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Kasturi Das

Kasturi Das is an independent journalist currently based out of Guwahati, Assam. She writes about wildlife and conservation, environment, travel, health, and other diverse topics, for both national and international publications. Her work has been published in publications like Mongabay India, Down to Earth, Fifty Two, The Third Pole, Travel & Leisure Asia, Mint Lounge, Architectural Digest India, etc.

With a background spanning television, print, and digital media, she possesses more than 12 years of experience in the field of journalism. Prior to her freelance career, she worked at Asian News International in Delhi, Deccan Chronicle in Bengaluru, and The Assam Tribune in Guwahati.

Recent articles

China’s Planted Forests More Vulnerable To Disasters Than Natural Forests – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Aug. 31, 2026) – China has planted more than 77 million hectares of forests over the past several decades as part of the world’s largest reforestation programme. The initiative has helped restore degraded landscapes, store carbon, and expand forest cover. But a new study suggests that planted forests respond to drought differently from natural forests.
The study, published in Forest Ecosystems, used satellite observations from 1990 to 2024 to investigate how planted and natural f...

Singaporeans Are Living Longer, But Not Necessarily Healthier – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Aug.28, 2026) – Singaporeans have the world’s highest life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, yet they are also spending more years living with illness or disability than before, according to a new global study.
The research led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, in collaboration with the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), analysed health data from 204 countries between 1990 and...

Butterflies Reveal What A “Healthy” Forest May Be Hiding – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Aug. 26, 2026) –A forest may look healthy to us, but its butterflies can tell a different story.
A new study published in Insect Science has found that different groups of butterflies respond in unique ways to habitat loss, climate, and human activity. The findings could help scientists monitor biodiversity, assess forest restoration and identify habitats that need greater protection.
An international research team, led by Professor Xiushan Li at China West Normal University, stu...

The Look Of Your Neighbourhood Could Affect Your Sleep – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Aug. 25, 2026) –Your neighbourhood’s “streetscape” —  the look of your street — is something that you have probably never consciously thought about, despite seeing it every day. But what if the look and feel of the streets around you starts to affect you on a subconscious level, disrupting your sleep? A new study suggests it might.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse more than 200,000 Google Street View images from Tokyo. Th...

Scientists Grow Rice In Simulated Moon Soil – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jul. 29, 2026) – Imagine astronauts harvesting bowls of fresh rice on the Moon. It may sound like a scene from a science fiction film, but researchers in Japan have taken a major step toward making it possible.
Scientists in Japan have developed a portable device that turns air into fertilizer and have successfully used it to grow rice seedlings in soil designed to mimic the Moon’s surface. The study, published in the journal npj Microgravity, stated that the same technology coul...

Why Modern Life Feels So Overwhelming – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jul. 26, 2026) –Have you ever caught yourself scrolling through social media, comparing your life with strangers, and wondering why it leaves you feeling anxious or inadequate? According to a new review, the problem may not simply be social media, or even you. Instead, it could stem from a mismatch between the world our brains evolved for and the fast-paced, hyperconnected society we now live in.
Researchers from James Cook University, Singapore, and the Singapore University of T...

AI Can Help Spot Hidden Osteoporosis Risk From Chest X-Rays – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jul. 09, 2026) – Osteoporosis is often called a “silent disease” because bones weaken gradually over many years without causing symptoms – until a fracture occurs. Detecting the condition early is crucial, but current clinical screening recommendations mainly focus on older women and other high-risk groups, which leaves some men, and younger adults with undiagnosed bone loss.
Osteoporosis affects over 200 million individuals globally and contributes to more than 8.9 million fract...

Too Cool To Care? Air Conditioning Weakens Climate Action Support – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jul. 06, 2026) –As global temperatures rise, air conditioning has become essential to protect people from extreme heat. But a new study has found that widespread reliance on private cooling may be creating a paradox in cities: the more effectively households cool themselves indoors, the less urgency they feel to support the broader climate measures needed to cool cities.
The study, led by researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the Singapore-...

Dopamine Loss Linked To Alzheimer’s Memory Decline – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jun. 29, 2026) – For decades, Alzheimer’s disease research has largely focused on the accumulation of amyloid-β plaques and tau tangles in the brain. Yet therapies targeting these hallmark features have had little success in restoring memory. Now, researchers have uncovered another important piece of the puzzle: dopamine deficiency.
Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan, and the University of California, Irvine, have recently identified dopamine dysfunction as a previously...

