Is body positivity dead? #SkinnyTok is taking over
Between the shrinking celebrities and our acute surveillance of them, the answer is a bit more nuanced than the discourse in the comment sections
Hi there! I'm Nidhi, a writer, editor and content creator from India. Welcome to my portfolio.
For the last 18 years, I've covered the culture, lifestyle and consumer technology landscape as it evolves in India.
I was previously the Culture Editor at GQ India for 8 years (and one of those I also spent spearheading GQ's online presence as its digital editor). Before that, I worked at The Sunday Guardian, Delhi and The Economic Times, Bengaluru, where I learned the building blocks of journalism—syntax to sentence construction.
I've functioned in practically every editorial role in the lifestyle media space—from line editing to commissioning stories, from reporting (from inside the manosphere) to interviewing superstars for cover stories, from script writing and entertainment coordinator at events to tracking KPIs and experimenting with short-video, social-media content formats. What I remain passionate about today is spotting trends and shifts in the way we live, work and play.
I contribute regularly to Vogue, The Hindu and The Nod Mag, while also taking on consulting editor roles. I have written for GQ, VICE, MoneyControl, Architectural Digest, ROADBOOK, The Juggernaut, Rolling Stone, The Established, The Wire, Splainer, Dazed, Hindustan Times, Unboxed by Croma, 1Finance and more.
I live between Mumbai, Delhi and Goa. My pronouns are She/ Her. I'm an avid traveller, negroni enthusiast, aspiring yoga teacher, and I run an AirBnB in Goa.
Scroll down or hit the menu bar to browse my work.
If you'd like to share a lead, some feedback or just to say hi, write to me on niddeegupta@gmail.com or connect with me on Instagram.
How street markets in India trained a generation’s fashion eye
In the absence of malls and flagship stores, pavement markets became unlikely classrooms where we learnt to recognise fabric, construction and design through the thrill of the hunt
Anoushka Shankar is keeping the noise away from the music
Playing in Mumbai on Grammys night, the sitarist discusses candour, motherhood, neurodivergence and that Gorillaz collab we’re all waiting on
How a micro-budget film travelled from Jharkhand to the Oscars campaign trail
As ‘Humans in the Loop’ enters the Academy Awards race, director Aranya Sahay talks guerilla filmmaking, international audiences, and blaming the algorithm
After 16 years, Princess Pea is ready to shed her iconic headpiece
With her new exhibition in Mumbai, artist Natasha Preenja makes a public appearance showcasing works using marble, block printing, and even kajal made in her own kitchen
Raghav Babbar wants to be the Vermeer of Gen Z
The youngest name on the auction circuit, the Rohtak-bred, London-based artist has captured the global art scene with his soulful, tactile portraits. His latest? Artworks exploring the humans of Kumbh Mela
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025 | Will curator Nikhil Chopra start a new chapter for the ‘People’s Biennale’?
For two decades now, artist Nikhil Chopra and his personae have walked the planet, eating, dressing, pondering, undressing, and sleeping like the rest of us. Unlike most of us, their habitats have ranged from basements in Ohio and town squares in Havana, parks in Budapest and the meadows of Kashmir, prestigious museums in New York and Berlin to derelict warehouses in Kochi.Yog Raj Chitrakar, Michelle, Black Pearl, Sir Raja and about a dozen more: Chopra has slipped in and out of each character t...
What goes on inside a shibari class?
Part-meditation, part-kink, the ancient Japanese rope bondage technique is opening up a third space for people to play and relax
Can a limited-edition chair be your next big investment?
With a big personality and plenty of character, crafts-forward home decor is finally a hot collectible in India. Here’s how to get started
Murder, they wrote
Crime journalists are moonlighting as authors, researchers, screenwriters to help India’s leading production houses create the next big true-crime binge
Inside actor Alaya F's chic and comfortable hustle home in Mumbai
In just one and a half months, designer Zara Eisa art directed Jawaani Jaaneman actor Alaya F's 1,200-square-foot dream home in Mumbai’s northern suburbs
The Usha Uthup renaissance is upon us
At 77, Kolkata’s powerhouse voice is still headlining festivals and bringing her infectious energy to concerts that transcend geographies, generations, and genres
Would you buy a house worth 120 crores on… Instagram?
According to a study, the real estate market in India has grown a whopping 250% between 2018 and 2023. That statistic is mirrored everywhere one looks—even on Instagram
Peter Cat Recording Co. is on the cusp of major fame
Dispatches from the green room hours before Delhi's indie darlings step into the spotlight with their beautiful new album, BETA, and a massive global tour—where they discuss music, creativity, ageing and ambition
Block out 2024: Should celebrities be held accountable for their silence during the humanitarian crisis in Gaza? | The Established
Blockout 2024 calls out celebs’ silence and exposes our one-sided obsession with them, as the genocide in Gaza played out in the backdrop of the Met Gala 2024
Cover Story: Building with Indian craftsmen
Local architecture, hugely influenced by the West, is now finding its way back to its roots — with jaalis, lime plastering, stone and ironwork popping up on large, prestigious projects
The slow rise of immersive art in India
Is it a gimmick for the Instagram generation or a transformative approach to digital art?
Alok Vaid-Menon’s vision for a post-gender world
In the middle of a Pride Month unlike any other, we chat with the Texas-born, New York-based artist about their work and life in quarantine, the ebb and flow of social justice and equality for trans and gender non-conforming people around the globe, and why the idea of being one and many at once is the most natural thing in the world.
Cover Story: Ranveer Singh is always on fire
Over a night of peddling Mumbai’s mean streets, Ranveer Singh plays master of ceremonies
Inside the weird and bizarre world of desi male rights activism
Born on the streets and raised on the internet, a global movement to redress gender inequality in a post-Nirbhaya India is coming of age in a quiet corner of Telangana. Only, it’s not at all what you’re thinking
