Profile
The impulse to seek new information and experiences, and explore new possibilities has been my calling from a very early age. I have been curious not just about places, but also of people and communities and the regional spaces they occupy.
After having spent my early years in Imphal, Shillong and Kohima, I moved to Delhi to pursue my higher education. I studied political science at Delhi University, and then made a career for myself as a print media journalist. This journey inculcated in me a deeper respect for our country's diverse cultures.
During my 15 years as a full-time journalist, I was fortunate to work with some of India’s leading newspapers including The Asian Age, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Times of India and The Telegraph. My stories and articles revolved around food, travel, people, homes, complex human rights issues, languages and global cultures. I met people who were powerful, destitute, spiritual, fanatical, some considered “criminals” and dangerous perhaps, and with each interaction I learnt to be open-minded, tolerant, and dispassionate yet empathic.
Life has now come a full circle. Even as I contribute regularly to a German online hospitality publication, and a select few publications, a large part of my time goes towards fostering dialogue and understanding between India’s Northeast states, including Manipur where I am from. I do this through two purpose-driven digital platforms that I founded: The NorthEast Stories and Northeast Odyssey While The Northeast Stories features the extraordinary cultural practices and the people of the region, Northeast Odyssey encourages hotels and resorts in the region to have a wider audience whilst luring Indians to travel to what many believe is a remote and unfathomable part of the country. Through both these portals, I now focus on building inroads into the region; story-telling about the wonderful people, produce of the region and most importantly the place and hope to showcase India’s remarkable diversity and to encourage people to open up their minds and hearts to the myriad cultures and ethnicities that reside among us.
I am also using my professional skills to help strategize organisations’ policies and help them with creative and innovative twists to their growth story.
More recently, I started Covid Tales to recount stories of courage and fortitude that came to the fore as the virus wreaked havoc on us. Covid Tales covers acts of individual sacrifice and courage, children’s voices as they faced sudden loneliness and many other issues that need coverage and documentation during these desperate times.
With my hands so full, it’s a wonder that I find the time to be a wife to my wonderful husband and a mother to our seven-year-old boy. Both seem to think I do a fairly good job! And when it all seems to get a little overwhelming, I take refuge in music, prose and poetry; walk in the woods every morning to refuel; turn to my core group of girlfriends; bake like a maniac; visit book stores and nurture my flowers, plants and vegetables that I grow on my balcony and, my little green patch not too far from where I live in Gurgaon.
