Aalok Shrivastav is an eminent poet who has significantly contributed to Indian poetry with his exceptional craft. From presenting a Sufiyana idea in just one couplet to giving a new lens to complex familial relationships, Aalok has brought many readers a different kind of joy with his work. Dr Namvar Singh, the paradigm of criticism of our time, called him ‘the light of Dushyant Kumar’s tradition’. Gulzar comments on his ghazals that Aalok has surprised him in many places. ‘When one listens to his simple words, one doesn’t realise that there is such deep movement beneath the surface.’ About the poet Alok Srivastava is a renowned poet, film lyricist and TV journalist. His book, Ameen (a collection of poems) is one of the best seller books in Hindi. Aalok’s works have been translated into Gujarati, Marathi and Punjabi as well as Russian languages. He is the only young ghazalist whose compositions have been given voice by almost every big singer in the film industry including ghazal singers Jagjit Singh and Pankaj Udhas, classical singers Ustad Rashid Khan and Shubha Mudgal. Aalok’s works read by megastar Amitabh Bachchan and actor Ashutosh Ashutosh Rana often go viral on social media. The simple Hindi translation of Shiv Tandav Stotra by Aalok also went viral, when it was recited by Ashutosh Rana. Aalok also collaborated with noted sitarist Anoushka Shankar in the album Traveller, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2012. Recently, Aalok has also written songs for the film Atkan Chatkan produced by music composer AR Rahman and the film Vodka Diaries. Awarded with the honour of MP Sahitya Akademi in the year 2007, Aalok is the youngest poet to receive the International Pushkin Award from Moscow, Russia. He has also been awarded the International Poetry Prize in Washington DC and has been honoured by Katha UK in the House of Commons, the Parliament of Britain.