Study Suggests Herbal Cigarettes May Be As Harmful As Tobacco – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Jun. 28, 2026) – Marketed as natural, tobacco-free and even therapeutic, herbal cigarettes have gained popularity among smokers in India seeking what they perceive to be a healthier alternative to conventional cigarettes. But a new study suggests these products may be just as harmful—if not more so—than tobacco cigarettes.
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), compared the...

Travel, Leisure & Sustainability

The New Indian Express •

The hills have AIs

Ever since Tenzee Lhawang Bhutia started a backpackers’ hostel in the heart of Darjeeling three years ago, he has been bombarded with the usual questions by travellers –– where to eat, what to see, where are the hidden spots. Tired of repeating himself, Tenzee decided to build a smart solution instead: Ask Darj, a hyperlocal, AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot designed to act as “a local in your pocket.” “We wanted the chatbot to feel like a local guiding you through the old city. The idea is that when...
The New Indian Express •

Faraway Festival of Eclectic Esoterica

The road leading to the land of the Lisu tribe in Arunachal Pradesh is long and arduous. If one travels by road from Guwahati in Assam, it takes an overnight bus or train ride to Tinsukia, followed by a three-hour drive to Miao. From there a backbreaking nine-hour journey on a 4x4 pickup truck, through the dense forests of Namdapha National Park finally leads to Gandhigram, a remote village nestled in the easternmost corner of Arunachal Pradesh, bordering Myanmar. Also known as the Yobins, the L...
The New Indian Express •

The Birdman of Nagpur

Tewani, who lives with his wife, found himself looking for a fulfilling way to spend his days after his retirement from the Bank of India in January 2012. Two years later, while flipping through Twinkle Star, a children’s magazine published in Nagpur, he came across an article about the declining population of sparrows in the city. “I thought, why not help them myself?” says Tewani. He first started building birdhouses with materials he could find locally. This repurposing of scrap helped him ke...
The New Indian Express •

One man is an Island

Majuli has been screaming for attention. It is the world’s largest inhabited river island and a melting pot of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite, and indigenous tribal cultures, and famous for its 22 satras (monastic centres) introduced in the 15th century. Ravaged by floods annually, and washed away by bits and pieces, the island which used to be spread over 1,250 sqkm before 1950, now barely spans 483 sqkm. Experts warn that in the next two to three decades, Majuli may vanish from the world map entirely...
The New Indian Express •

Swachh Sikkim Village

Cleanliness begins at home. In 2017, Dawa Choden Bhutia, the panchayat president of Phadamchen village in Sikkim, assembled 17 women to form a group called Swachhata Sahayogi, a name that literally translates to “sanitation assistants”. Together these women decided to tackle the mounting waste crisis in the village. This, of course, was no easy task. Phadamchen’s isolated location meant the mission would require immense perseverance and motivation. The 2020 lockdown was a particularly difficult...

The school where kids pay fees with plastic | Good Food Movement

Following Mahatma Gandhi's Nai Talim model of experiential learning, a small school in the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam addresses the struggle to educate its most vulnerable communities. Founded in 2016 by Parmita Sarma and Mazin Mukhtar, Akshar foundation provides free education to children from underprivileged families in exchange for plastic waste.  Many of these youngsters, under 14, used to work in local stone quarries for meagre wages. Now, instead of money, they pay fees with plastic wast...
Travel and Leisure Asia | India •

Meet Cyclist Ankit Arora, Who Has Redefined The Meaning Of Slow Travel

A former journalist, 32-year-old Ankit Arora from Jaipur, is a pan-India cyclist who began his journey aiming for a Guinness World Record for the longest journey on a bicycle within a single country. But along his journey, that idea made way for a greater purpose. By Kasturi Das

Ankit Arora: I started my journey on August 27, 2017. I wanted to explore India for 150 days and eventually go back home, to my normal life. Initially, I was only focussed on covering the maximum distance because my aim...
Travel and Leisure Asia | India •

This Couple's Vegan Forest Farm-stay In West Bengal, Petrichor, Is Conscious Travelling Done Right

We call ourselves a shala, which means school, because more than a tourist space, our aim is to impart education towards the conservation and preservation of not just our natural habitat and planet, but also ourselves through yoga, meditation, detox and fasting.

