Top 7 Famous Poets From Modern Indian Literature In 2025
May 15, 2025, 22:13 IST
Indian poetry flourishes in 2025 with voices that cry out courageously related to identity, society, gender, and culture. These seven poets are the vanguard of contemporary Indian literature, combining heritage and novelty.
1. Akhil Katyal
Akhil Katyal is a queer poet, translator, and an academic, widely regarded for his poetics of lyrical-political voice. His works, like books, include The Last Time I Saw You and Like Blood on the Bitten Tongue. He was a co-editor of The World That Belongs to Us, an anthology of South Asian queer poetry.
2. Aranya Johar
Aranya Johar is a spoken word artist based in Mumbai, and her viral poem “A Brown Girl’s Guide to Gender” drew worldwide attention. Her poetry is based on feminism, mental health, and youth topics, frequently collaborating on the platforms of films and music.
3. Jacinta Kerketta
Jacinta Kerketta is a poet and journalist who belongs to the Adivasi community of Jharkhand. Her poetry, published in Hindi and widely translated, is focused on the cause of indigenous rights, environmental justice, and the lives of the oppressed people.
4. Mamta Sagar
Mamta Sagar is a Kannada poet, academic, and activist. The themes of her poems are feminism, identity, and resistance. She has been accorded an international award (World Literary Prize 2024).
5. Karthika Naïr
It is Karthika Naïr’s narrative poetry and remythologising that has gained her attention. Her book Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata tells the Indian epic from voices that are usually ignored with the fusion of poetry, storytelling, and dance.
6. Arundhathi Subramaniam
Arundhathi Subramanian writes on spirituality, love, and identity. When God is a Traveller, her book won the Sahitya Akademi Award. She has also put together anthologies showcasing women’s poetic voices in India.
7. Megha Rao
Megha Rao is a performance poet and podcaster from Kerala. Her poems have earned her a loyal following through her debut poetry collection, Teething, and her podcast, Poems To Calm Down. Her work frequently deals with personal trauma, youth, and healing.
Conclusion
These poets fill modern Indian literature with life through the various themes, languages, and forms. On a page or stage, they continue to influence India’s pen in 2025, marrying individual experiences to common sentiments.
