Résumé

Professional Experience

Since Sept 2009: New Delhi, India
Senior Correspondent, Tehelka

Jan 2008 to Sept 2009: Istanbul, Turkey.
Freelance Journalist,
Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review, and Today’s Zaman

  • Write feature stories for two of the leading Turkish English Newspapers.
  • Report on themes like business, culture and international politics while in Europe and India.

Key achievement: Managed to get an exclusive interview of Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Peace Laureate 2008-09 for Today’s Zaman, Ahtisaari criticizes EU over Turkish accession process (March 4, 2009)

Oct 2008 to Sept 2009: Mumbai, India
Freelance Journalist and Copy Editor,
Construction World (CW) Interiors

  • Write feature stories on architecture for the new interior magazine of Assap Media – CW Interiors
  • Copy editing the magazine from August 2009

Key achievement: Scaled up the editorial content and its quality after taking over as the copy editor

Jan to May 2008: Greater Memphis Area, USA.
Bureau Chief-India,
Global Newswire, an US-based student newswire service

  • Set up the India bureau with correspondents and copy editors from journalism students in Delhi and Mumbai.
  • Sent regular news updates for the wireservice on events of international importance in India.
  • Decide on story ideas, coordinate with copy editor and give final approval before sending the stories to the web publisher.

Key achievement: Created the first Indian bureau for Global Newswire

Jun 2006–Apr 2009: New Delhi, India
Sub Editor and Correspondent,
IMAGES Multimedia

  • Worked as a Sub Editor and later as Correspondent for the retailing magazine –IMAGES Business of Fashion and Sportswear International India.
  • Contributed articles to group magazines like FnL, M and Progressive Grocer India and group websites like www.imagesfashion.com and www.indiaretailing.com

Key achievement: Successfully managed and edited the business news section of IMAGES Business of Fashion for almost three years. Expanded into other forms of business reporting including food and design, apart from fashion retailing.

Awards

  • UNFPA Laadli Media Awards 2011 for Gender Sensitivity (Best Feature)
  • Statesman Award for Rural Reporting 2010

Lecture/Speaker/Guest Faculty

National University of Singapore – Institute of South Asian Studies, Singapore (September 2010)

Topic: The Political Economy of Maoism in India

National Institute of Fashion Technology- Fashion Communication , Khangra (February 2011)

Topic: Introduction to Written Communication

Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi (2007, 2008, 2009)

Topic: Introduction to Fashion Journalism

Education

Sciences Po – Ecole de Journalisme Paris, France
Masters in Journalism – Exchange programme, June-July 2008

Jamia Millia Islamia – Mass Communication Research Centre, New Delhi, India
Master in Convergent Journalism, 2007- 2009

Foreign Correspondents’ Programme, Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Diploma in Foreign Correspondents’ Programme by Foreign Ministry of Finland, August 2008

Jamia Millia Islamia – Department of English, New Delhi, India and
Modern European Languages, Paris, France.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) English, 2004-2007

De Nobili School, Dhanbad, India.
ISC (10+2) and ICSE (10), 1989-2003