This three-day festival represents a significant addition to India’s literary festival landscape, bringing together voices across literature, culture and arts on a carefully curated platform designed to foster meaningful dialogue and intellectual exchange.
The festival is founded by Deepika Jindal, a prominent businesswoman, philanthropist; and Creative Director and Managing Director of JSL Lifestyle Limited (JSLL). Deepika Jindal has established herself as a leader in multiple spheres, from transforming the stainless steel and lifestyle industry through her iconic brand Arttd’inox to her substantial contributions to education and healthcare philanthropy. As the chairperson of VDJS, she has demonstrated, deep commitment to educational excellence and institutional development.
The festival is being directed by Amitabh Singh Baghel, an accomplished literary curator and passionate advocate for poetry. Amitabh has built an impressive track record in the literary world, establishing multiple distinguished platforms for literary exchange. He is the founder of the Nainital Literature Festival (April 2025), which earned acclaim from prestigious publications including Condé Nast Traveller, The Week, The Print etc., for its thoughtful curation, intergenerational dialogue and multilingual spirit. He also founded the Koshala Literature Festival and built it from inception. Amitabh is the founder, curator and presenter of the Aaghaz Poetry Movement, which brings Urdu poetry to audiences across India and the world.
The festival’s tagline —“Crucible of Conversations” signals its ambitious curatorial intent. A crucible, traditionally a vessel where metals are melted and refined to create new forms, metaphorically represents this festival as a space where diverse literary voices, cultural perspectives and artistic traditions meet, interact and generate new insights. The emphasis on “conversations” underscores the festival’s commitment to dialogue driven programming, fostering exchange between speakers and audiences and creating intergenerational and cross-cultural literary dialogue.
The festival shall be held at Vidya Devi Jindal School, a premier residential institution located in Hisar, Haryana, approximately 150 kilometers from New Delhi. The school’s comprehensive infrastructure including a large auditorium, multiple performance and gathering spaces, provides an ideal setting for a multi-track literary festival designed to accommodate diverse programming formats ranging from author conversations and panel discussions to poetry recitations, workshops and cultural performances.
Reflecting a commitment to accessibility and public engagement, the festival is offering free registration for attendees, removing financial barriers to participation and democratizing access to literary and cultural programming.
The festival sessions would be held from 09:30 AM to 7:00 PM across three days, providing extended hours for attendees to engage with diverse sessions throughout each
The Jindal Literature Festival emerges as a significant new entrant into India’s established literary festival circuit. Given Amitabh Singh Baghel’s track record with the Nainital Literature Festival, which garnered substantial media recognition and critical acclaim within months of its inaugural edition, the Jindal Literature Festival is positioned to become a noteworthy platform for literary and cultural exchange. The festival’s emphasis on multilingual programming, poetry across traditions and cross-cultural artistic dialogue aligns with contemporary trends in India’s literary landscape towards greater linguistic inclusivity and inter-disciplinary engagement.
The Jindal Literature Festival represents a thoughtfully conceived platform where literary curation meets philanthropic vision, where conversations become crucibles for new ideas, and where literature, culture, and arts intersect to create meaningful public discourse.
Deepika Jindal, Creative Head and Managing Director of JSL Lifestyle Ltd. and founder of Arttd’inox, is a visionary entrepreneur who transformed stainless steel into a lifestyle and design statement. Married into the Jindal family at a young age, she combined her artistic sensibility with business acumen to build a ₹450 crore brand with a pan-India presence, winning global design awards like EDIDA and Red Dot. Beyond business, she serves as Chairperson of leading schools, medical institutions, and the Jindal Stainless Foundation, driving initiatives in education, healthcare, skill development, and women empowerment. A believer in spirituality and aesthetics, she champions the idea of blending art with industry while fostering confidence and growth, especially for women.
He is the founder, curator and presenter of the Aaghaz Poetry Movement, bringing Urdu and Hindustani poetry to audiences across India and the world. A strong advocate of presenting Urdu poetry in Devanagari, he endeavours to give it a wider reach among new readers and audiences.
His book Zindagi Se Darte Ho (Rajkamal Prakashan, 2025) stands as a milestone in South Asian publishing; it is the first collection of Noon Meem Rashid’s nazms in Devanagari, and the first new edition of his work in nearly fifty years.
He is currently building the inaugural Jindal Literature Festival in Hisar, Haryana, from its very inception as its Festival Director. Conceived as a platform that will bring together voices from literature, history, arts and public life, the festival seeks to create a vibrant cultural landmark for the region and contribute to the wider discourse on ideas and imagination in India.
An alumnus of The Lawrence School, Sanawar, Naina Dhillon is the Principal of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar, one of India’s most distinguished girls’ boarding schools. With over 16 years of experience in premier institutions, she is celebrated for her vision, dynamism and commitment to nurturing environments where young people can grow with intellectual curiosity and creative confidence. Over the course of her career, she has held significant leadership roles at The Lawrence School, Sanawar; Yadavindra Public School, Patiala; Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior; and Ecole Globale International Girls’ School, Dehradun.
Naina is an Advisor to the Jindal Literature Festival. In this role, she brings her insight, creativity and leadership to shaping the festival’s cultural and intellectual ethos.
Administrator with leadership roles in institutions and a lifelong student of ideas, Nikhil Rudra is an alumnus of Sherwood College, Nainital. He holds an MBA in Educational Administration, has served in senior administrative and operational capacities across India’s leading public schools. Nikhil is distinguished for his stewardship of finance, systems and institutional excellence. As the Administrator of Vidya Devi Jindal School, Hisar, his leadership brings clarity to complexity, strengthening structures, streamlining processes, and nurturing an ethos where discipline and growth advance together. Beyond his professional commitments, he turns to History, spiritual readings, and biographies, particularly those exploring the hidden lives of criminals and intelligence operatives. A passionate sportsman, he is admired for the strength of his principles and the humility that defines both his life and his leadership
