Our Team
NICHOLAS HENDERSON
Nick graduated from Harvard in 2006, during which time he rowed for the heavyweight crew and occasionally read philosophy. After graduation, he taught at the Shrewsbury School (UK). In 2010, he wrote Pearson's "Official Guide to the SAT". In his spare time, he enjoys writing plays.
KABIR JUNEJA
Kabir graduated from Purdue University in 2010 where he studied Business Management and Marketing. After pursuing a career spanning various industries including Food Technology, Telecommunications & F&B, he received his MBA from Les Roches, Switzerland with a specialisation in Corporate Finance. His passions include golf, football, and food.
Q
Q studies care, or tries to. They graduated from O.P. Jindal Global University in 2018, hold an MPhil in International Peace Studies from Trinity College Dublin, and presently pursue their PhD in International Relations at the University of St Andrews. They moonlight as a social scientist, hold the Essai award for 'World's Worst Puns', and spend an ideal night with Doctor Who, Wilde, and Alexandra Kollontai.
AMTESH WARAICH
Amtesh graduated from St. Stephen's College in 2019 with a Bachelors in Philosophy, and then from Melbourne Law School in 2022 with a JD as valedictorian of the class of 2020 . Amtesh’s achievements include, but are not limited to, thinking and therefore existing, reading 24-hour clocks, and waking up after just a single alarm. Amtesh is found to be often inaccurately quoting the works of Wittgenstein and Sartre, in which Amtesh takes great joy. Amtesh’s biggest fear is climate change.
Aditi Nagrath
Aditi completed her Master's in Clinical Psychology in 2018, pursuing a training in expressive arts therapy and working to bring access to arts in education to disadvantaged children in India. In her free time, she teaches and writes poetry. Her first collection of poetry, Beyond Survival, was published in 2015 through Condensed Matter Bindery & Press.
Apoorva Yadav
Apoorva completed a Masters in English Literature from Ambedkar University, Delhi and is currently studying a self-curated, self-taught program in Spanish Literature. Before joining essai, she worked as a GMAT, GRE, SAT, and IB Literature/Spanish tutor. In her free time, she re-reads Jorge Luis Borges and Jane Austen, translates novels and composes bad poetry in Spanish, and teaches herself French. She also tries (!) to run a book club.
CHANDANA K.
Chandana graduated from Ashoka University in 2020 with an advanced major in English. She writes about food, culture, desire and everything in-between. Her most prized possession is her collection of books, which only marginally trumps her cast iron skillet.
PRitika DAtta
Pritika is currently reading Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Prior to this, she completed her M. A. from the Centre for Political Studies in Jawaharlal Nehru University, specializing in Indian political thought, and graduated from Lady Shri Ram College in 2018 with a degree in Political Science, as well as the College Award for English Debating. Pritika has a soft spot for purple prose, potatoes in Calcutta-style biryani, and puppies of all shapes and sizes.
Maya s.
Maya graduated from Ashoka University in 2020 where they studied History, Literature, and Sociology. At the present moment, they are letting Delhi slowly happen to them, and spending their time reading poetry and writing about people and places.
Anushka Tandon
Anushka is an art enthusiast, graduated with a dual degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi. She specializes in UI/UX, and is a master of packaging design, infographics as well as visual merchandising. Her love for filmmaking stems out of her incessant need to know the story behind everything! She’s inclined towards diverse art forms and her multicultural approach makes for open-minded, fun filled, and interesting conversations.
Maria Smith
Maria graduated from Bristol University in 2016, where she studied German and Spanish. She has since spent semesters in Berlin, Buenos Aires, and Delhi (JNU) as part of her M.A. in Global Studies from the Humboldt University, so considers herself a pro at studying abroad (and visa applications). When she’s not working you might find her reading fiction, learning Hindi, or making terrible sounds on a ukulele.
Samadrita Khasnabis
Samadrita completed her bachelor's in History from St, Stephens College, New Delhi. She is described by her friends as a fashion enthusiast and has a strong inclination towards arts and culture. She is a professional dancer with an experience of 15 years and so in her spare time, when no one’s looking, she enjoys singing. When not at Essai, she enjoys watching shows that are not in the vernacular and subsequently learning the language spoken in the show (currently its Italian); listening to copious amounts of Tame Impala, and deconstructing the latest Youtube drama.
Umang Kalra
Umang is a poet & History graduate from Trinity College, Dublin, where she did too much college debating. In her spare time, she makes bad coffee, writes about utopias, sends her friends memes, and tries to read more.
