Shabnam Virmani initiated the Kabir Project journeys in 2002 and has since been exploring the philosophy of Kabir and other mystic and Sufi poets through a deep engagement with their oral folk music traditions. Her inspiration and joy in this poetry and its wisdom has taken the shape of awardwinning films, books, urban festivals, rural yatras, a digital archive called Ajab Shahar, and a school programme called Shabad Shaala. She also sings and performs the songs of Kabir widely herself. Shabnam’s work is enabled by the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, where she is an artist-in-residence.
<p>Kabir is believed to have been a weaver who lived in Varanasi sometime during the fifteenth century. Beyond these facts, very little is known about him.</p><p>Yet, irrespective of his true historical identity, Kabir is first and foremost a Bhakti poet, whose dohas and poems questioned social paradigms and created a multiplicity of radical thoughts that have resonated through the ages, challenging and empowering millions.</p><p>Burn Down Your House is a compilation of Kabir’s timeless mystical poetry drawn from various sources—both oral and textual—interspersed with legends and anecdotes from the poet’s life, and an analysis of his beliefs.</p><p>Each chapter is a journey into a Kabirian thought or ‘provocation’—the impermanence of life, the spiritual power of surrender, the liberation one feels from shedding the ego, the transformative ability of love and compassion, the shackles of custom and dogma—that urges readers to challenge societal divides and social norms and inspires them to look within.</p><p>An endeavour that has taken over two decades and spanned multiple states in India, Shabnam Virmani’s book is a testament to Kabir’s enduring influence, offering a unique perspective into acting in the present, finding the meaning of life, and breaking down mind-forged barriers. It’s an essential read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human spirit and the shifting world we live in.</p><div><br></div>