Earth care and self-care coexist here. We believe that one cannot thrive without the other. That’s why both Sidhartha and I have made it our mission to teach what we know about permaculture, natural building, natural farming, plant-base...
Travel and Leisure Asia | India •

This 29-year-old Man Built The Most Gorgeous Hobbit Home In Nagaland’s Khonoma Village

I was home for almost seven months last year during the lockdown. The idea struck me one night as I sat browsing my phone. I have a piece of land a little away from Khonoma. I thought, ‘why not build a little place for myself where I can spend my holidays?’ It was a spontaneous decision.

People usually ask me if I’m a fan of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies. Yes, I did enjoy watching the movies, but that wasn’t the idea when I started building this house. Coincidentally, the house en...

Health

Heart Research Has A Gender Bias – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (May. 09, 2025) – One afternoon in 2022, when 60-year-old Lekshmi could no longer bear the chest pain she had been brushing off as gastritis for the past few weeks, she rode her scooter to a private hospital near her home in Alleppey, a city in southern India. The doctors at the hospital ran a few tests and advised her to get admitted for checkups. But Lekshmi declined. She told the doctors that she lived alone and would prefer to come back when her daughters, who lived outside Al...

She’s Got It – Asian Scientist Magazine

AsianScientist (Oct.11, 2024) – Growing up in India in the late nineties, 12-year-old Shayoni, whose name has been changed in the story to protect her identity, often fainted due to excruciating period pains. Brushed off by doctors and adults as “something natural that happens to most women,” she endured the debilitating pain every month for the next two decades. It was only when Shayoni, now 35, moved abroad with her husband and consulted a doctor to start a family that she discovered the under...

The dangerous side effect of India’s dairy boom | Good Food Movement

India, the world’s largest producer of milk, contributing 25% to global production, is facing a serious challenge with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The widespread use of antibiotics to treat cattle infections in the dairy industry is a major driver of this crisis. “AMR severely hampers the effective treatment of infectious diseases, leading to higher mortality rates, longer hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs,” says Amit Khurana, director of the Sustainable Food Systems Programme a...

HPV Myths Busted: Truth About Cervical Cancer in India

Akansha Singh*, a 34-year-old Delhi based Public Relations officer, found herself grappling with a shocking health revelation last year. Following a papsmear, Akansha was found to be positive for a high-risk strain of the Human Papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV. The virus had led to the development of precancerous cells in her cervix, which if left untreated, could progress to cervical cancer in the coming years.‍Despite maintaining regular visits to her gynaecologist, Akansha had never unde...
EastMojo •

Why Dr Rani Bhat, a gynaecologic oncologist, wants you to pay attention to cervical cancer

Cervical cancer, a type of cancer that affects the cervix – the lower part of the uterus – is a silent killer that affects women all over the world. Despite being a preventable disease, it continues to claim the lives of thousands of women each year. In recent years, the prevalence of cervical cancer has been on the rise in India.


According to a Globocan 2020 report, cervical cancer accounted for 9.4% of all cancers and 18.3% (123,907) of new cases in 2020 in India. Yet, screening processes r...
EastMojo •

Assam: Alzheimer’s patients suffering due to lack of dedicated vaccination system

The pandemic has been tough on people from all walks of life. One could argue that last year, it impacted the marginalised communities and the elderly the most. But in the second wave, it has left no one. It has made matters even worse for people who find life to be tough even without a pandemic. In recent years, Guwahati has seen a sharp rise in degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Families affected by these illnesses are now facing another ordeal – getting their family member saf...

