Draft:DJ Narain
Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
|  |
Submission declined on 27 September 2026 by Helpful Raccoon (talk). This draft appears to contain text generated by a large language model (such as ChatGPT). You cannot use LLMs to generate, draft, or rewrite article content.
Declined by Helpful Raccoon 6 days ago.Please delete the portions which were LLM-generated, and summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. If you have used an LLM but you believe that your use is covered by one of the two exceptions (basic copyediting and translation between two languages in which you are fully fluent), please provide a transcript of the prompt(s) you used while writing your draft (see the how-to guide). Reviewers can make mistakes. If you have not received any LLM assistance, you may seek a second opinion at the AfC Help Desk. See the advice page on large language models for more information. | |
Submission declined on 25 September 2026 by Thilsebatti (talk). This draft's references do not show that the person meets Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion for people. The draft requires multiple published secondary sources that:
Declined by Thilsebatti 8 days ago.
| |
Comment: Please remove all LLM-generated text; ideally you should start over by removing all text from the draft (without removing any review templates). We do not necessarily expect you to write perfect or polished English. If you need general advice or formatting help, see Help:Your first article and Help:Referencing for beginners. Note that merely rewording the existing LLM-generated text is unlikely to resolve the problem of LLM usage. Helpful Raccoon (talk) 00:31, 27 September 2026 (UTC)
DJ Narain | |
|---|---|
| Origin | India |
| Genres |
|
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
Dharmendra Jai Narain, professionally known as DJ Narain, is an Indian musician, singer, composer and former civil servant. He is known for being the lead singer and composer of the Indian pop-rock band Aryans. Media reports and coverage mentions DJ Narain as the band's lead, as the group became popular in the late 90 and 2000s belting out popular songs including Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra, Yeh Hawa Kehti Hai Kya and Dekha Hai Teri Aankhon Ko.[1][2]
As a matter of fact, he has been a civil servant with Government of India. Alongside his music career, Narain had a career in the Indian Information Service for long and served as director of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from 2011 to 2015.[3][4] His final months as director coincided with the 2015 FTII student strike over appointments to the institute's governing bodies.[5]
After taking voluntary retirement from government service, Narain returned to releasing music as a solo artist in 2022.[6]
Early life and music
[edit]Narain studied at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.[7][3]
He was involved with music before the formation of Aryans and was associated with the Lucknow student music scene. A retrospective article in The Times of India identified Dharmendra Jai Narain as a member of the band Dreams in 1988 who later became DJ Narain of Aryans.[8]
Narain subsequently became associated with Aryans while also pursuing a professional career as a Civil servant outside music. A 2003 profile of the group described him as a former IIT Kanpur student then working with the Directorate of Film Festivals in New Delhi.[7]
Music career
[edit]Aryans
[edit]Aryans emerged as part of India's independent-pop scene around the turn of the century. Narain was one of the principal members of the group and was described in contemporary coverage as its frontman.[1]
The group produced songs including Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra, Yeh Hawa Kehti Hai Kya and Dekha Hai Teri Aankhon Ko.[2] The music video for Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra featured Shahid Kapoor before his emergence as a Hindi film actor.[2]
Narain continued to pursue music while working in government. In 2003, The Times of India profiled Aryans during a performance at IIT Kanpur and discussed Narain's connection with the institute and his simultaneous professional career.[7]
In 2004, the newspaper described Narain as the lead of Aryans while reporting on the band's music and planned international performances.[1]
Aryans later contributed the song Kyun to the Hindi film Woodstock Villa in 2008.
