Join us for the book launch of ‘Kabir Poems in Transformation: A fountain of Creativity’ by Peter Friedlander (Primus Books, Delhi: 2023)!
Join us for the book launch and roundtable discussion of ‘Kabir Poems in Transformation: A fountain of Creativity’ by Associate Professor Peter Friedlander (Primus Books, Delhi: 2023).
This book explores the issues in studying Kabir, such as: who was he, why are his verses important and what were his spiritual practices. It also focuses on the key role that Rabindranath Tagore and others at the start of the twentieth century played in developing images of Kabir to appeal to global audiences and how this has impacted perceptions of Kabir in India and around the world today.
This event will also be a discussion about Kabir (ca. 1400-1518) and why his works are important today. Kabir, is remembered today as a Muslim weaver from Varanasi who taught of the oneness of God in ways which went beyond the boundaries which now separate Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Sant communities in India and around the world. He is revered by diverse audiences, ranging from Dalit Ambedkarite activists, to Western readers of the verses of the American Beat poet Robert Bly. Kabir’s works have now been translated into more than seventy different world languages. However, along with Kabir being considered important by an incredibly wide range of audiences there is an equally wide range of views on why Kabir and his works are significant. This round table will discuss Kabir and cast light on multiple perspectives on why Kabir matters today.
Roundtable Participants: Associate Professor Peter Friedlander, Professor Emerita Kirin Narayan, Dr Christopher Diamond and Associate Professor Chaitanya Sambrani
