Founder & Festival Director, Dolly Singh is an established poet, author and editor. She carries her vision of promoting and popularising poetry and reviving poetic legacies close to her heart.

Since the launch of the festival in 2013 she has been working tirelessly to curate meaningful content for the poetry lovers of Delhi-NCR and beyond. She has managed to create a democratic and fearless domain for literature and poetry lovers who can express themselves without any bias.

Dolly also runs a women-centric platform- She Scapes, that addresses issues faced by urban women. She Scapes is an interactive platform that allows every woman in that space to air her views. It is an arena for creative, evolved and enlightened woman

Besides these, she works closely in the children’s literature sphere. She has edited 4 anthologies for children, and her own book on various poetry forms for children – A Poem Trots Along. She also runs poetry workshops.

Her own Coffee Table book- Frozen in a Pause has received rave review. Three of her own projects are ready and poised to be published.

Dolly has been the recipient of Rex Karmaveer Award and Global Fellowship for 3 consecutive years.

Executive Producer of Delhi Poetry Festival, Sanjay Arora follows poetry with passion. A start-up strategist & mentor, advertising professional and an enterprise growth specialist, Sanjay takes both, his day job as well as his side hustle of poetry with equal fervour. Having built the brand – DPF along with wife, Dolly Singh who is the festival director, he is committed to sustaining it meaningfully and scaling it up steadily by the year.

Sanjay was won many accolades in his advertising as well as start-up career and was more recently conferred the REX Karmaveer Chakra in the year 2019.

Twice a Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Arshiya Sethi, established Kri Foundation (2003), braiding Arts, Activism and Knowledge creation. Former dance critic Times of India, presenter for four decades of the archived National Programme of Music and Dance on the Public Broadcast TV network, Doordarshan, she was advisor, DD Bharati – its Art and Culture channel.

As Creative-Head, India Habitat Centre, she curated programmes, across genres, for a decade and then worked to create intangible cultural properties like City Arts Festivals. Co-author of the Book “Non-Gharanedaar: Pt Mohanrao Kallianpurkar, The Paviour of Kathak’ (2022), co-editor and contributor to “Dance Under the Shadow of the Nation” (2019), Dance Studies Association’s international publication, Editor of a soon-to-be launched international academic Journal on South Asian Dance and its Intersections, she is a popular columnist.

Recently she has been part of the team preparing the Position Paper for the National Education Policy, 2020’s focus on Arts Education and Arts Integrated Learning.

Sumit Sehgal – the name brings on an instant smile and a reassurance when you find him in your corner. Which is exactly where Sumit has been for the past 7 years with Delhi Poetry Festival. With multiple experiences spanning over 13 years – an author & poet, events & outreach planner, digital communicator, visualizer & designer, literary, poetry & children’s festival curator, an environment advocate, and most recently, an educator.

Sumit is an established writer with one fiction novel, My Chameleon Soul, and 29 e-books as a ghost-writer under his belt. He has been published in various national and international English poetry anthologies, has edited 2 children’s anthologies, and is now waiting to bring out his third.

His literary agency, Butterfly & The Bee has facilitated over 90 book launches, 40 plus literary events and worked with over 550 authors.

Sumit has been conferred with REX Karmaveer award two consecutive years for his literary contribution.

Currently, he is working on his newest passion – Young Dragon English Club, a platform for helping children with reading & writing skills and nuances of English language and multiple activities around language & literature.

Young Dragon English Club was recently conferred with, ‘Achievement Award – Best English Learning Platform of the Year 2022’ by TopRoboLabs.

Mehak Kapoor is the dynamic and passionate Marketing and Communications Manager for the Delhi Poetry Festival, bringing a fresh wave of energy to the team. Having once participated in the festival as a student, Mehak’s journey has come full circle, transforming from an eager attendee to an integral member of the festival’s core team.

With a background as a pharmacy graduate, Mehak also nurtures her entrepreneurial spirit, having successfully ventured into business. Despite her diverse professional ventures, her love for poetry remains unwavering, and she ensures that her artistic passion thrives alongside her career.

Mehak’s unique blend of creativity, discipline, and entrepreneurial drive makes her an invaluable asset to the festival, as she continues to bridge the worlds of art, culture, and business with authenticity and enthusiasm.

Prof. Danish Iqbal is an awarded playwright who combines in himself various roles of a performer, teacher, writer, researcher, cultural organizer, and to all of which he brings exacting standards. Danish has done pioneering work in storytelling & drama, combining different styles seamlessly to project the unifying thread of Indian literary traditions.

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Danish Iqbal is a Media Educator and also an awarded playwright who combines in himself various roles of a performer, teacher, writer, researcher, cultural organizer & arts administrator. Danish has done pioneering work in storytelling & drama, combining different styles seamlessly to project the unifying thread of Indian literary traditions.

Vineet KKN ‘Panchhi’ is a Communication Consultant, Filmmaker, Writer and the founder behind ‘Word of Mouth Media’ (www.WordOfM.in), a platform where his exceptional writing, poetry, and cinematic creations have found wide-ranging applications, both in the corporate world and social causes.

