Part 46 of The Poetry Pulse’s 100-part journey through Indian poetry. Janabai, the Marathi poet-saint associated with the Varkari devotional tradition, brings the world of domestic labour into poetry. Her songs imagine devotion not as something separate from ordinary responsibilities, but as a presence that can enter sweeping, grinding, cleaning and caring. Her voice also challenges the assumptio…
Part 33 of The Poetry Pulse’s 100-part journey through Indian poetry. Namdev, an important poet-saint in the Marathi and North Indian devotional traditions, is remembered for songs that bring the divine close to everyday life. His legacy crosses linguistic and regional boundaries, showing how devotional poetry travels through singing communities, translation and shared practice. The sacred near a…
Part 22 of The Poetry Pulse’s 100-part journey through India’s poetic heritage. Tukaram, the seventeenth-century Marathi saint-poet, is remembered for abhangs: devotional songs that speak in a direct, intimate voice. His poetry belongs to the Varkari tradition associated with devotion to Vithoba of Pandharpur. Rather than presenting spirituality as a privilege reserved for learned elites, Tukaram…
