News DeskNEW DELHI — Former Foreign Minister and President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, has arrived in New Delhi to participate in the Words Beyond Borders International Literature Festival.
Running from 25 to 27 October across venues including Raffles University and Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan, the three-day gathering brings together over 75 speakers from more than 30 countries across 34 scheduled sessions. The festival convenes an audience expected to exceed 4,500 readers, artists, diplomats, and literary voices to explore themes spanning culture, identity, and global relations.
Shahid is slated to chair a high-profile panel entitled “Spaces We Call Home: Diaspora & Belonging,” focusing on universal questions of identity, human movement, and exile.
“In a world that is increasingly on the move, what does home really mean? Is it a place on a map, a language, a memory, or the people we carry with us?” Shahid shared ahead of the event, expressing anticipation for a rich dialogue with fellow writers and thinkers.
The festival places special emphasis on poet-diplomats and literary figures from the diplomatic corps. Among those Shahid is expected to engage with is former Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Dr Dnyaneshwar Mulay.
Dr Mulay holds a distinct place in Maldivian literary history as the only Indian envoy to have penned a collection of poetry during his posting in Malé. Written originally in Hindi, his poems were later translated into Dhivehi, bridging a unique cultural channel between the two neighbouring nations.
The gathering also features prominent foreign policy figures and celebrated authors, including former Indian diplomats Talmiz Ahmad and Vikas Swarup—author of Q&A, the novel adapted into the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.
Organised jointly by the Focal Foundation and the Dr. Dnyaneshwar Mulay Foundation, the festival aims to build conversations that transcend formal statecraft to engage with the deeper human dimensions of international affairs.