Solo return
[edit]After a lengthy break from releasing music and following his voluntary retirement from government service, Narain returned as a solo artist in 2022.[6]
His single Tera Naam was released by Times Music. Narain wrote, composed and sang the song.[2]
Civil service career
[edit]Before joining the civil services, Narain worked with the advertising agency Pathfinders Lintas. He subsequently joined the Indian Information Service as part of its 1990 batch.[3]
His association with FTII began in 1993, when he undertook a film and television production course at the institute as part of his Indian Information Service training.[3]
During his government career, Narain served as the spokesperson for the Southern Command, Ministry of Defence in 1997–98 and later taught mass communication at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication.[3]
Film and Television Institute of India
[edit]Narain took charge as director of the Film and Television Institute of India in July 2011, succeeding Pankaj Rag.[3]
He was initially appointed for a three-year term and subsequently received a one-year extension.[9]
2015 FTII strike
[edit]The final months of Narain's tenure coincided with a major dispute at FTII following the appointment of actor Gajendra Chauhan as chairman of the institute's governing council and the appointment of other members of the FTII Society. Students began an indefinite strike in June 2015 opposing the appointments.[4]
Narain, as director, became involved in efforts to manage the dispute. As the strike continued into its second month, he issued a formal notice directing students to resume academic activities and warning that continued defiance could result in disciplinary action, including rustication.[5]
The students rejected the warning and continued their protest, publicly criticising the administration's response.[10]
The relationship between Narain and the protesting students was more complex than the confrontation over the notice. Shortly before his tenure ended, students had expressed support for extending his term, saying that his four years at the institute gave him an understanding of their concerns and that he had acted as a channel of communication between them and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.[11]
Narain's tenure ended in July 2015. Prashant Pathrabe, then director of the Press Information Bureau in Pune and a former director of the National Film Archive of India, was given additional charge as FTII director.[4]
The change took place while the student strike was continuing. The Economic Times reported about the controversies around the dispute.[12]
Theatre and writing
[edit]Narain has also worked in theatre. He co-scripted and directed Jamunia, a Hindi theatrical production centred on the experiences of a woman in rural India.[3]
He was also associated with Soldiering On, a publication documenting a century of the Indian armed forces.[3]
Selected discography
[edit]With Aryans
[edit]- Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra
- Yeh Hawa Kehti Hai Kya
- Dekha Hai Teri Aankhon Ko
- Hai Dil
Film music
[edit]- Woodstock Villa – "Kyun" (2008)
Solo
[edit]- Tera Naam (2022)
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Awasthi, Pramod (11 May 2004). "Aryans: Bald and the dutiful!". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Tera Naam: Aryans' DJ Narain makes a grand comeback with soulful number". Hindustan Times. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Birajdar, Laxmi (19 July 2011). "D J Narain takes charge as director of FTII". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Ex-NFAI director Prashant Pathrabe appointed as director of FTII Pune". The Indian Express. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 Mishra, Garima (16 July 2015). "FTII director draws hard line to students: End strike or face rustication". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 Saxena, Deep (1 May 2022). "DJ Narain is back, to shoot a song in hometown Lucknow". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Awasthi, Pramod (4 November 2003). "Aryans: Striking the right notes". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ Tewari, Mohita (11 September 2016). "Bands which had a bond with LU". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ Nair, Ardhra (8 July 2015). "FTII director to be picked in July 13 meet". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ "Now, FTII director comes under criticism for rustication threat". The Indian Express. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ Mishra, Garima (15 July 2015). "FTII students hope D J Narain gets another extension". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
- ↑ Venugopal, Vasudha (17 July 2015). "Government decides to change FTII director, Prashant Pathrabe to replace DJ Narain". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
External links
[edit]Category:Indian male singers Category:Indian pop singers Category:Indian male composers Category:Indian civil servants Category:IIT Kanpur alumni Category:Living people
Please delete the portions which were LLM-generated, and summarize in your own words a range of independent, reliable, published sources that discuss the subject. If you have used an LLM but you believe that your use is covered by one of the two exceptions (basic copyediting and translation between two languages in which you are fully fluent), please provide a transcript of the prompt(s) you used while writing your draft (see the how-to guide). Reviewers can make mistakes. If you have not received any LLM assistance, you may seek a second opinion at the AfC Help Desk.
See the advice page on large language models for more information.