Currently, Vineet is steering his passion project, ‘The Jai Hind Project’ (www.JaiHindproject.in), towards realization. The core mission of this initiative is to cultivate a new generation of role models and heroes for India, all while making social activism an attractive endeavor for today’s youth.

Vineet’s driving philosophy finds resonance in the words of Matt Langdon: “The opposite of a hero is not a villain, it’s a bystander.” Together with his team, Vineet engages in meticulous research of grassroots organizations displaying heroic qualities, capturing their narratives through compelling films. Furthermore, ‘The Jai Hind Project’ extends its influence by providing training in storytelling and filmmaking to these grassroots organizations, equipping them to effectively engage with their target audiences.

Vineet is a post-graduate in Human Resources from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and has a certificate in Leadership Psychology from The University of Oxford.

Sunil Bhandari is a poet disguised as a corporate executive. His book of poetry ‘Of Love and Other Abandonments’ was an Amazon bestseller. His second book was ‘Of Journeys & Other Ways to Get Lost’.

His poetry podcast ‘Uncut Poetry’ is heard in over 70 countries. His new podcast ‘Red River Sessions’ features interviews with exciting poets. His cultural newsletter ‘The Uncuts’ is a weekly sundrop of grace and mulls with almost 3K dedicated subscribers.

Sunil has been featured in several poetry anthologies and is a popular poet in the Literature Festivals circuit.

Maheep Singh is an unassuming man with plenty of stories to tell and unquestionably amongst the pioneers of stand-up comedy in Delhi.

Noted comedy writer, stand-up comedian, a playwright, a lyricist – an entertainment entrepreneur. Maheep Singh is Founder and Curator of many experiential events, i.e. Jaspal Bhatti Humor Festival, Khushwant Singh Humor Festival, curated a segment of I AM Identity Art Marathon.

An accomplished playwright and lyricist, his work has been performed internationally at various Art Festivals.

Robin Gupta is the author of his best- selling memoir ‘And What Remains in The End’ which Khushwant Singh described as ‘a literary milestone’. He has also authored ‘A Bouquet of Thoughts’ published in London in 2002. He penned his heartfelt poems in the book called ‘The 70th Milestone’.

Robin is a member of the elite IAS and has had the distinction of having served the country in four provinces. He was posted as Commissioner in the field on six separate occasions, itself a record in the history of the ICS/IAS. He retired as Financial Commissioner Revenue in the rank of Secretary to the government of India.

Robin studied at the renowned Bishop Cotton School, and St. Stephens college Delhi. He is also an International Scholarship holder who studied at New Trier High School, U.S.A. from where he passed out with straight A’s. Robin returned to India, imbued with the desire to serve the country.

He had a short stint with the Indian Police Service before joining the IAS in 1974. Indeed, Robin Gupta is a most unusual civil servant who continued to nurse his muse even while having to deal with bone dry files for almost 40 years. On his mother’s side he is a third- generation civil servant.

Robin’s father was enrolled as member of the FRCS in 1933 after which he joined the IMS and served the British Indian army under Field Marshal Montgomery’s command in the middle Eastern theatre of the second world war. After his retirement, Robin who divides his time between his homes in Panchkula, Delhi and Goa and devotes all his time and energy to promoting the literary movement in India.

Dr Rakhshanda Jalil is a multi-award-winning translator, writer, and literary historian.

She has published over 25 books and written over 50 academic papers and essays. Some of her books include Liking Progress, Loving Change: A Literary History of the Progressive Writers Movement in Urdu (OUP, 2014); a biography of Urdu feminist writer Dr Rashid Jahan: A Rebel and her Cause (Women Unlimited, 2014); a translation of The Sea Lies Ahead, Intizar Husain’s seminal novel on Karachi (Harper Collins, 2015) and Krishan Chandar’s partition novel Ghaddar (Westland, 2017), among others.

She runs an organization called Hindustani Awaaz, devoted to the popularization of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture. She is a Trustee of the Ghalib Institute, Delhi, the Sarvodaya International (Delhi Chapter), PEN (Delhi Chapter) and Seva Mandir (Udaipur); she also serves on the Board of the annual Shankar-Shad Mushaira organized by the DCM Shriram Group.

She is also the Editor of the Taj magazine, a bi-annual book-length journal of the Taj group of hotels.

Joy Sengupta is a versatile performer.
A graduate in English honours, Joy Sengupta pursued a post-graduate diploma in Theatre studies, specializing in Acting. He has worked under legendary directors like Ebrahim Alkazi, Habib Tanveer, Safdar Hashmi, MK Raina, Barry John, Lillete Dubey, Feroz Abbas Khan amongst many others.

Joy has acted in over 40 feature films in Hindi, Bengali & English, many of which received National & International awards. He has also acted in over 30 telefilms, 8 web series and around 50 Ad films.

He has dubbed for various mega Hollywood projects, most famous of them being Avengers.
Joy has even done radio plays for BBC Channel 4. He has performed globally, from West End London to Off Broadway New York, from NADA Sydney to Edinburgh Fringe festival.

