Biography

I am a media practitioner and researcher from India in the MA (media arts and sciences) program at the Media School. I studied English literature at the undergraduate level at the University of Delhi, and mass communication at the AJK Mass Communication Research Center, Jamia, New Delhi, with a focus on documentary film-making and an introduction to documentary studies and critical cultural studies.

For the last few years I have been working in media production, largely in the development sector in India. In the course of my work I have documented, gender and sexuality sensitization programs and initiatives, and a research conclave on early and child marriage in India on the application of feminist research methods. I have also video documented demonstrations that were part of social movements such as a pan-India farmers' mobilization in Delhi reacting to arbitrary changes in land-acquisition laws. My other work involved facilitating documentary screenings and seminars as part of the Justice Project South Asia and creating and editing tutorial videos.

I intend to use mixed methods to research the representation in the visual media of issues that come under the broad umbrella of social justice, including themes such as gender and sexuality, labor, land and media literacy. I am particularly interested in the use of emerging media and practices as tools for social intervention and change – something I try to incorporate into my own practice at a micro scale. Other interests include the use of social media by individuals to address their health needs and the formation of online communities around these, the shaping of media and cultural practices in response to global flows of capital, and public perceptions of credibility of various sources of news.