Purushottam Agrawal Libros

More than five hundred years after the Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi wrote his epic poem Padmavat, the story of Padmavati, princess of Simhal and her lover and husband, Ratansen, the king of Chittor, continues to capture the imagination of readers everywhere. In Padmavat, we meet Padmavati’s friend, philosopher and guide—Hiraman—a parrot, as well as Nagmati—Ratansen’s first wife and the brave Rajput warriors, Gora and Badal. This tale of two women and their husband who are tormented by Alauddin Khalji is a lyrical retelling of the story of Rajasthani bards, using idioms and metaphors from both the world of Islam and the Hindu Puranas. With Purushottam Agrawal’s deeply insightful commentary and Devdutt Pattanaik’s incredible illustrations, Jayasi’s epic love story is brought to life like never before and finally seen and appreciated for what it is a remarkable ode to love, beauty and truth.

A FASCINATING AND RIGOROUS EXAMINATION OF KABIR’S LIFE AND POETRY AND HIS RELEVANCE TODAY, FOR BOTH THE SCHOLAR AND GENERAL READER As the right wing tries to claim Kabir for itself, while other conservatives disown him and yet others portray him as a secular idol beyond religion, the poet has never been so misunderstood. Coming from the Nirgun bhakti tradition, the words of this fifteenth-century poet have the power to reach beyond time and speak to us today. Was he a Hindu or Muslim or was he beyond religion? Did he try to cultivate a new faith or did he eschew organised religion altogether? Was his modernity an exception or a reflection of the times he lived in? What does Kabir’s life and poetry tell us about this nation’s past and present? In this rare appraisal of Kabir’s writings and his life, Purushottam Agarwal approaches this timeless poet-revolutionary with little preconceptions, presenting him the way the poet wanted to be seen, rather than what his followers and fans want to see in him.