Writing Samples
The Hindu Business Line, Mar 08, 2019
From lack of money and space to gender stereotypes, women football players and their coaches tackle a whole host of challenges on — and off — the field.
Highly Prized Black Chickens ‘A Blessing’ for Indian Women Farmers
News Deeply, Sep 21, 2018
Women in Chhattisgarh state have branched out on their own as farmers rearing Kadaknath chickens, which are in great demand for their high-protein meat. A local enterprise scheme is boosting the women’s independence and has saved the birds from the edge of extinction.
Unflagging Enthusiast: The vexillologist behind the largest tricolour in Hyderabad
The Caravan, 01 Aug, 2018
In Hyderabad’s Sanjeeviah Park, on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake, a flagpole stands 88 metres tall. Atop it flies one of the largest Indian tricolours in the country, measuring 22 metres by 33 metres. The flag, which frequently tears in the windy conditions, is repaired every week and replaced with a new one every month.
Gathering for the goddess in Dantewada
Mint, Jun 01, 2018
At a 700-year-old Chhattisgarh festival, a multitude of tribes gather to pay their respects to goddess Danteshwari
Delhi to Kandaghat: An idyllic getaway to the hills
Mint, Apr 13, 2018
Hitting a pause on the rush and din of urban life
The Illusionist: Hyderabad’s teacher of the magical arts
The Caravan, Oct 1, 2017
Fourteen-year-old Manideep Reddy stood at the centre of a well-lit hall in a building in Secunderabad, surrounded by a crowd of children. It was a morning in mid August, and Reddy, wearing a black suit and red bow tie, was the oldest child present.
The Caravan, June 1, 2017
I met Savitri Natarajan on the afternoon of 22 April, as she was filling plastic boxes with food: fresh lemon rice, homemade gram and rice-flour chips, pickles, fries and curd. She was helping her family get ready for a journey of almost 900 kilometres, from their home in Yanam town, on India’s eastern coast, to the city of Pondicherry
How Kickboxing Is Changing the Lives of Teen Girls in India
Teen Vogue, Apr 27, 2017
Teen girls in India are preparing for the first-ever women’s neighborhood kickboxing championship in Kolkata.
India’s Towering Aspirations – A Reality Now
NBM Construction World, Apr, 2017
With the lifting of the ban in India on the construction of skyscrapers in June 2014, cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, which have exhausted the capacity to grow horizontally, heaved a sigh of relief. Their only way to grow for the past one decade, is to grow vertically, and that’s going to be a reality.
Mind Game: An unusual sport’s rapid growth in India
The Caravan, Apr 1, 2017
On a Sunday morning in late December, inside a small gym room in a modest three-storey building in Kolkata, Jayashree Adhikary, an eleventh-grade student, moved around briskly in red boxing headgear.
The New Indian Express, Mar 4, 2017
Creativity knows no bound. An artist may find muse amidst the most mundane stuff; it can even be a teaspoon of instant coffee powder.
The Ghazi attack is our way to express gratitude to our Navy
The New Indian Express, Feb 11, 2017
It’s touted to be India’s first underwater and war-at-sea film. It’s probably the first of its kind high-budget project coming out of Tollywood sans the regular serving of item numbers, full-time female leads and comedy stop-gaps.
India: For the love of second-hand books
Al Jazeera, Qatar, Doha, Jan 9, 2017
The second-hand book stalls at the Vijayawada Book Festival intrigue customers with a dose of nostalgia.
Kolkata to Bishnupur: Red Earth stories
Livemint, Mumbai, Dec 8, 2016
A town famous for its terracotta temples, pottery and Baluchari saris: The first sound that greeted us as we entered Bishnupur was that of a bhajan being sung in chorus.
Meet Merissa Aguilleira, the Windies cricketer committed to getting young lives back on track
Scroll, India, Nov 22, 2016
The 30-year-old is a key member of the West Indies women’s team and is passionate about giving troubled youngsters in her country new opportunities.
Kondapalli toys face modernisation and cheap imports
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar, Nov 18, 2016
India’s master artisans of an ancient toy-making tradition compete with cheap imports and the lure of modern cities.
‘I really wanted to sit in a plane’: West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor on why she became a cricketer
Scroll, India, Nov 18, 2016
The captain of the World Twenty20 champions talks about her love for travelling and the current state of women’s cricket.
Despite an improved show from West Indies, India Women pulled off a fabulous 3-0 whitewash
Scroll, India, Nov 16, 2016
Thanks to this win, India are just a point shy of West Indies in the ICC Women’s Championship.
They may be two games down but the West Indies Women are still keeping their spirits up
Scroll, India, Nov 15, 2016
Despite losing the series against India, the team is hopeful of making a resurgence in the last ODI on Wednesday.
Changing Face of the Indian Fenestration Industry
MGS Architecture, India, November, 2016
Better aesthetics, safety, sound and thermal insulation, energy efficiency, and low maintenance are features that are driving acceptance of new age materials in the construction of doors and windows in modern buildings.
