Aatish

Always draped in his signature style white kurta pyjama and jootis, Gulzar Sahaab has a personality second to none. His well modulated voice engages our senses and keeps us asking for more. Philosophical yet simple, Gulzar Sahaab’s every word leaves an impact on the human thought process. Born as Sampooran Singh Kalra in Dena (now in Pakistan), Gulzar Suhaab always had a burning desire to be a part of the Mumbai cine world. After trying many professions, he settled for literature to satisfy the writer within. He started weaving his thoughts into words, and today, even after five decades, he happily does the same. Gulzar Sahaab’s recognition as a lyricist was through the song ‘Mora Gora Aang’ from the movie Bandini, which gave him instant fame and the much-awaited appreciation for his writing talent. Having a career spanning over five decades in Hindi cinema, he still feels that he is the ‘Man of Literature’. “I like writing … it helped me in expressing myself. Literature has been my background … from literature I went to movies and again came back to literature. I have been writing mainly in Urdu…it’s my medium of writing. But now, my works have been translated into several other languages.” says Gulzar Sahaab.

Mohd Yusuf Alam is an engineer by profession with a keen interest in writing. He's been a part of anthologies like, 'Wordsmith in their verses' and 'A Haiku treasury' by Brian Wrixon Works, Canada. He prefers writing stories over poems, and aspires to have his novel published one day.

Pooja Sharma Rao is a content writer and editor/translator by profession, and a poet/blogger at heart. She believes that she is a learner in the class of life, and blogs at http://poojasharmarao.blogspot.com

"Waseem A. Malla is a poet from Srinagar (Kashmir). He has made attempts with different genres of poetry in English and Urdu. His poetry is romantic in nature, though superficially; but from a deeper perspective, his poems depict a thrust on mystical elements with a representation of Asian philosophy."

Born, bred and studied in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh, Srinivas Vasudev worked as lecturer in English abroad for 17 years in various countries. Currently settled and working as a lecturer in Bangalore, teaching is his profession while writing is his passion.

"Write to express not impress" were the words once told by Simran Rana’s father which helped her subsequently to become a poet. She started writing with a small poem for her friend; her poetry skills kept growing and bringing out the poet in her. Being interactive and fun loving is part of her nature. She write in all genres of poetry.

Soumya Vilekar is a published poet who has penned three poetry collections, and her poems have been included in several anthologies. Her fourth ‘Suroor of the Soul’, the ultimate happiness shall be published soon. Her writings include inspirational, motivational and spiritual poems, along with verses of love. Belonging to the field of powder metallurgy, she has a joint patent to her name. She currently lives in Sharjah,UAE.

Torm Gardson, whose real name is Timileyin Gabriel Olajuwon is a poet and a literary critic. His first book was titled ‘Call For Retreat’. His work has appeared in international anthologies such as 'The Art Of Being Human’ Volume iv and 'Unique Voice'. He is one of the founding members and administrator of the 'Winning Pen', a creative writers organization. He is also the administrator of Factual Writers Cafe and Winning World Writers on Facebook. He also has had his impact on World Poetry Radio Show and World Poetry Canada and International.

Anjumon Sahin is from Assam and has been living in Delhi since 2007. A passionate lover of books and animals, she is pursuing her M Phil degree in English literature from the University of Delhi, and working as an Assistant Professor there. Writing is the magic bond that helps her negotiate the real and the reel.

Zulekha Rajani is an Indian poet, writer and painter. She is a postgraduate in English. She has been writing in Hindi, Urdu and English since she was 13. For her, borders are just the constructs of one’s feeble intellect, one has to look beyond them, only then will the hearts be free. She tries to write something everyone can relate to. She believes that her poems are simple, yet subtle. And one does not need much literary prowess to understand their depth.

Subramanian Ganapathy is a retired professor of English. He loves poetry. He is passionate about music, arts, reading, sports, history and politics.

