I hold a Master of Arts in Sociology (MA) from Jadavpur University, which I obtained in 2008. Subsequently, I pursued an M.Phil. in Sociology from the same institution in 2010. I completed my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sociology from Jadavpur University in 2017. My doctoral thesis focused on the Representational Politics of Death in Popular Culture, with a specific emphasis on Hindi films.
Following my M.Phil., I commenced my teaching career in an undergraduate college affiliated with Calcutta University. Since 2012, I have been serving as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Presidency University. My research interests encompass the domains of Sociology of Death and Dying, Medical Sociology, Visual Culture, and Film Studies.
- PhD in Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2017)
- M.Phil in Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2010)
- MA in Sociology (Jadavpur University, 2008)
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- UGC NET-JRF Qualified (2012)
- SET (West Bengal) Qualified (2009)
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- Certificate course (online) on 'Introduction to Biology of Cancer' (Johns Hopkins University, 2016)
- Online Certificate course on 'Palliative Care Always' (Stanford University Online, 2017)
My M.Phil. research focused on the construction and representation of gender in television reality shows. Building upon this interest in the field of visual and popular culture, I completed my doctoral thesis on the representational politics of death in popular culture, with a specific focus on Hindi films. Subsequently, my interest in the sociology of death and dying has grown exponentially, leading me to the current trajectory of research that I am pursuing in both the fields of popular culture and medical sociology.
As a primary caregiver who has closely observed the process of dying and death, I have resolved to pursue my doctoral thesis in the sociology of Death. My doctoral thesis was titled “Politics of Cinematic Death.” Prior to this research, I conducted research on the discourse of happiness. Previously, I worked on films, television reality shows, gender, sexuality, and family. My M.Phil. thesis was on M-TV reality shows. Currently, I am planning to conduct further research in the field of sociology of death and dying, with a specific focus on hospice and palliative care, which is relatively unexplored in India.
Prior to joining Presidency University, I held the position of Sociology lecturer at Sarojini Naidu College for Women. Additionally, I have served as a guest faculty member at Jadavpur University, where I lectured on Industrial Sociology, Organization, and the Sociology of Science and Technology. Currently, my responsibilities include teaching Sociological Theory, Sociology of Death and Dying, Visual Culture, and Indian Society.
Ongoing PhD research under my supervision:
Biswajit Ghosh, Parental Care in Families with Disabled Members: A Study in Kolkata
Nazrul Islam, Women’s Land Rights: A Study In Birbhum District Of West Bengal
Life Member of Indian Sociological Society
Member of Common Ground Research Networks
Publications
2025. On-Screen Violence, Trauma, and Deaths in the Age of Terrorism: A Sociological Study of the Muslim Social in Hindi Film Narratives (1990–2015). The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Cultural Studies 20 (2): 173-191. doi:10.18848/2327-008X/CGP/v20i02/173-191. (Scopus)
2024. Strained Belief: Religious Coping among Hindu Patients with Terminal Stage Cancer. The International Journal of Health, Wellness and Society, 15 (2): 21-36. doi: 10.18848/2156-8960/CGP/v15i02/21-36 (Scopus)
2023. Dying with Shame: A Qualitative Study of Stigma Experienced by Terminal Stage Male Breast Cancer Patients and Family Members in India. Mortality (Taylor and Francis, Scopus). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2023.2215704 (Scopus)
2022. Living in a Limbo: A Sociological Study of Missing Funerals, Death Rituals, and Complicated Grief in COVID-19. Illness, Crisis & Loss (SAGE Journal, Scopus). doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/10541373221131760
2021. Truth-Telling to Terminal Stage Cancer Patients in India: A Study of the General Denial to Disclosure. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying (SAGE Journal, Scopus). doi:10.1177/00302228211032732
2018. Has Bollywood Become 'Death-Denying'?: Cinematic Deaths of Terminally-ill Protagonists in Hindi Films before and after Liberalisation in India. The International Journal of Literary Humanities, 16(1): 13-21. ISSN: 2327-7912 (Print). ISSN: 2327-8676 (Online) (Scopus)
2015. Representing Bharat Mata in Mother India and Deewar: Study of Nationalist Politics of Cinematic Death. Journal of Sociology. Jadavpur University. Vol. 8 No. 8. IISN 0976-5212. (Scopus)
2013. Book Review of ‘Seeing Like a Feminist’ by Nivedita Menon. Culture and Social Categories: Journal of Sociology: Jadavpur University. IISN 0976-5212 (Scopus)
Paper Presentation
2018. Presented paper titled "Politics of Karma: Representation of‘Good’ and ‘Bad’ Deaths in Bollywood Films". Eight International Conference on Religion and Spirituality in Society, Organized by Common Ground Research Networksat University of California at Berkeley, USA.
2017. Presented Paper Titled "Has Bollywood Become 'Death Denying'? Cinematic Deaths of Terminally-ill Protagonists in Hindi Films before and after Liberalization in India". Fifteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities, Organised by Common Ground Research Networks at Imperial College London, UK.
2015. Presented Paper Titled "Representing Bharat Mata in Popular Hindi Films: A Socio-historical Study of Nationalist Politics of Death". International Conference on Social Science and Economics organized by ICSSE at Barcelona, Spain.
2012. Presented Paper "Titled Feminism of the Popular: Studying visuals of the Bollywood using feminist lens". Conference on Reading the Culture, organized by Sorojini Naidu College for Women, Kolkata.
Presidency University Students Corner