I am a freelance Project Manager and Writer.
I grew up in large cities. Paris, France mainly, but others as well: New York, Bombay, Calcutta. There were also brief interludes in more lackluster environments. Three unfortunate years, for example, in a nondescript western suburb of Paris where my family was known for “speaking foreign,” and one year in the idyllic (read: boring) outskirts of Geneva, in a tiny town nestled between the sharp, snow-covered peaks of the Alps and the softer, rolling slopes of Pyrenees. But it was the cities that shaped my views and preferences. I devoured books by Emile Zola and Honoré de Balzac which likened Paris to a complex and tentacular, living creature. I developed a love for walking tours of cities. I relished the independence my parents gave me to take subways and buses alone, to go for long walks in unexplored neighborhoods.
My reliance on public transit systems and maps gave me an admiration for those who design networks. Childhood trips to India reinforced the great odds (monsoons, floods, bloated bureaucracy, overpopulation) against which networks nevertheless manage to function. I became intrigued by what goes into running networks. From my appreciation for transportation networks, I developed an affinity for other types of networks, for how different, complex systems can work together. Not only other types of physical infrastructure, but also the social and cultural networks that bind people together.
With this background and interest, further developed with a BA in International Development Studies from Brown University and a Master’s in City Planning from MIT, I have managed projects in a variety of sectors: water and sanitation, electricity, health care, the environment, international development, community development, the arts. Throughout these experiences, I maintain a strong emphasis on the importance of clear and effective communication, for that is at the center of any project uniting multiple stakeholders.
Freelance Writing:
I will research an idea from its inception, and turn that research into clear, concise content. I will also work from someone’s notes and turn them into useful prose. I am happy as well to take an existing draft and edit it, strengthen it, shorten it, or do whatever is necessary to turn it into a polished product. I work collaboratively with my clients on the following types of projects:
- Educational essays. (For example, on Liberia.)
- Communications materials such as Web site content, brochures, newsletters, press releases. (See the Chhandika Web site.)
- Internal corporate communications.
- Grant proposals and other fundraising materials.
- Support materials for documentaries. (See Rx for Survival, The Rise of Sharia Law.)
- Succinct political and historical backgrounds. (See The Commanding Heights.)
- Job and fellowship applications.
- Abstracts and summaries.
For more information on services available and pricing, please contact me at anjali@alum.mit.edu.