Maanya Tewatia
Maanya graduated from Jesus and Mary College in 2018 with a degree in Psychology. After pursuing the Young India Fellowship, she went on to complete her M.A. in Liberal Studies from Ashoka University, specialising in Social Psychology. She loves drinking coffee and trying different teas.
Kritvi Rana
Kritvi graduated from OP Jindal Global University in 2019. While they majored in Literary Studies, their fascination for the moving image led them to pursue a Master's in Film Studies from the University of Amsterdam. Apart from Kritvi's formal educational training, they're skilled in collecting time-worn books that they don't read, and watching poorly rated films.
roshni srimany
Roshni graduated from Ashoka University in 2021, with a major in English and lived her Pitch Perfect dreams by singing in an acapella team. Outside of Essai, you can find her writing fiction, looking up coffee equipment she will never buy, or getting into debates about mint chocolate chip. She enjoys music, rainy days, and battling vaguely messed up sleep cycles.
Shubhra awasthy
Shubhra completed her Bachelor's in Political Science from Gargi College, Delhi University. She went on to do her Master's in Global Studies from Ambedkar University Delhi and graduated in 2021. She was formerly a part of the Delhi poetry circuit and has performed at various events held in the city. When not working, she loves eating and looking up movie plots on wikipedia.
Swrang Varma
Swrang graduated from the Indraprastha University, New Delhi, with a degree in Law & Business Honors in 2019. Jumping from law firm to law firm with a dexterity Mario the plumber would be proud of, he finally concluded the world needed another filmmaker!
Currently, he is an education counselor by day and an independent filmmaker by midnight.
In his spare time, he loves dozing off during long films, proselytizing the wonder that is the Delhi Metro, wondering where all his money went (food), and hiding even when nobody is seeking him.
Vinay C
Vinay graduated from Ashoka University reading across Sociology, Anthropology, Politics, and English.
Vinay loves three things for certain: pop music, specialty coffee, and flowers; the rest is simply an experiment in fun.
Mitali Garg
Mitali, our in-house social media and marketing maven, graduated from the Lady Shri Ram College for Women in 2019 with a degree in Journalism. Ever since, she's been dabbling in different branches of the marketing realm — fashion, beauty, news and now education!
In her free time, she loves binge-watching TV shows, working out and cooking.
Trishala Dutta
Trishala graduated from St. Stephen’s College with a degree in English and went on to complete their Masters in South Asian Studies from SOAS as a Bishwa Bangla Scholar. They spend their free time oscillating between too many shows and too many books that they start but almost never finish, advocating for Himalayan coffee, and writing about how beds are worlds.
TANAY SANE
Tanay graduated from Ashoka University in 2022 with an Advanced Major in English.
Outside the office, Tanay can be found strolling through book stores, frequenting supermarkets, and on most days, exploring Delhi’s many terraces. In the balance, Tanay is passionate about collecting never-to-be-used diaries and consuming any and all kinds of media, but particularly, Indian novels from the 19th century.
ANOUSHKA SHYAM
Anoushka graduated from Ashoka University where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Performing Arts. She loves horror films and graphic novels. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking without recipes, learning to care for house plants, and petting dogs on the street.
KIANA MANIAN
Kiana graduated with an advanced degree in English from Ashoka University, where she spent her time singing in the a capella club and staying up too late.
She loves Marmite, fancy coffee and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (in that order), and can often be found exploring Delhi markets, parks, and brunch spots.
SHIVIKA SINGH
Shivika graduated from Ramjas College, Delhi University in 2019 with a degree in Mathematics and training in Western Group Dance. She got the approval by the Indian Air Force to become a Pilot in India after clearing the Centralized Pilot Selection System. She mostly philosophies about complex life experiences in even more complex fractions and percentages. In her spare time she loves to read crime novels, organize and reorganize perfectly arranged stuff using multiple permutations and combinations.
ISHANA SINGH
Ishana graduated from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University in 2020, and went on to pursue a Masters in English from Ashoka University in 2022, with a specialisation in Modern Literature and Culture. Intrigued by perceptions, strange materialisms, and the vitalistic ecologies of the twenty-first century, she spends her free time reflecting upon aesthetics, science fiction, decaying objects, and the textures that enfold our urban corporealities.
ARNAV DASGUPTA
Arnav is a recent graduate of Ashoka University, where he majored in Political Science and Sociology. A self-described nerd, he’s a big fan of knowing things for the sake of knowing things, and has a pronounced weakness for period dramas and video games.
