Ashali Varma

Ashali Varma currently resides in Delhi and is a Freelance Journalist. She has her own column with The Times of India “No Free Lunch” where she writes on current issues. She is the author of the bestselling book The Victoria Cross: A Love Story, which received more than 30 excellent reviews. 

Ashali’s career began with the International Commentary Service Inc. New York (ICS) in 1990 as Executive Producer for a series of documentaries Common Destinies Profiles in Progress, for PBS, and Discovery, shot in 18 countries. She then produced a one-hour documentary The Great Global Bazaar filmed in Malaysia, Brazil, Singapore, and Morocco and coordinated the production of a one-hour documentary Of Snakes and Software: India at the Crossroads of Change. She went on to become the Executive Publisher of The Earth Times, New York (1992–June 1998). As bureau chief, she published daily papers at The Social Summit in Copenhagen; The Population Conference in Cairo; The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing; and for Habitat II, 1996 at Istanbul. 

Ashali has reported from China, Indonesia, Argentina, Malaysia, Egypt, Nepal and Japan, Brazil, UK, Singapore, Bahamas, Botswana on issues concerning environment and development. She wrote and reported on issues concerning sustainable development and human rights and covered conferences in several countries including Brazil, India, Costa Rica, Japan, Austria and Kenya. Ashali Varma then went on to become Editor, Choices Magazine United Nations Development Programme, New York (1998—January 2001). She managed the overall production and distribution of Choices and commissioned stories by mainstream journalists on UNDP’s work in the field. In 1997, Ashali Varma received the Global Award for Media Excellence from the Population Institute, Washington.