He took a MA in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University and joined the United News of India in 1980. In 1993 he won a Times of India Fellowship to study and write on rural poverty in India. His work has won him thirteen awards and fellowships. His most recent book, Everybody Loves A Good Drought: Stories from India’s Poorest Districts, was published in 1996 in India by Penguin Books and in the U.K. by Headline Book publishing, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.