Keeping Arnav happy is pretty easy - all he ever needs is a good history podcast, a cup of chamomile tea, and the company of his dogs.
JAGRIT CHAUHAN
Jagrit graduated from Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in English and then went on to complete his Master’s from Ashoka University in 2022, with a specialization in Modern Literature & Culture. In his free time, Jagrit freelances as a climate change alarmist amidst breaks from researching about queerness and ecology, all the while hurtling from one strange corner of Delhi to another.
SHREYANSHU SINGH
Shreyanshu graduated from Ashoka University in 2022 with a Master’s of Arts in English and a specialisation in Gender and Sexuality studies.
On most days, he can be found amidst Delhi’s streets, or eyeing the next set of stationery (which he will never use), and he believes Fiddle Leaf Fig to be the prettiest indoor plant!
YAMINI KRISHNAN
Yamini graduated from Ashoka University with an advanced major in English and a minor in creative writing. Currently, she’s been spending her free time writing poetry and nonfiction, rewatching sitcoms, and trying to befriend cats (and the occasional person) in Delhi.
CORAL
Coral graduated from Ashoka University in 2022 with an advanced major in English. They are currently exploring writing, reading, Delhi, and everything in between.
DIKSHA GUPTA
Diksha is a creative based in New Delhi. Prior to Essai, they have held several writing, design, and communications roles in the arts and social sectors.
They hold a MA in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London.
ISHAAN CHAWDHARY
Ishaan Chawdhary completed his Masters in Literary Art from Ambedkar University, Delhi. He keeps in handy a ready repertoire of poems, music, and cool facts about animals, fit for most every-day situations. In his free time, Ishaan likes to read and stress about his sleep cycle.
NEEL PARULEKAR
Neel graduated from the College of Engineering, Pune where he studied Mechanical Engineering, and then got as far away from it as possible.
In his free time, he enjoys falling down internet rabbit holes, playing the guitar and singing.
SHATAKSHI WHORRA
Shatakshi completed her Bachelor's in Political Science, from Ramjas College, Delhi University in 2019, after which she went on to do her Masters in English from Ashoka University. She is currently struggling to balance a life of hyper-independent adulting and the occasional writing. As a writer, Shatakshi enjoys playing around with genres in her writing, mixing her poetry with her prose and vice-versa. In her free time, she can be found promoting therapy and feeding her flatmates soup.
TABISH RAFIQ
Tabish finished his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from SRM University in the outskirts of Chennai, after which he pursued the world of writing. He routinely writes for publications while also providing editorial assistance to friends and peers. When not writing, he may be found routinely clicking pictures of shadows on his phone, with an avid interest in exploring the themes of expression and intersectionality in nature.
VIDUR SETHI
Vidur Sethi is an interdisciplinary cultural practitioner. After their Masters in Literature from School of Letters at Ambedkar University Delhi, Vidur completed the Foundations of Acting and Theatre Making course at the Drama School Mumbai.
Their practice is located at the intersection of performance, writing and curation. Their works in the field of arts and culture include playing the lead part in ‘Pine Cone,’ a film by National Award-Winning director Onir. Further, they’ve been a features writer at STIRworld and have works published in the Hakara Journal and the Artdose Zine. Additionally, Vidur has collaborated in performances at spaces such as NSD and Goethe-Institut/Max Muller Bhavan, hosted the Artdose Podcasts and worked as the Curator of Physical Art at Terrain.art.
CHAAND JAGASIA
Chaand graduated with a Bachelor's in English honours from Christ University. Apart from being a part-time skincare expert, she is an avid reader of feminist literature and dystopian sci-fi.
On an average day, you will find her oversharing on Twitter or being nitpicky about the details of movies (much the annoyance of her friends)
KYLE HIRAMANECK
Kyle graduated from Ashoka University where he studied Sociology and Anthropology. His nomadic lifestyle has most recently brought him to Delhi: where he’s been feng shui-ing his room, going for plays, and making his way back into reading.
JAIDEV PANT
Jaidev graduated from Ashoka University with a degree in psychology and a minor in media. With diverse experience in marketing and brand strategy across the retail, lifestyle, and FMCG sector, he is extremely intrigued by all-things art, design, and anything content-driven.
In his free time, he likes to browse through tattoo ideas on Pinterest (which he will never get), deconstruct endless music videos, and attempt to perfect a classic spaghetti pasta.