Abhay Kumar Age, Wiki and Bio

Abhay Kumar

Quick Info

ProfessionDiplomat, Poet, Artist, Author
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth01/01/1980
Age46 years
BirthplaceRajgir, Nalanda district, Bihar, India

Bio/Wiki

Pen nameAbhay K
Grace CavalieriPoet and the Poem series at the Library of Congress
DescriptionIndian artist, author, diplomat and poet

Physical Stats & More

Height170 cm
Eye ColorBlack
Hair ColorBald

Educational Qualification(s)

LinkedIn - Abhay Kumar
  • Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography
  • Master of Arts degree in Geography and Population Studies
  • M.Phil
  • Civil Service Foundation Course in Administration
  • First-level Russian language at Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU)
  • U.S. Foreign Policy from Elliot School of International Affairs, George Washington University
  • Nepali language from Tribhuvan University Nepal
  • Diplomacy Module from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, USA
International Writing Program, The University of IowaCertificate in Poetry Writing

Personal Life

Date of Birth1980
BirthplaceRajgir, Nalanda district, Bihar, India
NationalityIndian
HometownNalanda, Bihar

Relationships & More

Marital StatusNot Known

Family

FatherRajendra Singh (school teacher)
MotherDayawanti (homemaker)
SiblingsAjay (works in IT sector)
SpouseNot Known

Career

Books
Non-Fiction
  • River Valley to Silicon Valley (2007)
  • 10 Questions of the Soul (2010)
  • Colours of Soul (2011)
  • Nalanda: How it Changed the World (Penguin Random House 2025)
Poetry Collection
  • Enigmatic Love (2009)
  • Fallen Leaves of Autumn (2010)
  • Remains (2012)
  • The Seduction of Delhi (2014)
  • Stray Poems (2022)
  • Celestial (2023)
  • The Eight-Eyed Lord of Kathmandu (Bloomsbury India, 2018 |The Onslaught Press, UK)
  • The Prophecy of Brasilia (Coletivo Editorial, Brazil, 2018)
  • The Alphabets of Latin America (Bloomsbury India, 2020)
  • La Magie de Madagascar/The Magic of Madagascar (L'Harmattan, Paris, 2021)
  • Monsoon (Sahitya Akademi, India, 2022)
  • Stray Poems (Poetrywala, 2022)
  • Celestial (Mapin 2023)
  • The Alphabets of Africa (Penguin Random House 2026)
Edited Anthologies
  • CAPITALS (Bloomsbury India 2017)
  • The Bloomsbury Anthology of Great Indian Poems
  • The Bloomsbury Book of Great Indian Love Poems (2020)
  • The Book of Bihari Literature (HarperCollins India 2022)
  • 100 Great Indian Poems
Translations
  • Kalidasa's Meghaduta (Bloomsbury India)
  • Kalidasa's Ritusamhara (Bloomsbury India)
  • Tulsidas' Hanuman Chalisa
  • Fool Bahadur (first Magahi novel) into English (Penguin Random House, India 2024)
  • New Brazilian Poems (translated and edited)
Awards, Honours, Achievements
  • 1st Prize by the Amity School of Business, Noida, for the case study Digital Revolution and Business at the 8th Renvoi, an International Management Case Study Competition
  • SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Literary Award 2013 for his contribution to contemporary South Asian poetry
  • Asia-Pacific Excellence Award 2014
  • Kalinga Literary Festival 2020-2021 Poetry Book of the Year Award for the translation of Kalidasa’s Meghaduta and Ritusamhara
  • KLF (Kalinga Literary Festival) Book Award 2022 for The Book of Bihari Literature
  • SAARC Literary Award 2013 for his contribution to contemporary South Asian poetry
  • Nominated for Pushcart Prize 2013
  • Poetry book The Seduction of Delhi shortlisted for Muse India-Satish Verma Young Writer Award 2015
  • Sarojini Naidu Award for Poetry 2026 for lyrical and singable translation of Sri Hanuman Chalisa
  • Bharat Shikhsa Samman 2025
  • Elected as a foreign corresponding member of Brazilian Academy of Letters in 2023
Diplomatic Postings
  • Indian Foreign Service (joined 2003)
  • Third/Second Secretary at Indian Embassy, Moscow, Russia (2005-2010)
  • Acting Consul General of India in Saint Petersburg
  • Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of External Affairs (2010-2012)
  • Spokesperson and First Secretary at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal (2012-2016)
  • Deputy Ambassador to Brazil (2016-2019)
  • India's 21st Ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros (2019-2022)
  • India's Ambassador of Azerbaijan

Favourites

FoodLitti-Chokha, Corncob
MusicianUstad Bismillah Khan
Writer(s)
Indian
  • Ruskin Bond
  • Kalidasa
  • Kabir
  • Rabindranath Tagore
  • Ramdhari Singh Dinkar
  • Munshi Premchand
American
  • Robert Frost
British
  • T.S. Eliot

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Abhay Kumar is an Indian poet-diplomat known for his poems about Chandaryaan-2, Earth, and the planets of the solar system.
2. At the age of two, his family moved to Chhabilapur village in Bihar’s Nalanda district.
3. His grandfather was a wrestler who competed in local championships.
4. In 1998, he represented India at the 19th World Universities Debating Championship in Manila.
5. Before joining the Indian Foreign Service, he taught Geography in Delhi and cleared the UPSC CSE at 22.
6. Abhay secured the 71st rank in the UPSC CSE 2003 for the Indian Foreign Service.
7. After training at LBSNAA and FSI, he worked at the MEA focusing on East and South Africa.
8. He studied Russian in Moscow State University and served in the Indian Embassy in Moscow.
9. From 2007, he handled trade affairs at the Indian Embassy and authored 'River Valley to Silicon Valley.'
10. He served as a diplomat in St. Petersburg and as Under Secretary of Digital Diplomacy in Delhi.
11. He initiated the celebration of Indian Foreign Service Day in 2011.
12. Abhay worked in Nepal, Brazil, and also took on roles as a poet titled ‘World Poet’ by Vijay Seshadri.
13. He composed the ‘Earth Anthem’ sung in 8 languages, including the UN languages, Hindi, and Nepali.
14. His anthems include those for SAARC, Chandrayaan missions, and all solar system planets.
15. The book ‘The Seduction of Delhi’ was a finalist for a writing award in 2015.
16. Abhay has edited various poetry collections and proposed the International Day of Diplomats.
17. He was the youngest Indian ambassador appointed in 2019, serving in Madagascar and Comoros.
18. In 2022, he became Deputy Director General of ICCR for cultural events during India’s G-20 presidency.
19. Abhay translated works by Kalidas and Brazilian poets and had his poem included in Cornell University’s curriculum.
20. His planetary consciousness art has been displayed globally, including at the Library of Congress.
21. He is fluent in multiple languages and his book-length poem ‘Monsoon’ focuses on climate change.
22. His poetry has been a subject of academic research and he maintains his well-being through exercise and meditation.
23. He composed the ‘Earth Anthem’ sung in over 160 languages, including the UN languages, Hindi, and Nepali, and performed by philharmonic orchestras in Brazil and Amsterdam.
24. His poetry has been a subject of academic research and a PhD has been awarded on 'Cultural Construct of Self: A Critical Study of Abhay Kumar's Poetry'.
25. He was invited to record his poems at the Library of Congress in Washington DC in Sept 2018 in the Poet and the Poem series.