Join the Kabir Blogfest

Who is Kabir? What was his philosophy? Why does he continue to hold so much sway over our imaginations? And, most of all, why does he have such contemporary resonance? These are some of the questions that Jaya Madhavan's Kabir the Weaver Poet could answer for the open, curious reader.

You are invited to join the Kabir blogfest. If you have read Kabir the Weaver Poet, you can revisit the book or respond to it on your blog. Or send in your response to us. You can also blog about Kabir, write about how you have been touched by his poetry or the stories around his life or write about how you have responded to him. Do remember to leave a comment with a link to your post below.
Meanwhile, selected individuals and blogs will also respond to Kabir the Weaver Poet in the coming two weeks - the links to other blogs will be posted here. Responses to the book sent in by individuals will also feature on the Tulika blog itself. Jaya Madhavan, author, will field questions and respond to some of the content featured here on her blog. 


This blogfest is in collaboration with the Kabir Project, an artist-in-residence project at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. They have been exploring the contemporary socio-political resonances of the poetry of Kabir, the 15th century mystic and have produced films, music CDs and books of poetry that touch upon concerns around identity, conflict, peace, oral traditions, secularism and more. They collaborate in this blogfest as part of the run-up to Dhai Akhar Prem Ka, the Kabir festival in Mumbai from January 14 to 23, 2011. The festival brings together film screenings, music performances, talks and interactions with schools and colleges across Mumbai. "The Kabir Festival, is envisioned as a festive yet critical immersion in the ideas of Kabir," according to their Facebook page. You can also find them on Twitter. You can read more about the Festival here.

Join the Kabir blogfest. Here's an excerpt from an earlier post to get you started:  "Kabir, the word/name and possibly the person as I have heard/read of him all stand italicized in my mind. Too wisplike for bold and too finespun for an underline...Possibly many childhoods like my own must have felt its tranquil reflective touch when in the confines of a choking syllabi and the rote learning rut...Jaya Madhavan turns Kabir's companions of the loom into characters animated - speaking to the reader, bickering, laughing, conspiring against conspiracies and protecting their friend who seemed to attract trouble by the double." Read the rest of the post here.


Here's to beginning a new year with Kabir.