Vikas Pratap Singh ‘hitaishi’ has been penning poems both in English and Hindi since his college days. Couple of his English poems have been published in the recently launched poetry anthology Inklinks by Poets Corner alongside some literary revered names, whereas some of his short Hindi poems have been featured in Tumbhi's Ehsaas - Valentine Special eBook; among other works. He is currently working as a scientist and is stationed in Bangalore. He aspires to bring out his Hindi poetry collection and to write an adventure fiction novel. He is reachable at his FB fanpage http://facebook.com/VPS.hitaishi

Parul Rastogi is from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. She completed her M.A. in English Literature from C.S.J.M. University, Kanpur in 2013 and earned a diploma in vocal music in 2012. She began to write poems and short stories in 2012 and till now she has shared her name with many eminent personalities in international anthologies. She is a devotee, singer, lifetime learner, and growing wavelet in the ocean of literature.

Neelam Saxena Chandra is an engineer by profession and works with the Indian Railways. She has one novel, two poetry books, and three children's fiction titles to her credit. Also, she has more than 400 published stories/poems. She has won several awards including ‘Popular Choice Award’ in Folk Fusion category and ‘Radio City Freedom Award’ for writing the lyrics for a song.

Shyam holds a Master’s degree in English Literature. He has an extensive online following, and is present on Facebook as Driftwood Ashore, besides having his own page Shyam_adrift. His poems have been published in various anthologies and magazines worldwide. He intends to release his own poetry collections in the near future.

An engineer by profession and a writer by passion, Ankita Singhal writes when words rhyme with her emotions. One of her short stories has been published in ‘Lovelets’ and her poems have been published in In Our Own Words and A Haiku Treasury.

JB Mulligan has had poems and stories published in several hundred magazines, the recent ones being Angle, Muse, Riverbabble, Red Fez, and Gone Lawn. He has two chapbooks published, and has appeared in multiple volumes of the anthology, Reflections on a Blue Planet as well as the anthology, Inside/Out: A Gathering Of Poets.

The poetry of Wilda Morris, Workshop Chair for Poets & Patrons of Chicago, is widely published. Her blog http://wildamorris.blogspot.com provides a contest for poets each month. In addition to poetry, she writes an occasional nature blog for the Bolingbrook Patch, has written on youth violence, and has co-facilitated interracial dialogue.

Sujata Parashar is a bestselling novelist, short story writer and poet. She’s also one of the founding members of Empowering Minds and is on the organisation’s executive board. Sujata assists the organisation in Project planning, execution and resource generation.

Sirajudheen P. is a research scholar (MPhil English) at the Department of English, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. He hails from ‘God’s own country’ - Kerala. He also writes poetry in Malayalam, and has published poems in different magazines and also blogs on the social issues and literary subjects.

Saima Siddiqui is a young educationist. When she isn’t blossoming around children, she spends time writing poems. For her, writing is the love of her life. Her first poem was published in an anthology called ‘Inklinks’, in January 2013.

Monu Bhagat has been published in a state anthology called ‘Protection and Promotion of Child Rights’ and an international anthology called ‘I Am a Poet’. Besides, his work has appeared in many newspapers and magazines. He also organised a movement in Nagaland called 'Moons Movement' and is working on his first project “Raise Voice Against Crime In Nagaland”. It is a social community on Facebook where people share and voice their opinions against crime committed in their society.

Samantak Bhadra is a software engineer, writer, musician, public speaker, social entrepreneur, and former journalist. He hails from Kolkata, India and currently living in Bangalore. His writings have been published or have been accepted for publication in different journals, websites and anthologies from countries like the US, India, Canada, Romania, France and Ireland and those from the Middle East.

Jigyasa (Bhakti), the modern Meera, is a social activist both at heart and by profession. She is a blend of politeness, love, expressions and emotions. To spice it up, she is bold enough to challenge and live life on her own terms. She believes in spreading the message of love.

Reena Prasad is an Indian poet based in Sharjah. Her work has been published in several print anthologies and also in online journals such as Indian Ruminations, Indian Review, Angle Journal, Revista Cuib-Nest-Nido, First Literary Review East ,The Copperfield Review, etc. She writes at http://harivarasanam.wordpress.com, and can also be found at http://facebook.com/butterflies.oftime

Neha Rautela is a freelance editor and poet. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at Mahila PG Mahavidhyalaya, Jodhpur. Her work has appeared in international anthologies and journals: In Our Own Words, A Haiku Treasury and The Art of Being Human Volume 4 - An Anthology of International Poetry publications of Brian Wrixon Books (Canada), PEN International Austria's book on Malala, Lovelets – by Butterfly & The Bee and All About Books Global, India and a journal by Cyberwit, Harvests of New Millennium. She works for OnFire Creative Movement as one of the Creative Coordinators.

