When Words Outlive Time: Dinesh Raheja’s Poetry Collection to Be Launched in Pune

Pune, 19th August 2026: Words have a remarkable way of travelling across generations. A poem written in one moment can find a home in another heart, years later, because emotions such as love, longing, hope and loss remain timeless. Celebrating this enduring power of poetry, Pune will host the launch of ‘Adhoori Khwahishon Ne… Unfulfilled Desires’, a bilingual collection of Hindi and English poems by noted author Dinesh Raheja, on August 22.

The book will be launched at 3.30 pm at Monalisa Kalagram, Koregaon Park, under Authors’ Adda, a literary initiative by Pune-based KavitaKAFE and Monalisa Kalagram.

Raheja, the author of six well-received books on cinema and poetry, brings together in this collection the many shades of human emotion and the desires that often remain unfulfilled. The Foreword to the book has been penned by internationally acclaimed actor Victor Banerjee.

Adding to the evening will be acclaimed actors Shishir Sharma, known for films such as Raazi, and Jayati Bhatia, known for The Vagina Monologues. The actors will read poems from the collection and engage with readers in a conversation around the themes explored in the book.

Shishir Sharma, who has admired Raheja’s poetry, says, “I will never refuse a poem written by Dinesh Raheja. He writes so well and with so much honesty.”

For Raheja, poetry is also deeply personal. Speaking about the inspiration behind his work, he says, “My wife Anita is my backbone and the inspiration for my happy poems.”

Lisa Pingale, Founder of Monalisa Kalagram, said, “We are extremely happy to host this poetry reading and discussion event. This is our second event under the Authors’ Adda initiative. Through this initiative, we hope to create a space where literature is not merely read, but experienced and shared.”

The evening promises to bring together poetry, performance and conversation, offering Pune’s literary community an opportunity to experience Raheja’s words through the voices of two accomplished actors.