He’s a recipient of Mahindra Excellence Award in Acting in theatre for portraying Gandhi, in the play SAMMY as well as V SHANTARAM award for acting in Cinema for debut film HAZAR CHAURASI KI MA directed by the New wave legend Govind Nihalani.

He was a teacher of THEATRE IN EDUCATION in schools, besides taking projects for Literacy Mission of India, teaching creative communication to Management students & teaching techniques of Acting for stage & camera for project Eklavya run by Drama School, Mumbai.

Nomit, boasting 18 years of professional experience, made a seamless transition from advertising to marketing. His leadership prowess shone through in crafting iconic campaigns for diverse brands during his tenure as an advertising marketing professional.

Brahmanand Singh is a Rex Karmaveer Chakra Award winner (a UN-driven International award for bringing about positivity in people’s mindsets through one’s works) and a National Award-winning filmmaker (producer-director), author, speaker and mentor based out of Mumbai.

Best known for his films like Jhalki, feature-documentaries on RD Burman, Pancham Unmixed, Jagjit Singh Kagazi Ki Kashti, continue to enjoy an amazing, sweeping cult, critical and popular acclaim across many platforms. Other than these, many other films like Riding on a Sunbeam; Through Our Eyes; Ambassador of Peace, Ragpickers: Scavengers of a Different Graveyard; Ashgari Bai; Uncaging the Body; A Burden of Love and a lot many commissioned films have been popular and acclaimed. Singh often brings out an insightful, exploring and reflective dimensions in the subjects that excite him, bringing out its core essence in a soulful and captivating manner.

A veteran in the Film Industry, he believes that films are a very powerful medium and can be made in a way to do wonders in communication, awareness, positioning, impact and change. He is known for his expertise and ideation-capacity in developing projects and exploring and delivering films that make a marked impact and stir people towards the desired goal.

Born on February 8th, 1940 in Bareily, Uttar Pradesh, Prof. Waseem Barelvi is one of the most renowned

Urdu poets of India. An Urdu Literature masters from Agra University, he is currently the Vice Chairman,

National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, HRD Ministry, and Govt. of India.

Winner of several National and International awards, he has been published in scores of reputed literary

magazines; both in India and overseas. His ghazals and nazms have been sung by prominent singers

from the Indian Film fraternity. A poet of various moods, he has published more than six collections of poetry

in Urdu and two in Hindi.

 Waseem Barelvi sa’ab is also the Chairman of the Board of Patrons

Sukrita Paul Kumar, poet and critic, was born and brought up in Kenya. She held the prestigious Aruna Asaf Ali Chair at Delhi University. Formerly, a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, she was an invited poet at the International Writing Programme, Iowa, USA and Hong Kong Baptist University. Honorary faculty, Durrell Centre at Corfu, Greece, she has been a recipient of many prestigious fellowships and residencies.

Her recent collections of poems amongst others are Vanishing Words, Country Drive, Dream Catcher, Untitled and Poems Come Home (with Hindustani translations by Gulzar). She is the “Writer in Context” Series co-editor, being published by Routledge UK. Her co-edited book on the eminent writer Krishna Sobti is the first in the series. Amongst her critical books are Narrating Partition and Conversations on Modernism. Her translations include Nude, poems by Vishal Bhardwaj and the novel, Blind (HarperCollins) by Joginder Paul.

A guest editor of journals such as Indian Literature, Manoa (Hawaii) and Muse India, she has held solo exhibitions of her paintings. Many of her poems come out of her experience of working
with the homeless, street children and Tsunami victims.

Ambar Kharbanda, born on December 28, 1952, defies conventional expectations as an Urdu shair. Despite holding an ITI in Electronics, he devotes himself to the art of poetry. Fluent in Hindi, English, Punjabi, Urdu, and Saraiki, Ambar is a versatile poet exploring kavya, ghazal, nazm, khamse, geet, and dohe.

A member of the ‘Uttarakhand Bhasha Sansthan,’ Ambar has authored notable works such as ‘Aisa Hoon Main’ (2009), ‘Kya Arz Karoon’ (2014), and ‘Maazirat’ (2021). ‘Maazirat’ is the sole piece of work on ‘khamse’ — an art form that is challenging to write, which is why only a few poets have explored it.Since 1963, he has graced Akashvani and TV channels, earning recognition as a senior shair on Akashvani and sharing his ghazals on the world broadcasting service.

Ambar Kharbanda’s uniqueness lies in his steadfast belief that Urdu transcends religious boundaries, a perspective shaped during his school days as the sole Hindu embracing Urdu. Despite his background in electronics engineering, Ambar prioritizes his poetic pursuits over business.

A recipient of honours like the recognition from the ‘Authors Guild of Himachal,’ ‘Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’ samman, ‘Mujahide-Urdu’ award, and ‘Pride of Uttarakhand -PBWS,’ Ambar Kharbanda’s poetry is a testament to truth, blending subtlety with a grounded and sharp perspective. In a society often conforming to norms, Ambar’s work encourages introspection, urging us to find meaning within ourselves.