Neha is a young talent from Mumbai, a graduate in commerce from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. She feels encouraged by the art of writing and has penned short stories and poems. She is a Deputy Managing Editor of Poets Corner and her work has appeared in many national and international anthologies. Also, she is an author of a poetry collection called ‘Inks’.

Ashok Sawhny was born in Lahore in 1937 but his family moved to New Delhi after partition in 1947. Graduating in economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, he worked with Indian industry until 1977 and then started his own international trading company, Monarch International, of which he is president. His love for art, literature and the finer side of life find expression in his earlier books, The Sands of Time, As Time Goes By, Fruit Salad, Chequer Board, To Have Loved, The Tyranny of Truth, The Mango Grove at Kashipur, The Rabbit’s Tale and the Misadventures of a Flying Horse and A Pigeon and I. His book Fruit Salad has been translated into Chinese and Persian. He also has two books of poetry published in Urdu and he can be found at http://ashoksawhny.com

Aprilia Zank is a freelance lecturer in the Department of Languages and Communication at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, where she tutors Creative Writing Workshops. Aprilia is also a poet and a translator, as well as editor of poetry anthologies.

Philomel Chowdhury is a freelance writer having a love for poetry. Browning and Maya Angelou are her favourite poets. She spends most of the time in the library and is a bibliophilic

Ronita Maitra Bhandari is a writer and poet. Weaving words and putting them on pen and paper gives her immense pleasure. Being a postgraduate in English literature, she always finds great passion in reading and writing. She writes poetry, short-stories, articles, blogs, literary criticisms, and literary analyses.

Abhishek Nandi is studying mechanical engineering. He wants to be an engineer with a difference, defining a new path for aspiring writers & socialists to continue their passion. This poem is a part of his soul put on paper, the bare truth, harsh reality. His aim behind writing it so vividly is for all to face the issue openly.

Kavita Krishnaswamy is a Computer Science Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (US). Her research is in developing robots to assist people with disabilities. Kavita believes that everyone, regardless of disability, can fulfill their dreams to be in love, happily get married, and start their own family.

A Bangalorean by birth, Neha Lorraine is an outgoing, friendly person and a complete foodie. Currently studying biotechnology, she has a growing interest in science. Her passions lie in a blend of poetry, music and art. A thorough lover of nature, she enjoys travelling to the fullest.

Sunil Sharma is a college principal, and a widely-published bilingual critic, poet, literary interviewer, editor, translator, essayist and fiction writer. His six short stories and the novel Minotaur are prescribed currently for the undergraduate classes under the Post-Colonial Studies at the Clayton University, Morrow, Georgia, US. He is the recipient of the UK-based Destiny Poets’ inaugural award of the ‘Poet of the year’ for 2012.

Nitin Soni, the Nukkad poet, is an aspiring novelist and amateur photographer who has been published in several national as well as international magazines and anthologies.

Elvira Lobo is a fun-loving person, an avid Bollywood fan and Blogger. She is dedicated towards the cause of Thalassemia. Born in Mumbai, having an MBA degree in finance, she is currently working with a corporate bank. A budding poet, Elvira has her works (25 poems) published both at the national and international levels in different anthologies.

Ruchi Pathak is associated with Action Aid, and has a passion for writing with a purpose to provoke thought and action for doing what is right, without fear. She strongly believes that our sex or background does not decide our destiny, but that faith in ourselves makes us accomplish our dreams.

Kwabena Agyare Yeboah is a final year BSc biochemistry student at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. He is from Ghana and blogs at http://kwabenaagyare.blogspot.com.

Iram Fatima 'Aashi' is an Indian poet who lives in Saudi Arabia. She is a postgraduate in English literature who began to write when she was only 13. She writes in Hindi, English and Urdu. Her poems are simple, yet subtle.

