Business News | The Inaugural Darjeeling Arts and Literature Festival (DALF) Scores Big Ahead Of Its Mega Launch This November

VMPL

New Delhi [India], October 19: Darjeeling is set to witness an unprecedented gathering of authors, filmmakers, actors, publishers and creators this November, as the first ever Darjeeling Arts and Literature Festival (DALF) brings more than 80 leading voices featuring bestselling authors, award winning literary agents, top publishing houses and award winning filmmakers to Chowrasta from November 14 to 20 across 50+ sessions and conversations, 10+ film screenings and filmmaker interactions, and participation from more than 20 schools and educational institutions across the hills.

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At the centre of the initiative is Founder & Festival Director, Sujit Kumar Singh, a St. Joseph’s School alumnus, who returned to Darjeeling after spending more than two decades in Mumbai working across radio, television, cinema and publishing including the Curtain Raiser for the 51st Filmfare Awards and Rang De Basanti: Salaam, which brought Aamir Khan to television as a presenter for the first time apart from directing music videos for Grammy-winning musicians Ricky Kej and Ustad Zakir Hussain.

“The festival has been conceived not as simply another literary gathering, but as a platform designed to connect the region’s young talent with the wider creative industry.”

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One of the key initiatives at DALF will be its story and manuscript pitch sessions, where emerging writers from the region will have an opportunity to present their ideas and manuscripts directly to leading publishers and literary agencies like Penguin India, Rupa Publications, Bloomsbury, Om Books International and The Book Bakers Literary Agency respectively.

For Sikkim-born bestselling author, Pankaj Giri, “This is precisely what makes the festival significant.”

The festival’s literary programme is being supported by one of India’s leading literary agencies, the award winning - The Book Bakers Literary Agency, whose CEO and Co-founder, Suhail Mathur is enthusiastic his collaboration with DALF.

“Collaborating with the Darjeeling Arts and Literature Festival is an exceptionally proud moment for The Book Bakers Literary Agency, especially since festival director Sujit is also a TBB author. As a literary agency, it is always our endeavour to not only unearth new talent but also promote existing ones, and DALF is a wonderful embodiment of that vision,” Mathur says.

Cinema will form another major component of the seven-day festival and it already has top Bollywood filmmakers excited. Filmmaker and bestselling author Soham Shah, whose filmography includes Kaal and Luck, says, “For me, DALF is extremely special as I celebrate the release of my new book, ONE, alongside the screening of my film, Kartam Bhugtam.”

 Fresh from the success of his web series, Ali Baba Aur 40 Bhoot, acclaimed Horror author, Neil D’Silva, feels the fest scores big on its locational advantage and adds that “Darjeeling is the perfect locale that sets our creative registers ringing.”

DALF will extend beyond books and cinema, with career guidance and mentorship programmes for young people, storytelling sessions for children, a healthcare camp running alongside the main festival and a gaming zone for children and adults.

For bestselling author, Abhirup Dhar, whose book Ghost Hunter - Gaurav Tiwari was recently adapted into the web series Bhay, the festival is “a homecoming, having spent ten years growing up in the Darjeeling hills.”

The festival is also intended to create opportunities for emerging talent to interact directly with established names from the creative industries.

Deepthi Talwar, Executive Editor at Penguin India, adds, “I’m looking forward to be a part of an event designed to give regional Himalayan narratives and the local reading culture a wider exposure. Every new platform adds to our literary ecosystem, and I’m glad to see DALF take this step.”

Bestselling & multiple award winning author, Rrashima Swaarup Verma, echoes the sentiment. “DALF looks like an amazing melting pot where local and new age authors can confidently rub shoulders and exchange thoughts with noted and bestselling authors,” she says.

The festival has already attracted humungous interest in the city with brands and organizations like Explurger, Lemon Tree, MARG, Zone By The Park, Career2Life, Himalay Darpan, SNS Infotech, Golden Tips and Manipal Hospitals (Siliguri & Rangapani) amongst several others associating with the festival for literary as well as socio-cultural activities.

For Singh, whose debut novel, The Hostage, has already attracted interest for screen adaptations, DALF is perhaps the more personal story—one that began with a novel, was interrupted by a medical crisis, and ultimately became an attempt to give Darjeeling’s next generation the opportunities he wished he had had himself. 

The Darjeeling Arts and Literature Festival 2026 will be held from November 14 to 20 at Chowrasta, Darjeeling.

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