Shrayana Bhattacharya trained in development economics at Delhi University and the Harvard Kennedy School. Since 2006, she has worked on research projects with the Institute of Social Studies Trust, SEWA, and the Centre for Policy Research. Currently, she is a Senior Economist at the World Bank. Her book Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: India’s Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence won the Atta Galatta BLF Book Prize for Best Non-Fiction 2022, the Times of India JK Paper AutHer Prize for Best Non-Fiction Author for 2022, and the SKOCH Economic Forum Prize for literature.