Michelle D'costa is an Indian writer/editor from Bahrain. Her prose/poetry has been published in more than 30 literary online/print journals. Her writing revolves around themes which are often found disturbing by readers and that motivates her to keep writing. She enjoys dancing when she is not reading or writing. She can be found at http://pikoomish.wordpress.com

An engineer by profession and a writer by passion, Ankita Singhal writes when words rhyme with her emotions. One of her short stories has been published in ‘Lovelets’ and her poems have been published in In Our Own Words and A Haiku Treasury.

Fouqia Wajid is the Founder and Director of ON FIRE, a creative youth movement, which aims at providing them with a platform in various artistic fields. She has written and directed a couple of plays on Doordarshan called 'Ghar Ke Na Ghat Ke' and 'Jaago'. She is the author of a collection of poems ‘Screech’. Her poems and short stories have been published in different anthologies like 'Love In Verses', 'Musings: A Mosaic', 'Haiku Collection- Poets International', Haiku Treasury, Poet International - Haiku Special, Aatish, Winds of Change, Remember the Forgotten, etc. She also has few Hindi short stories to her credit. Find her at fouqia.tumblr.com and stayonfire.in

Irshad Kamil is a Hindi/Urdu poet and lyricist. He has written songs for many Bollywood hits like Jab We Met, Chameli, Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, Aashiqui 2 and Raanjhana. Kamil started his career by writing for television in 1998. After writing scripts for soaps such as Na Jaiyo Pardes and Kahan Se Kahan Tak, his first assignment in Mumbai was writing dialogues for Manish Goswami’s Kartavya. Soon followed Drishtaant, a serial produced and directed by Pankaj Kapur. Brought to Mumbai by producer Lekh Tandon, Kamil later worked with musician Sandesh Shandilya. Kamil has won several awards for songs like ’Chor Bazari’ and ‘Aaj Din Chadheya’ from Love Aaj Kal. He also wrote the lyrics for Imtiaz Ali's 2011 release Rockstar for which he has also been awarded the Filmfare Award for best lyrics for ‘Naadaan Parindey’. Kamil has also been associated with English journalism.

Tony Kagoo (aka Antony Kagoo), has written 40 + poems. He is intrigued by rhyming words and words that define the feelings of life and love. A software Engineer by profession, a vivid photographer, poet, artist (pencil sketching, charcoal sketching and painting), a full time traveler, speaker and volunteer for autism based education, Tony loves writing poetry and novels, more like a creative manager with a flame for imagination.

Jisha(ct) Viswanathan, is pursuing a human rights course from IGNOU. She loves reading, writing, the subject of her poetry is often social issues. Started writing from a young age, one of her poems ‘A Tribute to Damini’, was published in Acerbic Anthology on gender violence.

Deeya Bhattacharya is working as an English Teacher in Durgapur, West Bengal.

SaIvwi Prasad: Born and brought up in Cuttack, Odisha, she is currently working as a software professional. She has been writing poems for few years now. Most of her poems have been published in local magazines and anthologies. She desires to make this a never ending journey.

Anil Sharma is an NRI. Having done his M.Phil in Political Science, he started his career as a lecturer in Delhi University, but his desire to try his hand in different fields made him join the travel trade. At present, he is a consultant and does marketing in Italy for one of India’s leading travel organisations. Fluent in Hindi, English and Italian, he is a frequent traveler and a keen observer of his surroundings. His works cover a wide range of subjects from international nuclear politics to unexplored aspects of social life.

If the whole world wants to go right then Parina Dhilla would go left just to satiate her curiosity. Her bubbly nature, along with her appreciation for the smaller things, lets her look at the world with a kaleidoscopic view. Poetry just becomes the medium of her wide varied thoughts.

TiT Parakett: Poet Loaded Akinwemimo is an African poet with the tamtam voice of virtuous reflective lines. He is a creative bard of quatrain style of poeming nature, love, life and event. He is a philosopher, activist, linguist, Writer and author.

Rajeev Paul, a well known actor on Indian television, he is known for performing in a vast array of roles, from Swabhimaan to Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki to Nach Baliye and recently Big Boss 6. His compilation of Hindi poems, ‘Mumbai Mohabbat Aur Tanhai’, went on to become a bestseller in 2012. Actress Juhi Chawla said she was "surprised to read such good stuff". Actor/director Farhan Akhtar said he could "feel deep pain in every poem; extremely well written". Rajeev is now releasing his poetry with a music video, and his album of six songs with Universal, titled Mumbai Mohabbat Aur Tanhai as well.

