It all started the summer I turned 16.

I chanced upon Indian journalist and activist, Pinki Virani’s book about child sexual abuse in India, ‘Bitter Chocolate’ and it changed my life. I knew in that moment that I was going to spend the rest of my life trying to make the world a better place. 

When the time came for me to choose my path, I decided to study law in India, to give me access to my passion for social justice. But various humbling internships at non-profit organizations, along with my dissertations and diplomas helped me to appreciate the impact the media has on the law. And watching several powerful female journalists such as Christiane Amanpour, Ashleigh Banfield, and Ann Curry striving to make a difference in the world, further reinforced my aspirations to pursue journalism in the United States.

I was drawn towards studying legal/political reporting and multimedia storytelling at the Columbia Journalism School because it has a rich history of social activism. A poignant quote by Amy Goodman, resonates with me on a deep level: “Going to where the silence is, that is the responsibility of a journalist.”

During my one year at Columbia University, I developed beat reporting in the Bronx and reported enterprise stories on housing laws and right to counsel for tenants. I also had a chance to produce several audio and video broadcast stories along with a 10-min documentary about undocumented immigrants and the rise of the sanctuary movement in New York City. I reported my 5000-word masters project on the impact of the Freelance Isn’t Free Act.

After graduation I interned at the New York Law Journal before accepting a full time position as a digital news producer & editor at ATTN: in Los Angeles. After producing over 120 videos and garnering over 200 million views for all them combined, I went on to work at Brut. Inc to help develop their India page.

I’m currently working as an online video journalist and Associate Editor Yahoo! News Canada from Vancouver. I’m also a video contributor at The Quint, CBC Creator Network and Daily Hive Vancouver. I have also launched my own news show ‘Broken Down’ where I highlight and dig into stories not covered by the mainstream media in North America and India.

P.s. I am a huge Harry Potter nerd, love reading classics and binge watch sit coms every chance I get.