Leher Kala is a multifaceted journalist, columnist, and filmmaker associated with The Indian Express. She is widely recognized for her sharp social commentary and lifestyle writing, which explores the nuances of modern Indian society, culture, and human behavior.
Professional Experience & Career Kala began her journalistic journey in 2000 with the India Today Group, gaining early experience in one of India's leading media houses. She subsequently joined The Indian Express, where she served as the Editor of Daily Features for four years, playing a key role in shaping the newspaper's lifestyle and feature content.
In addition to her print journalism career, she has experience in broadcast media, having worked with Aaj Tak. Broadening her creative scope, she ventured into filmmaking and founded Hutkay Films, a production house specializing in bespoke documentary-style celebration movies and biographies.
Expertise & Writing Style Since 2010, Leher Kala has been a regular columnist for The Indian Express. Her writing is known for its wit, observational depth, and ability to critique social trends. Her columns often dissect:
Social Trends & Lifestyle: From the "quiet luxury" of the elite to the changing dynamics of Indian weddings and social behavior.
Cultural Commentary: She writes extensively on the intersection of tradition and modernity in India.
Human Condition: Her pieces frequently touch upon philosophical themes, mental well-being, and the pressures of contemporary life.
Her column has often been titled "On The Loose," reflecting her free-ranging and candid take on the world around her.
Authoritativeness With over two decades of experience in the media industry, Kala has established herself as a distinct voice in Indian lifestyle journalism. Her ability to transition between hard news environments and feature writing, as well as her entrepreneurial venture in filmmaking, demonstrates a versatile command over storytelling in both text and visual formats.
Find all Columns from Leher Kala here

May 28,2023 07:25:44 AM
Nobody actually benefits from applying the principles of what's good for the goose is good for the gander, quite so literally, in real life.
Sun, May 28, 2023
May 14,2023 07:00:07 AM
In a wiser society, we’d study anger as a subject at school along with Geography and Algebra.
Sun, May 14, 2023
April 30,2023 08:00:23 AM
For thousands of years, mystics and philosophers have propagated the idea that we inch towards clarity via the meandering path of thwarted ambition, struggle and sorrow, otherwise deemed “experience”.
Sun, Apr 30, 2023
April 16,2023 07:40:16 AM
Actually, watching any of these K-dramas (called so, courtesy Ektaa Kapoor’s first staggering successKyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), should serve as a warning of the claustrophobic nature of the joint family.
Sun, Apr 16, 2023
April 02,2023 07:55:14 AM
The world is fixated on happiness because, thanks to social media, it has become the ultimate status symbol. The game of one-upmanship has changed.
Sun, Apr 02, 2023
March 19,2023 07:05:28 AM
Officially, India has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world; less than 2% marriages end, a suspiciously low number that just doesn’t add up with the reality around us. It isn’t always big issues like abuse or alcoholism that cause a split; sometimes, there’s simply nothing going on and both people are better off apart.
Mon, Mar 20, 2023
March 05,2023 07:20:07 AM
In Delhi, if you invite someone for dinner at 8.30, they’ll show up at 9.30 without an apology. If you ask what made them late, they have no answer.
Sun, Mar 05, 2023
February 19,2023 07:50:19 AM
Carefree childhoods, like fairies, are a pipe dream, going by the truly awful melodramas of binges, bullying and spiteful rivalries playing out among the 16-year-olds on Netflix's 'Class'.
Sun, Feb 19, 2023
February 05,2023 07:50:51 AM
When Raj Path becomes Kartavya Path or the Mughal Gardens become Amrit Udyan, it feels like the creation of a whole new entity; and a casual dismissing of our collective past.
Sun, Feb 05, 2023
January 22,2023 07:30:19 AM
What do strangers owe each other when faced with a bizarre crisis? In David Bowie’s words, we can be heroes just for one day (as long as a somewhat looser definition of heroism applies).
Sun, Jan 22, 2023
January 08,2023 07:42:21 AM
Besides the wannabe Cinderellas and aspiring millionaires, the reality genre plays to our voyeuristic sides
Sun, Jan 08, 2023
December 25,2022 07:50:55 AM
We live in an era when brazen self-promotion is wholly acceptable, even considered a worthy aim, in the pursuit of money, power and status. Indeed, the Sussexes have wrested control over their own narrative, ensuring they monetize the perks of stardom on their terms.
Sun, Dec 25, 2022
December 11,2022 08:07:51 AM
Let me indulge in the lingo of today and say I find it “pathologically damaging” that an entire generation believes that watching a story on a gruesome murder should be avoided for fear of ruining the day.
Sun, Dec 11, 2022
November 27,2022 07:57:25 AM
The Shraddha Walkar-Aaftab Poonawala murder case seems to have sparked off extensive coverage of a spate of similar, horrific crimes lately.
Sun, Nov 27, 2022
November 13,2022 06:40:27 AM
If art reflects life and we’re adrift between fake news and alternative facts, no wonder then that reality TV, ironically enough, feels artificially fictionalised.
Sun, Nov 13, 2022
October 30,2022 04:30:43 AM
Men have been creating a ruckus and brawling in bars for centuries, women have been held back by frustrating societal expectations of ladylike, shrinking demureness.
Sun, Oct 30, 2022
October 16,2022 04:30:50 AM
This is not the first time that popular fast foods have been immortalised in fancy minaudieres; Judith Lieber’s crystal encrusted evening bags come in quirky shapes like the McDonald’s Big Mac, cup cakes and glittering French fries.
Sun, Oct 16, 2022
October 02,2022 04:30:52 AM
Food delivery platform Swiggy launched a ‘Moonlighting Policy’ in August which encourages employees to undertake side gigs to sustain their finances.
Sun, Oct 02, 2022
September 18,2022 04:00:56 AM
Leher Kala writes: Similarly, Bombay Shaving Company CEO Shantanu Deshpande was widely criticised for a LinkedIN post that seemed like he was poking fun at young executives who talk of “work-life balance, spending time with family, rejuvenation bla-bla”.
Sun, Sep 18, 2022
September 04,2022 04:20:13 AM
What is family? Is it the cousins you grew up playing with at grandparents’ homes but now see once in five years because life gets in the way? Or is it the neighbour you bonded with over two years of Covid, who came through at a terrible moment when no one else could?
Sun, Sep 04, 2022
August 23,2022 20:18:28 PM
Leher Kala writes: Bail order in Kerala court that cited complainant’s ‘sexually provocative’ clothes is dispiriting
Thu, Aug 25, 2022
August 21,2022 04:20:11 AM
Leher Kala writes: Cinema halls have had a good run for a 100-plus years, but the grounds they stood on have shifted. The change mimics the natural cycles of human life throughout history — cultures were born and flourished, civilisations soared and declined, carving out space for something new.
Sun, Aug 21, 2022
August 07,2022 04:15:28 AM
Leher Kala writes: The hullabaloo around Moitra’s expensive accessory is emblematic of a larger question that perplexes large swathes of humanity: what’s with women and their obsession with obscenely priced handbags?
Sun, Aug 07, 2022
July 24,2022 04:00:34 AM
Leher Kala writes: Reflecting on the unwarranted vitriol she faced that sidetracked her career, Mallika Sherawat matter-of-factly told journalists while promoting RK/Rkay, “What Deepika Padukone did in Gehraiyaan, I did 15 years ago but people were too narrow minded to appreciate it.”
Sun, Jul 24, 2022
July 18,2022 19:28:05 PM
It's time to change the standard love story.
Thu, Jul 21, 2022

