So far...

My writing, I believe, reflects the sweep of my interests and I draw on my capacity for storytelling to produce engaging narratives that go beyond mere rapportage.

I write on a broad range of subjects spanning people, communities, arts, popular culture with emphasis on gender, social change, empowering journeys, human trafficking, concerns of sex workers, the LGBT community, prevalence of FGM in India, new age educational reforms, small town India, censorship, and impacts of the virtual space. I've also had the pleasure of meeting key people from the world of social work, cinema, music, theatre, art and politics and capturing their spirit.

Going back to my beginnings, I graduated from Presidency College in Calcutta and completed my Masters in English Literature before spending two years on the console and keeping listeners engaged as a certified radio jockey for All India Radio. It was in the summer of 2006 that I moved on to the fast-paced field of journalism as a rookie reporter at The Telegraph where I spent nine years. 

As a features writer I wanted to be a good storyteller and develop best ways to do that where facts and people’s lived existence mattered. I'm most proud of stories that have led to decisive action in under-served communities and brought support to persons pushed to the edge, those trying to problem solve or do something for the greater good of people. 

My human interest features culminated in ‘The True Legends Awards’ in 2015, that became an annual platform for The Telegraph to honour such heroes. I joined The Times of India the same year after I moved to Mumbai and continued to focus on stories of human interest, popular culture and social change, with a national focus.

To stress on the immediate impact of one such story—in a first for the community—three Dawoodi Bohras living in Australia were served a sentence by the Supreme Court of New South Wales for carrying out FGM. To support its plea for a more deterrent punishment, the prosecution relied on a series of reports that I had written on the prevalence of FGM in India which was cited as “additional evidence” in the official copy of the judgment. It was hailed as a “landmark verdict” and came as a shot in the arm for the movement seeking a ban on FGM in India. In another instance, my  2016 report on the brutal beating of a 13-year-old boy at a private shelter in Mumbai for orphaned and destitute boys forced the police—who had previously denied the allegations and refused to file a case—to arrest the offender.

In 2020 I received the Chevening Fellowship and was part of a 14-member cohort from India, Pakistan, Srilanka & Bangladesh selected for the South Asia Journalism Programme on 'Good Governance and the Media in a Changing World: Society, Politics and Reporting in a Time of Turbulence' at the University of Westminster, London.

The heart of my writing remains in the pursuit of drawing attention to the human impact of issues. Given the age of instant information that journalism thrives in today, I think it’s essential that we cultivate fresh ways to get to the rare core of stories, steer conversations in the right direction and deepen our relation with our readers.

AWARDS

Nov, 2022: Best English News Feature by the UNFPA supported Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity for a story titled 'No shelter for homeless women for whom each day is fraught with risks’ that highlighted the ordeal of women living on the streets of Mumbai.

Nov, 2020: Most Committed Journalist For Advocacy in Early Childhood Education - Hall of Fame Conferred Awards by Early Childhood Association India

Dec, 2013:
Best English News Feature by the UNFPA supported Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity for my four-part series titled ‘She Survives’ that chronicled rare tales of prostituted and trafficked women