Former JNU prof delivers lecture on Kabir at Punjabi University

Tribune News Service

Patiala, November 21

The Department of English at Punjabi University organised its annual BR Rao memorial lecture today at the Seminar Hall, Shri Guru Granth Sahib Bhawan.

Professor Purushottam Agrawal, former chairperson at the Centre of Indian Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, was the guest speaker for the day.

The Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Prof Arvind, along with Dr Jyoti Puri, Chairperson, Department of English, formally welcomed the guest speaker. They also introduced the topic of the lecture to the students.

Agrawal major focus of the lecture was Kabir’s place in Akbar’s court through Dadu Dayal. He began his lecture by introducing Dadu Dayal through Jana Gopal’s earliest biography of Dadu, titled Dadu Amar Leela. Prof Agrawal quoted Gopal and said Dadu was seen as a contemporary incarnation of Kabir.

Prof Agrawal talked about how hagiography introduced the early modern poets, such as Kabir and Pipa, to the audience.

The professor also talked about Kabir’s idea of spirituality beyond religion. Referring to the term ‘vivek’ and its significance in the Indian tradition, he talked about the distinction between knowledge and wisdom in the European philosophical tradition. Prof Agrawal appreciated the centrality of vernacular languages in the works of poets like Kabir, Guru Nanak, the first master of the Sikh faith and Tulsi Das.

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