Arnab Neogi, a computer engineer and management graduate, is also a poet, his career spanning more than a decade. He has been published in more than a dozen journals and has 2 books to his credit, the latest one being ‘Beyond the silver lining’. Follow him at his Facebook group 'Creative Collaborations’

Dr. Radha Debroy is a scientist, singer and social worker. She has performed live in India, the US and Bangladesh. She has performed on TV channels like the Zee Bangla, ATN and DD Bangla.

Rajendra Kumar, a program coordinator at GRAVIS, has been associated with the organisation since 1987. He plays an integral role in project planning, coordination, decision - making, and program implementation. He has participated in various seminars and conferences internationally, on behalf of GRAVIS.

Being an engineer, gives Sayantan Mukherjee a logical and analytical eye towards life. Hence, his’ poetry and stories are reflection of what actually happens around him - To capture life through the lenses of camera as well.

Harish Srinivasan is a BE graduate from Chennai. He is the author of a poetry book Imprints Of My Ink. He is passionate about writing and is part of several international anthologies around the globe. He is also the executive editor of Dashing magazine. Currently, he is pursuing his masters from the University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Along with being an Engineer, Diwakar Pokhriyal has deep interest in writing and music. He has written six poetry books which have been published and are available online. He has been a part of various poetry anthologies, online magazines and websites as a poet. He is also a rhythm guitarist who loves to strum softly and likes to dive deep into music. According to him, he is just “a lone soul in search of solace”.

Jayanta Deb is from Silchar, India and he has just finished his masters in computer science. His hobby and passion is photography, he loves to explore different places and feast the eyes of the viewers. He not only clicks pictures of landscapes, but also loves to make pictures of a different kind.

Ana Tyagi is a self-taught photographer, living in the US. She doesn't have a certain style, but black and white is the medium she is partial to. She photographs anything and everything that interests her, and tries to make it her own. She continues to learn something new everyday.

Just another girl in this world. Her Interest lies in music, books, theater, art and travel. She loves to study people, their culture and the stories behind them. An ambitious participant of life. Bipolar by head and a dewarist by heart.

Koustav Nandi has always seen life with a different perspective. He is keen on observing the small details others tend to miss. Watching movies made him curious about what's happening behind the camera. Thus he tried his hand at photography and grew passionate about it.

Ellen Melisse is from Etten-Leur, The Netherlands. She is a student of social work. Photography is her hobby and passion. She loves the colours which we can find on our earth and she always tries her best to capture the beauty of different things we can find on earth.

A doctor by career, an adventure enthusiast by hobby, traveller by choice and a photographer by passion. He was born in a beautiful place called bhatkal in Karnataka. He is a lively person who loves to see people around him happy.

Rahul Kaushik is a final year student of BCA. Coming from an Air-force background gave him an opportunity to live in various cities and to travel widely. Though he is passionate about nature photography , anything that fascinates him finds itself clicked! His loves to bring dramatic effects in his images , thus making them evocative.

Manaska Mukhopadhyay is currently pursuing post graduation in Geological Sciences from Jadavpur University. Apart from educational side, he has been strongly passionate about photography and intends to take his art to professional level . His favourite genre is Street and Abstract photography.

A passionate photographer from New Delhi and the owner of Harsh Vardhan photography.He has been pursuing photography for more than a year and has covered many events. He is studying engineering.

Kunal Khurana is a businessman by profession, writer by hobby & photographer by choice. A quarter of a century old, he is just beginning to get a foothold in the mesmerizing world of Photography & treats every day like a lesson to be learnt & a memory to be cherished.

Nitin Soni, the Nukkad poet, is an aspiring novelist and amateur photographer who has been published in several national as well as international magazines and anthologies.

Debdeep Das is a fresh engineering graduate. The camera has always fascinated him, ever since he was a child. Although he is an amateur, he is quite passionate about photography. Isn't it interesting that one can freeze a moment on the film; which can be relived later on.