I love winters.
While growing up in a small university town surrounded by tea gardens, winters meant sitting around a crackling bonfire and swapping tales with a bunch of kids. The only criteria - these tales have to be completely original. And the wackier the story, better it is to hold everyone’s attention.
And that became my raison d’etre in life. To tell interesting stories. That make people feel, think, react, and act. Stories that engage, stories that entertain while delivering a message.
My career in advertising interspersed with travel writing and photography has been built on this foundation of telling stories.
You can call me a Creative Director. A cross-platform communication specialist. Or a copywriter with 15+ years of experience.
But I’d rather be known as a storyteller.
Recognition
Advertising:
Winner at Dubai Lynx, Epica Awards, Cristal Awards, Communication Arts.
Writing (Short stories):
Finalist at the Long Way Home Short Story Contest (Ubud Writers and Readers Festival)
Published on Terribly Tiny Tales (the world’s most celebrated micro-fiction platform), Writer’s Asylum, 101Words.
Writing (Travelogues/Essays):
Publications: The Wire, Outlook Traveller, Gulf News (UAE’s No. 1 newspaper), Khaleej Times (UAE’s longest running daily), Arre’
Photography:
Published in the National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Dream Of Venice in Black & White (an anthology of B&W photographs), Gulf News, Khaleej Times, TimeOut Dubai, etc.
International Photography Awards 2023/2021 - Top 5 official selection + Honorable Mentions in Street Photography/People category
Monovision Photography Awards 2020 - Honorable Mentions in Street Photography, People, Landscape, Photojournalism, Travel categories
Monovisions Photography Awards 2018 - Honorable Mention in Travel category
Published Work
Fiction
http://culture360.asef.org/short-story-contest/the-foreigner-in-the-ferry-mriganka-kalita-india/
https://www.101words.org/the-11th-floor/
Travelogues/Essays
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/cuisine/barcelona-worlds-best-paella/
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/general/soak-in-the-history-at-dubai-creek
https://www.arre.co.in/social-commentary/northeast-discrimination-assam-india/
https://livewire.thewire.in/personal/the-heroes-we-worship/
Photos
https://travelandleisureindia.in/jebel-ali-racecourse-dubai/
https://ytali.com/2019/09/15/mriganka-micky-kalita-storyteller/ (Interview)