed Chunakhali and Kumirmari islands, already swamped by Cyclone Aila that struck on May 25, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Jun 07, 2009 12:48 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Chunakhali/kumirmari
Survived Aila, but may not survive Govt-supplied water
The state government, in a desperate urge to send relief to more than one lakh affected people, had urged the department to deploy four fire tenders to supply “safe drinking water”, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Jun 01, 2009 12:38 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Mob fury hits Buddha, official escapes lynching
Marooned by Cyclone Aila a week ago and left fuming by a government that has failed to provide food, water and shelter, hundreds of villagers tried to lynch Block Development Officer Amiya Bhusan Chakraborty barely a few meters from the CM’s security ring, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Jun 01, 2009 12:22 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Gosaba
Global warming the only issue Ghoramara Island
Global warming is the only issue that dominates the pre-poll scenario in this tiny 4.5-sq-km island. Or rather, what is left of the island that was twice this size in 1969. Joydeep Thakur reports.
Updated on Mar 28, 2009 11:40 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Ghoramara Island
Day after Oscars, ticket sales soar
Across the country, halls and multiplexes showing Slumdog have seen an average 15-20 rise in ticket sales. In Delhi, the decision to exempt the film from taxes provided an added fillip to the demand for tickets.
Updated on Feb 25, 2009 12:40 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Tanya Ashreena, Serena Menon, M.R. Venkatesh & Joydeep Thakur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata
Now, an alcoholic sandesh, hic
Isn’t that, kind of, radical? Prasanta Nandy, one of the three partners at the shop said: “The idea evolved from cakes, pastries, chocolates and several other dishes that require wine for their preparation.”
Updated on Dec 07, 2008 05:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Buddha, Paswan escape mine blast, by whisker
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Ram Vilas Paswan had a close shave when suspected Maoists triggered a mine blast, minutes after their convoy had passed by, report Joydeep Thakur and Mangala Prasad Roy.
Updated on Nov 02, 2008 11:33 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur and Mangala Prasad Roy, Kolkata
Alipore, Kolkata
Gurusaday Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, Salt Lake and the EM Bypass may have the buzz. But they don’t stand a chance in front of Alipore, which has retained its charm amidst the unbridled vertical growth of the city. writes Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Aug 10, 2008 11:28 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Thief on the run opens fire near CM house
A simple case of mobile snatching turned into a blood chase on the streets like any Bollywood blockbuster movie at a stone's throw from the chief minister's residence in south Kolkata on Sunday morning.
Updated on Feb 25, 2008 01:16 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Can Kolkata ever become the City of Joy?
Magician PC Sorcar (junior) promises to deliver the goods for the well being of the city — but for a mere 12 minutes, reports Joydeep Thakur.
Updated on Feb 04, 2008 01:09 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Joydeep Thakur, Kolkata
Blasts fuel Burrabazar fire
Explosions rock the Nandaram Market building in Burrabazar where firefighting has failed to douse a raging blaze even after 48 hours.
Updated on Jan 14, 2008 02:00 AM IST
None | Joydeep Thakur/PTI, Kolkata