Manthati Sai Kiran

Sai Kiran is a first-generation learner and budding journalist from rural Telangana, India. A recent postgraduate in Development Studies from Azim Premji University and a journalism graduate from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, their work explores the intersections of climate change, water, environmental justice, public policy, and rural livelihoods. They have reported from remote regions,, including Bastar in Chhattisgarh and Malkangiri in Odisha, with stories published in The Hindu Frontline, Village Square, and The Migration Story. Their reporting focuses on amplifying the voices of marginalised communities, examining natural resource governance, climate resilience, and sustainable development. Growing up in rural Telangana, water was always central to everyday life, from rain-fed agriculture and seasonal migration to access to safe drinking water. They also came of age during the Telangana statehood movement, when the slogan "Neellu, Nidhulu, Niyamakalu" (Water, Funds, Employment) captured people's aspirations for equitable access to resources and opportunities. Those experiences shaped their understanding of water not merely as a natural resource, but as a question of justice, governance, livelihoods, and human dignity. This perspective has guided their reporting and drawn them to this fellowship, where they hope to deepen their understanding of water governance, strengthen their ability to produce rigorous, evidence-based journalism, and tell stories that connect local experiences with broader environmental and policy debates.