Food, Art & Architecture

The Hindu •

This artisanal cheese brand from Dibrugarh is fusing Assam’s iconic chili bhoot jolokia with creamy cheddar

The quaint city on the banks of the Brahmaputra river, Dibrugarh in Assam, is home to some of the oldest and largest tea estates in the country. Now, it is also in the news for experiments with cheese.Queso, the State’s first artisanal small-batch cheese brand, blends European tradition with Assamese flavours. Its bestseller is the Bhoot Jolokia Cheddar, a daring fusion of Assam’s iconic chilli with creamy cheddar; the bhoot jolokia adds heat to the tangy and nutty cheddar. Another crowd-favorit...
The Hindu •

Cherrapunji’s abundant rainfall is now in a premium gin

Meghalaya’s sister towns Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, receiving over 11,800 millimetres of rainfall annually, are the rainiest places on Earth. This perpetual monsoon not only draws over 1.5 million visitors to the State every year, but also presents an abundant resource — rainwater. For Shillong native Mayukh Hazarika, this rainfall sparked an unconventional ambition — to convert this copious downpour into a designer gin using regional botanicals.Mayukh realised that several people visit Cherrap...
The Hindu •

Treasures of a bygone era

An insatiable fascination for antiques recently had me making the rounds of Chickpet, one of Bengaluru’s oldest and bustling localities. I was in search of an antique shop, nearing its centenary. After three rounds around the busy market area located in the heart of the city, and manoeuvering through narrow alleys, with Google Maps for assistance, I finally spotted a black-and-white sign that said Balaji’s Antiques & Collectibles. The store was tucked inside an inconspicuous alley.When I pointed...
mint •

An artist captures the North-East in aerial embroidery | Mint

It is a bird’s-eye view of Loktak Lake that catches the eye—two lotus pickers rowing their boats on the freshwater lake, against a striking blue background surrounded by greens and pinks. Only this is neither a picture, nor a painting. It is a landscape created on a piece of cloth, with a myriad knots and minuscule stitches, secured by a wooden hoop.Architect and urban planner Diti Baruah, who is from Assam, is a self-taught aerial embroidery artist who creates hyper-realistic landscapes focused...
Architectural Digest India •

In Gujarat’s Amalsad, a ramshackle crematorium comes to life as a recreational space

When he first set his sight on the barren piece of land, with just a hut meant for cremation rituals perched precariously on top of a slope, Himanshu Patel knew what he had to do. An Ahmedabad based architect, Patel was put in charge by a local trust to renovate a dilapidated crematorium in Gujarat’s Amalsad town. When we think of crematoriums, the first thought is a sense of uneasiness, a feeling of gloom. Patel wanted to challenge this thought.“Amalsad is a small town, with no public areas whe...
Travel and Leisure Asia | India •

Navaneeth Unnikrishnan Talks About Deep-space Photography & Shooting The Milky Way

As a child, I was interested in space science. My father ignited that curiosity in me. He would show me pictures of outer space, and that sparked an interest. But it faded with time. As you grow up, your dreams take a back seat, allowing other things to take prominence.

Sometime in 2013, I bought a basic DSLR camera. I knew the basics of photography, and I learnt the rest from the internet. I started off as a wedding photographer because I needed money to buy photography equipment, which can be...
The Assam Tribune •

In quest of pithas

FOOD - Kasturi Das Last year, my maternal grandmother published her first book — a long-anticipated book about her life — that she had been working on for a while. Aita, as we call her, has had an illustrious life, from being the first girl ever in her village in North Lakhimpur to pass matriculation to retiring as the headmistress of a local school. It is a book everyone in the family was looking forward to. Two chapters of her book are dedicated to the subject of pitha, one of which is on a pa...
Travel and Leisure Asia | India •

Manipur’s Sony Thokchom Shows How Art Can Help Heal Mental Health

An alumnus of New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, Thokchom started his career as a freelance illustrator for graphic novels and children’s books. Besides working on independent projects and commissioned works, he also teaches visual communication as a guest faculty at his alma mater.

I would say it’s a mix of fashion illustration and painting with narration. My style of art has evolved with time, practice and experience. I have studied human anatomy, expressions and gestures in the past, and I ha...

Book reviews

Mongabay Environmental News •

What wild poop can teach children about ecology [Book review]

For human beings, the topic of excreta is considered a subject of disgust and embarrassment. The Big Book of Wild Poop, written by Shweta Taneja, sets out to change the narrative of how humans, children in particular, view poop. In the animal world, excreta is not waste but information, food, camouflage and defence, the book says. For a dung beetle or a worm, it is a source of multivitamins. Some spiders disguise themselves with it to escape predators, while hoopoe mothers use it to protect thei...

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