My efforts to find my calling in life culminated in an 8000-mile journey from my hometown of Nashik, India, to the Bay Area in 2021.

After specializing in Environmental Studies and Economics at college, I was on track for a career in social science research, but writing happened. Through journalism, I could combine my love for storytelling with my innate curiosity about the world.

After working as a freelance journalist for two years and a full-time travel writer for three years, I moved to the Bay Area in 2021 to study journalism and documentary filmmaking at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

In the four years since, I have produced documentaries about the history of foraging in the U.S. and the rise of video disinformation, profiled a self-described hustler from North Oakland, and produced contemplative pieces on migration in India, the early days of AI-generated art and bread (yes, bread). 

My environmental digital stories have appeared in Bay Area-based publications like Local News Matters, Bay Nature, and Oakland North. Since 2023, I have been a California Local News Fellow, covering the Indian-American diaspora in depth at India Currents. In this role, I’ve reported on multiple beats like immigration, health, public safety, local politics, business, and culture.

Currently, I am reporting on the mental and physical health challenges of Indian undocumented immigrants in California, supported by the USC California Health Equity Fellowship.

My documentary films have screened at multiple film festivals, and recently, I was featured on KQED Forum to talk about my immigration reporting.

When I am not being sucked into Wikipedia wormholes to research a story, I am noodling on the guitar, cooking, watching test cricket, or being sucked into YouTube wormholes. Lately, I’ve also been fine-tuning my resumé!