My Story

Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, Mumbai | Chevening SAJP Fellow | Formerly with The Telegraph, Calcutta

Couldn’t believe what the newspapers said and so I became a journalist! It's been 16 years since and what a life-coach it's been as I wake up to it’s power and value, every morning. A good story isn't always about the president or popstar but everyday people and places with compelling tales. Those are the stories I hope to tell... and find the extraordinary in the ordinary!



Gen Z teens ‘coming out’ younger with stronger family & peer support

For many queer individuals in India, the social pressure of ‘coming out’ — a metaphor used by LGBTQ+ persons to disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity to friends and family — is already daunting. But teenagers opening up to parents is a growing phenomenon of adolescents bravely owning their identities as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender while still a middle grader. What is remarkable is how families and schools are stepping up to guide them through this phase and find acceptance in ways that were once unthinkable.

A river of forgotten promises lies buried in Mumbai’s poll noise

As a sudden dust storm swept through the city, followed by rain, bringing both relief from sun-parched days and havoc to the homes lining the banks of the Mithi River, it was a grim prelude to the impending monsoon season for families settled along the brackish river’s edge. Two decades on, not much has changed, say its residents. As monsoon clouds gather, it’s a familiar scene every year.

Even after a year on Ozempic and 20 kg lighter, I am still really conflicted about it

The protagonist of British-Swiss author Johann Hari’s recently released book ‘Magic Pill’ is Ozempic — the diabetes medication-turned-weight-loss marvel that helped him go from 92 kilos to 73 in a year. Yet, as 44-year-old Hari globe-trotted from Tokyo to Iceland, conversing with its makers, experts, and fellow users, he was left pondering if this hunger-slasher was indeed the answer to his lifelong struggles with food, weight, and body image. Hari talks about the promises and perils of Ozempic

Is stethoscope losing its pulse or docs their ear for the beat?

For over 200 years doctors have leaned on this trusty medical tool to poke, prod, listen and draw accurate inferences about what ails the patient. Until technology changed it. With echocardiograms and nifty pocket-sized ultrasound devices elbowing their way into the diagnostic arena, a recent conference on AI and healthcare at Bombay Hospital in Marine Lines, became the stage for doctors to deliberate the fate of this iconic medical relic—the stethoscope and whether the revered art of “auscultation”— the act of detecting maladies from listening to sounds from the heart, lungs or other organs—might actually follow the path of the doctor’s head mirror and fade away.

Koliwadas say low catch, soaring diesel prices are factors in poll

Vast Koli settlements in Andheri Versova, Khar Danda, Worli, Madh, Colaba, Vasai and Satpati face common concerns. Educated young men and women are leaving the occupation. Fishing is a diminishing trade thanks to the high cost of diesel used to fuel boats. The catch is vastly depleted owing to polluted waters and overfishing, the use of purse seine nets and LED lights. Infrastructure projects like the Coastal Road have driven another nail to the coffin of their dying trade, they say. The Kolis uniformly feel that govts do not consult them or take them into confidence over issues that put their livelihood at stake.

Met Museum Head Talks Art of Repatriation and Relevance

It’s not easy running one of the world’s largest museums with more than 1.5 million works spanning 5,000 years. And certainly not easy amidst heightened scrutiny over looted objects and mounting pressure for repatriation. Max Hollein—who took charge of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), New York as director in 2018 and CEO last July—knows this all too well. Fresh from signing an MoU with India’s Ministry of Culture and ahead of delivering a lecture at the CSMVS, Hollein remained composed as he sat down for a chat about policing its art and artefacts with a problematic past, recent restitutions and keeping the museum relevant in an age of sensory overload.

Breaking Barriers: Female Blues Musicians Challenge the Status Quo

It’s a curious time for female musicians. This year’s Grammys saw singer-songwriters like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus soar, legends like Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell reclaim their spotlight and four out of five contemporary blues nominees led by women. Yet, the shadow of old sexism lingers. “Women still continue to fight harder than guys for airtime and stage presence… the real turning point is yet to come,” echoed the stars of the all-female lineup at this year’s edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival — Sheryl Youngblood, Dana Fuchs, Samantha Fish and Vanessa Collier in a candid chat with TOI...

Jamtara loses crown as new remote districts rewrite India’s cybercrime map

Move over Jamtara , there’s a new cyber playground in town. The once-notorious hub for online mischief in Jharkhand no longer reigns as India’s cybercrime epicentre. Emerging from the shadows are fresh contenders—districts like Bharatpur , Mathura, Nuh , Deogarh , Gurgaon, Alwar , Bokaro, Karma Tand, and Giridih—that have claimed the spotlight and are collectively responsible for 80% of reported cybercrimes across country.
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