New Delhi, Delhi, India
$300 - $600 / Day
Request a demoI have been a journalist for over 17 years. I have reported from south and south-east Asia besides Iraq, Greece, Germany and Northern Ireland. You can spot my bylines in Ozy, VICE, South China Morning Post , DW, Al Jazeera and Nikkei Asia Review. I primarily write on human lives in conflict zones, art and culture besides politics and religion largely. I also do mobile journalism. Pictures and videos that I have taken with my Iphone have been carried by websites I write for. I am forever excited to tell a new story from anywhere in the world. After working with India's leading newspapers including The Pioneer, The Times of India, The Telegraph and television channel, NDTV, for over 15 years, I started working independently in2019 because I was keen to travel and explore more stories from any region of the world. Partially vaccinated, next dose due in August, open to travel for assignment.
Difficulties securing vaccines mean seafarers face job losses as well as obstacles to returning home after finishing contracts Overworked crew members have been forced to stay on board even after their contracts expired due to a lack of crew change options
Produced for OZY
DECK, Singapore’s independent art space, free from government control and censorship, gives photographers and the public an opportunity to discover, question and reinforce their creative processes and be inspired by photography. The gallery’s main goal is to provoke conversations — sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes downright taboo — through photography.
Produced for OZY
At a time when nationalist forces are bringing once-fringe conversations to the mainstream globally, India’s well-educated and young are joining the Hindu nationalist group, RSS, in large numbers. This story highlights how RSS camps are run from some of the posh areas of India’s big cities and are increasing in numbers.
Produced for Vice
Despite living in Pakistan, the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women and ranked the second lowest country in the world on gender inequality, the animistic Kalash tribe never believed in drawing boundaries for females. Interestingly, this smallest minority group in Pakistan sets a trend of gender equality in an otherwise conservative country.
A group of Muslim artists in West Bengal's Habi Chak village near Nandigram, 140 kilometres away from Kolkata, are spreading the message of communal harmony through the unique heritage craft called "patachitra," the cloth-based scroll painting. West Bengal, and Nandigram in particular, have witnessed several episodes of violence between the members of Hindu nationalist BJP and the state's ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, which boasts of being a "secular" face of the nation, and the only strong opposition against BJP. Six months back, West Bengal witnessed the most communally charged elections as well. Islamic by faith, these "patuas(the painters)," paint episodes from Hindu epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata and Hindu mythologies such as Savitri Satyavan – the love story of the legendary Hindu couple, the Rasleela - the love affair of Hindu God Krishna and his consort, Radha, among many others, on long pieces of clothes. With each "patachitra," which is about six to eight foot long, these artists compose "patua sangeet (songs of patuas)" to narrate the stories depicted in these paintings. Mostly unlettered, these artists, originally from the erstwhile East Bengal (now Bangladesh), have learnt Hindu mythologies through folktales from their previous generations, who started this art of storytelling in the 11th century. In the pre-British colonial period, these Muslim "patuas" were invited by the Hindu landlords during festivals, in return, they were rewarded with cash or food grains or clothes. Now, these artists mostly sell their artwork in fairs and exhibitions to earn their livelihood. Largely settled in West Bengal's East and West Midnapore now, they also focus on contemporary socio-political realities such as politicisation of religion and offer secular viewpoints in their artwork. In chorus, the "patuas" sing, "Religion is being politicised, leave such conversations behind and live in harmony" and "We are human beings, children of one mother, some of us are Hindus, others are Muslims," as they rollout a vibrant painting featuring Hindus and Muslims greeting each other. In the recent years, they have also composed paintings and songs on violence against women, famine, floods and even Covid-19.
In April, first Indian government claimed that it has enough oxygen, then it boosted supply and even started accepting Oxygen concentrators and plants from foreign countries. Patients still suffocated to death in hospitals and relatives sought supplies on the black market. Poor planning and logistical problems played a part, as have superspreader events, religious beliefs about cow dung, and a flesh-eating black fungus. I reported about the missteps by the government that led to severe oxygen shortage in India at the peak of the pandemic.
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