[1] Ghosh, an ethnic Bengali, was the sister of Tuktuk Kumar, an officer of Indian Administrative Service[2] from the West Bengal cadre, and a close associate of the writer Jug Suraiya[3] from the Times of India.

Papiya was an avid debater, dramatist and writer from an early age, and, together with her sister Tuktuk, became something of a household name as a regular contributor to Kookie Kol, a column in the Junior Statesman,[7] which was a popular youth magazine of the time.

A highly regarded teacher, she took great personal pains to ensure that the content and quality of instruction her students received was at par with the best universities in the country.

A follower of the philosopher Rumi, Papiya Ghosh was drawn towards Sufi mysticism, which she saw as a unique amalgam of influences truly representative the assimilative culture of the Indian sub-continent.

Her research subjects related, inter-alia, to the impact of Partition in 1947, the plight of Dalit Muslims, peoples' movements, popular syncretic culture, secularism, the contribution of the underprivileged to political processes etc.

She spent much of her time travelling to remote areas, meeting key sources (within and outside the country), and conducting first-hand primary research using her own limited resources.

The Nobel laureate Amartya Sen released a commemorative volume in Papiya Ghosh's memory – Resurrection of the State, A Saga of Bihar – on 4 February 2013 in Patna.