Kamala Thiagarajan
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST
MADURAI, INDIA

Science, Health, Environment
Stories rooted in people.

Hi and welcome to my website!

I’m Kamala Thiagarajan, an independent journalist based in southern India. I report on science, global health, climate, human rights and culture for international publications.

My work has taken me on many an intriguing journey-- to wild desolate caves that Jain monks once made their homes in, the blazing heat of salt mines on the throes of climate change, and ancient excavation sites in the heart of rural India.

No matter how grim the situation, I believe in the power of bitter coffee and bright sunshine. And for me, the most gripping stories are always the ones that are true to life.

Kamala Thiagarajan
Kamala Thiagarajan · Independent journalist
The BMJ

Inside India’s health systems.

Reporting on access to care, medicine safety, infectious disease and public health policy.

Explore my BMJ reporting

Reporting from the field

About Kamala

Reporting from India.
Reaching readers worldwide.

I’m a freelance journalist based in Madurai, South India, with more than twenty years of reporting experience. My work explores science, climate change, environmental policy, health, human rights and culture.

My reporting has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, BBC, The Guardian, BMJ, bioGraphic, Hakai Magazine, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg and the South China Morning Post, among others.

I have contributed to Lonely Planet’s You Only Live Once and Atlas Obscura: Wild Life, and mentored early-career science journalists through The Open Notebook’s Sharon Dunwoody Mentoring Program.

Recognition & fellowships
June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism

2025 · American Association for Cancer Research

Award announcement
Solutions Journalism Network Awards · 2026

General Excellence and News Article (Large Outlet)

Winners announcement
Pulitzer Center grantee

2023 · Reporting on seaweed harvesters in India’s Gulf of Mannar

Explore the project
Get in touch

Let’s talk.

For reporting commissions, speaking invitations and mentoring enquiries.

Madurai · Tamil Nadu · India