I weighed in on the Ashton Kutcher/PopChips brownface controversy in an open letter in the New York Times.
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Recent Work
Pick up the May issue of Vogue India for my profile on Louise Neri, director-at-large for the prestigious Gagosian Gallery and one of the art world’s most formidable figures.
I took Daily Show comedian Aasif Mandvi out to lunch to talk about food, Islam, dating, movies, and much much more.
The April issue of Vogue India has a double-header by yours truly! I go behind the scenes with designer Rachel Roy at New York Fashion Week, and then I have…
I wrote about the South Asian open mic talent showcase Subcontinental Drift — aka “SubDrift” — for the New York Times’ India Ink blog.
In my latest essay, I disclose the series of missteps that led to my first (and second, and third) accidental sips of alcohol. Check it out in The Atlantic! Blame…
I was completely shocked to discover than 1990’s Bollywood starlet (and Salman Khan’s ex-girlfriend) Somy Ali was settled down in Florida, where she crusades against domestic violence. I interviewed her to hear more about her inspiring journey for the New York Times.
A low-key supper club serving strictly vegetarian Indian food in a posh house in DC? I was so intrigued I had to go check it out for the New York Times.
This essay appeared in the Atlantic this week. Growing Up Is Hard to Do: Forced into Adulthood by an Aging Parent I approached my 30th birthday with the typical trepidation…
Awards & Books
Awards
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2021: Honorable mention for the Grand Award, Travel Journalist of the Year
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2021: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Zanzibar in the Rain,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2020: Bronze in Short Work on Travel for “Raise the Roof,” Condé Nast Traveler
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2019: Outstanding Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle Reporting about South Asia for “Force of Nature,” Surface magazine
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Gold award in US/Canada Travel for “A Muslim American’s Homecoming: Cowboys, Country Music, Chapatis,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2018: Bronze in Service-Oriented Consumer Work for “My Town,” Virtuoso Life
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2017: Gold in Culinary-Related Travel for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- South Asian Journalists Association, 2017: Outstanding Arts and Culture Reporting for “Eating Bunny Chow in Durban,” Saveur
- North American Travel Journalists Association Awards, 2016: Two Silver awards in Destination Travel and Adventure Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2016: Gold in Foreign Travel for “7 Days, 1500 Miles in Namibia,” New York Times
- Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, 2015: Gold in Personal Comment for “Returning to Hyderabad, Once a Land of Princes and Palaces,” New York Times
- Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing, 2013: Silver in Most Unforgettable Character for “Spitting Distance in Jodhpur,” Wall Street Journal
Books
- New York Times Cultured Traveler: Contributed a feature on Bosnia & Herzegovina to this upcoming anthology
- Best American Travel Writing 2021: “City of Saints” from Travel + Leisure was selected for the 2021 edition of this anthology, edited by Padma Lakshmi and Jason Wilson
- New York Times 36 Hours World: 150 Cities from Abu Dhabi to Zurich: Contributed 36 Hours guides to Johannesburg and Mumbai for this anthology
- My Life Abroad: A Selection of Expat Stories: Contributed to this compilation of expat stories from around the globe, recounting my experience as an American in South Africa, in the chapter “From New York City to Cape Town.”
- The Places We’ve Been: Field Reports from Travelers Under 35: Contributed my essay “When Coconuts Attack” to this travel anthology.