Independent journalist

Bylines in the BBC, CNN, The Independent, The Sydney Morning Herald, Wired, and more.

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Wired

The Alarming Rise of India’s Pay-to-Breathe Industry

The Globe and Mail

An Indian family sought a new life in the U.S., but never made it out of Canada alive

Rest of World

Hard sells and ‘toxic’ targets: How Indian edtech giant Byju’s fuels its meteoric rise

Hello there,

I’m Akanksha — an independent journalist and writer based between Mumbai, India and Lisbon, Portugal. My work has appeared in the BBC, CNN, Lonely Planet, Wired, and more. I write about a range of topics, from the origins of mermaids and cat ladies to social justice and politics, as well as my experience of being raised as a third-culture kid.

Currently, I’m Lonely Planet’s Destination Editor for Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Until recently, I had a column on JSTOR Daily called “Once Upon a Workplace” where I wrote about jobs we’ve lost to technology over the years.

If you’d like to know more about me, head here.

When I’m not neck-deep in a story, I take up the odd bit of content writing and copywriting work. I’ve been fortunate to work with some impressive brands over the years, including a few multinational ones, but I thoroughly enjoy helping launch smaller brands while they find their footing. If you’d like to know more about those services, please head here.

Lastly, if you’re a freelancer looking to break into some of the publications I’ve been published in, please head to my “Freelance Resources,” which can be found here.