Host Institution India: New York University

Tanaya Singh

Ms. Tanaya Singh has been a writer, editor, and content strategist for 12 years, and has extensively reported on individuals developing solutions to challenges in their communities. Most recently, she served as Chief Editor at The Better India, Asia’s largest solutions-based publication, where she led a team of journalists covering changemakers, unsung heroes, and development initiatives, with particular emphasis on human rights, social justice, and gender equity. Previously, Tanaya was the Executive Editor at Youth Ki Awaaz, a media platform empowering young citizens to voice their concerns.

Through her work, Tanaya has seen transformative stories reach millions around the world. These reports showcase the good in India shaped by civil society interventions. She has designed editorial strategies in collaboration with organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and EkStep Foundation on topics such as sustainability, girls’ education, and women empowerment. She played a key role in shaping content strategies that foster collaboration within India’s early childhood development ecosystem, other than hosting discussions on ‘Bringing Girls Back to Schools after COVID-19’, and ‘Women at Workplaces’.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Tanaya is expanding her understanding of the first principles of reporting and communication for social change. She is interested in exploring how solutions journalism can be shaped as an ethically grounded and socially responsible field in India, while reviving its nuances and potential for impact. She aspires to contribute to the training of young journalists in this field, especially in Indian media.

Midhun Vijayan

Hailing from Kerala, Mr. Midhun Vijayan has been working for the last four years as a video journalist and producer at Down To Earth magazine in New Delhi. Apart from producing reports on science, technology, agriculture, health and public policy, he has travelled across India to make documentaries on climate change adaptation and mitigation from the perspective of rural communities.

Midhun has been honored with a Special Jury Mention at the India International Science Film Festival for a report that explored the solid waste management practices of India’s megacities. He was part of the team that received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Broadcast Journalism in the Environment and Science category, one of the highest journalism honors in the country.

Midhun has more than five years of experience producing documentaries, explainers and ground reports for India’s traditional media, new media as well as not-for-profit organizations. Based on his extensive experience, he was chosen to be a part of PSBT’s prestigious Doc_Commune cohort in 2024-25. He started his video production career with The Better India, Bangalore after graduating from the Mass Communication Research Department of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, with a university rank and gold medal.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Midhun is working to expand his craft to explore complex concepts of empathy, duty, morality and social justice in the backdrop of contemporary news topics. In the long run, he aims to contribute to the new wave of documentary culture in India through mentorship programs for India’s youth.

Aananth Daksnamurthy

Mr. Aananth Daksnamurthy is currently pursuing writing, translation, and title acquisitions as a freelancer. As a literature connoisseur, he is closely following the broad contours of Indian vernacular publishing.

His foray into writing happened when he joined the founding team of a Delhi-based news organization, The Print. In his professional journey, he has gathered various experiences in the publishing industry, from a business analyst to a contributing journalist. For a brief period, he was also engaged by the Editors Guild of India. As part of the team that built India’s first academic fellowship for lawyers, he has dabbled in the Indian higher education space for a while. In his latest stint, Mr. Daksnamurthy was a consultant with the Government of Tamil Nadu, leading their media team for the Industries Department. On several occasions, he has also had the privilege of drafting speeches for the Chief Minister and senior bureaucrats.

Born in Tiruchirappalli, Mr. Daksnamurthy graduated with a B. Tech in mechanical engineering from SASTRA University. He also has a postgraduate diploma in liberal arts from Ashoka University as a Young India Fellow. He is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a Climate Reality Leader.

A graduate program in publishing as a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow will not only help Mr. Daksnamurthy excel in key publishing business functions but also open doors to a vast network of industry executives, publishers, and editors. His objective is to build a space for vernacular languages in public discourse within India and the world.

Amrutha Sai Anju Kosuru

Amrutha Kosuru is an independent journalist from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, presently stationed in Hyderabad, Telangana. In 2022, she worked as a fellow at the People’s Archive of Rural India, where she delved into multifaceted subjects such as agriculture, art and crafts, climate change, food, public policy, and gender through her insightful reporting in the rural regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Recognized for her exceptional work, Amrutha was honored with a Jury Appreciation Citation at the Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity in 2023. She received this recognition for her compelling article on the lives of widows of manual scavenging workers and the challenges they face. Specializing in rural and literary reportage, Amrutha is a firm believer in the transformative power of compelling storytelling.

Amrutha has more than three years of experience in ground reporting and editing for both print and digital media. She has previously worked with and written for The Hindu, The New Indian Express, and NewsMeter. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in journalism from the Asian College of Journalism.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Amrutha is working on her journalistic skills which will allow her to expand the scope of her reportage in India, and help her delve deeper into narrative journalism, serving as a powerful tool to address integral issues plaguing India.