Giant Step Towards India’s Tax Unity For Transparency – Goods & Service Tax
FWD Business, India, September 26, 2016
On August 3, the upper house of the Indian Parliament witnessed an eventful day, one that will be remembered for a long time to come. The most significant set of tax reforms in Indian history since 1947 was unanimously accepted at the Rajya Sabha, after seven long hours of heated deliberation and some humour.
Smart Thinking for Smart Transportation
NBM Construction World, India, August, 2016
Smart cities need rational thinking and intelligent transportation.
Yoga for the brain: The popularity of a drawing method is causing anxiety among its practitioners
Scroll, India, July 31, 2016
Zentangle was meant to be a meditative drawing form, a way to develop spiritualism. But some of its practitioners are selling the resultant art.
Where India reaches for the stars: Inside ISRO’s Sriharikota Centre
Hindustan Times, India, June 24, 2016
This is ISRO’s biggest launch ever at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota Range (SHAR), where PSLV C34 injected 20 satellites into a single sun synchronous orbit, at a height of about 505 km.
Meet the men keeping the typewriter alive in India
Al Jazeera, Doha, Qatar, June 23, 2016
With their beloved but ancient machines, India’s typists do what they say “the computer people can’t”.
As the world goes digital, one man helps keep Kolkata’s typewriters tapping away
Scroll, India, June 23, 2016
On World Typewriter Day, an ode to Dipankar Das, who still loves barrels and keys.
Sustainable Façade- Materials Lead to Green Buildings
MGS Architecture, India, May 2016
When it comes to the façade of a building, however grand or humble, builders as well as end users mostly realize that it’s no more about just the looks. A killer look or an awe inspiring design must be augmented by functionality.
Digitisation spells the end for India’s document writers
The Guardian, UK, March 18, 2016 (Republished in The Guardian Weekly, April 1, 2016)
Narendra Modi’s Digital India campaign will put independent document registration clerks out of business – and chip away at the culture of bribery
The Tantalizing Spicy Sourness of Potato Mash Dipped in Tamarind Water
Roads & Kingdoms, USA, March 04, 2016
Phuchka in Kolkata
The underground metro train surfaced and came to a screeching halt before heaving out exhausted, sweating passengers from its air-conditioned interiors. In less than a moment, the ball of humanity poured into the staircases and escalators, molten lava-like, and was eventually thrown out into the open…
The Machinist, India, January 15, 2016
It is the inherent nature of the people of Rajkot to take the plunge into entrepreneurship and commerce. And that is what makes this colourful region one of India’s fastest growing industrial hubs.
Smart Building Components for Smart Cities
NBM&CW, India & UAE, January 2016
In 2009, in a report titled “Buildings & Climate Change: A Summary for Decision-makers”, Sylvie Lemmet, the then Director, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, UNEP observes, “The building sector contributes up to 30% of global annual green house gas emissions..
The Sunday Magazine, The Hindu, India, December 13, 2015
Put pen to paper. Start scribbling. Do it in repetitive patterns and create a piece of art. Feel the calmness descend. It’s called Zentangling.
India Eats: A Delicious Guide To Goan Food, From Chouricos To Xacuti
Epicure & Culture, USA, October 14, 2015
Goa, the smallest Indian state on the west coast, has remained the dream destination for many all over the globe. Its pristine beaches, unique cultural mix, warm and hospitable populace, charming locales, food, and upscale accommodation have drawn national and international tourists for decades..
Rich pickings for green thumbs
The Sunday Magazine, The Hindu, India, October 03, 2015
A growing tribe of young, yet experienced, gardeners and food growers shows that organic farming can yield rich harvests
The Caravan, India, September 01, 2015
An acclaimed art director re-imagines a revered shrine.
HIV Champion in India Struggles to Hold Ground
Women’s eNews, USA, October 14, 2015
Renuka Kotagiri was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1999. She was 25 and contracted it from her husband, who married her without informing her of his illness.
India’s ‘Dark Is Beautiful’ Campaign Builds Force
Women’s eNews, USA, May 26, 2015
Thanks to the “Dark is Beautiful” campaign, new advertising guidelines for companies selling skin-lightening products have started to be reflected on our TV screens.
We Are ‘India’s Daughter’ and Change Is Our Name
Women’s eNews, USA, April 09, 2015
In a first of sorts, on March 19 Pradnya Mandhare, a 20-year-old student in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, dragged her molester by the hair all the way to the police station. She did it in broad daylight, in a crowded train station.
Indian Mothers Reject Overprotective Parenting
The WIP, USA, March 28, 2015
“I always walked back home after school, mostly all by myself, and sometimes accompanied by a friend who might be sharing a part of the journey. And I have allowed my children to do the same ever since they were eight years old. What is wrong with that?” Parvati, a mother of three wonderfully independent children, wonders aloud…
The Hindu, India, May 04, 2013
Technology Wide range, attractive discounts and enormous convenience — online shopping offers all this and more, says Swati Sanyal Tarafdar
The Hindu, India, June 08, 2013,
By dressing up performers of Indian classical dance forms, Thota Annapoorna Prasad adds aesthetic appeal to their presentation, says Swati Sanyal Tarafdar
For more clips, click here.
Swati Sanyal Tarafdar 