D J Narain is a music composer, performer, rock band singer, theatre director, publisher, academician & sports management expert. 

Dharmendra Jai Narain, popularly known as DJ Narain is perhaps the only bureaucrat in India to have actually been a real-life rock star as one of the lead singers of one of India’s most loved Pop-Rock group of the 90S and first decade of this century,-  ‘Aryans’. With musical hits like 'Ankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra', 'Yeh Hawa Kehta Hai Kya', 'Dekha Teri Ankhon Ko', 'Hai Dil', and K'ehta Hai Dil Yahi Bar Bar' etc,  he has more than 3.4 crores hits on his songs on YouTube.

Having performed in more than 800 concerts including mega ones like National Games, Cine Awards, MTV/ Channel V concerts, Global Climate Change Summit DSDS -2009 at New Delhi, and student festivals across the country,  DJ Narain has published and released more than 60 songs till date with international and national record labels like PolyGram Records, Universal Records, Times Music, and T series. D J Narain composed the theme song ‘Jeetengay’-for the ‘Melbourne Commonwealth Games- Queens Baton Ceremony 2005 ’. 

At one time DJ Narain & Aryans had recorded the greatest number of albums for any Pop band in India. They have a fan following among youth and young adults and they remain one of the few performers and Pop-Rock bands of India whose songs are given International airplay. 

The Aryans music videos have launched the careers of many popular actors like Shahid Kapur, Harshitta Bhatt, Shyan Munshi, etc. Starting his band at Lucknow University as ‘Dreams’ and then ‘Shankhnaad’ in the late ’80s and performing with them at various campus festivals, D J Narain finally co-founded Aryans in 1998.  He has also provided music for films like Woodstock Villa (Produced by White Feather Films –Sanjay Gupta & Directed by Hansal Mehta) and  ‘One Black Coffee’ (Directed by Sushen Bhatnagar & Produced by Star TV.)

D J Narain has also produced and directed two hugely popular mega theatre productions, Jamunia, which was adapted in 10 languages, and Priya. He has also authored an anthology “ Soldiering On!” on the saga of the Indian Armed Forces.    

Before being handed over the reins of FTII, Pune as its Director, he had held assignments in The Song & Drama Division, Government of India as its Director, Films Division - Government of India as its Director-General. D J Narain has been associated with various film festivals and related events as a member of the jury, as a festival director, or as a special invitee. Some of these include LA-India Connect Short Films Festivals, International Congress of Film Schools –CILECT 2012,  First National Student’s Films Awards & 1st Student’s Films Festival of India, 3rd National Student’s Films Awards & 3rd Student’s Films Festival of India, Sam Speigel Film School Awards, International Congress of Film Schools –CILECT 2015, Pune International Film Festival -PIFF, LBSNNA Mussoorie Literary Festival &  DD Arun Prabha Channel for North East.