Biography
Dhruva Balram is a London-based Indian-Canadian writer, editor and creative producer.
Born and raised in New Delhi, India, Dhruva spent his adolescence in Toronto, Canada.
Since 2012, he has lived in Sydney, Australia; Zanzibar, Tanzania; various parts of India, including Mumbai and New Delhi; before settling down in London in 2018.
Dhruva is a published writer whose work has appeared in various online and print outlets, including The Guardian, NPR, Dazed & Confused, Mixmag, Crack Magazine, NME, Vice, The Quietus and other notable publications. Previously, Dhruva has also been the editor of The Wild City and EachOther. Dhruva has also written liner notes for a variety of releases, including the acclaimed Rupa’s Disco Jazz.
In 2020, Dhruva released Chalo, a 28-track charity compilation featuring ethnically South Asian musicians which raised £6000 in a few months. It was listed as one of The Guardian's Top 10 Albums of 2020. Six months later, Dhruva co-founded Dialled In.
Dialled In hosts an annual cultural festival in Walthamstow, London, with a mission to build long-term, self-sustainable spaces to ensure that South Asian creativity isn't pigeonholed. Since its inception in 2021, Dialled In has hosted four one-day festivals, programmed a classical concert at the Union Chapel, a stage at Printworks, a V&A late and the inaugural Boiler Room Pakistan, as well as produced an artistic residency in Nepal which brought together South Asian creatives from around the world. Dialled In is also the recipient of the coveted NPO [National Portfolio Organisation] award from Arts Council England.
Previously, Dhruva has been a lecturer, broadcaster and panellist with appearances as wide-ranging as the V&A, BBC1, NTS and Sky news. He has also lectured at Goldsmiths on anti-Blackness in the South Asian community.
Alongside this, Dhruva is also a freelance creative consultant in music, covering artist strategy, creative direction, media training, cultural curation and biographies. He has worked with a wide variety of artists from Kali Uchis and Pa Salieu to Nabihah Iqbal and Jitwam.
A full list of his achievements can be found here.
writing or consultancy enquiries: hello@dhruvabalram.com
anything dialled in related: dhruva@dialled-in.com