Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 21 hours ago
The legacy of the 15th-century Indian mystic poet Kabir travels across borders, weaving songs of awakening, self-knowledge, fierce honesty, devotion, and compassion. Steeped in spiritual and socio-political reverberance, spoken and sung in the colloquial tongue, his words carry even greater resonance around the world today. Celebrated academic and writer Linda Hess, a retired professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, has worked extensively on Kabir’s oral and written traditions. Her books include Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Traditions and Performative Worlds in North India. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Hess explores the deep impact of the mystic poet and the ways his poetry can illuminate the human condition.
Linda Hess is a translator-scholar of North Indian devotional poetry, music, and performance. Her lifelong work has been on the 15th-century Hindi poet Kabir. Her books include Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Traditions and Performative Worlds in North India; Singing Emptiness: Kumar Gandharva Performs the Poetry of Kabir; and The Bijak of Kabir, co-written with Shukdev Singh. She taught in the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University for 21 years, retiring in 2017.
Sanjoy K. Roy, an entrepreneur of the arts, is the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 33 festivals in 42 cities and 17 countries, including the world’s largest literary gathering at the Jaipur Literature Festival and international editions of JLF. He is a founder-trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust, which provides support services for street and working children in the inner city of Delhi, helping over 1,30,000 children benefit from education, training, and residential services. Roy is the co-chair of the Art and Culture Committee of FICCI and former President of Event and Entertainment Management Association. He lectures at and works in collaboration with leading universities worldwide and has been conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa by the University of York, UK, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the arts and society.
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#kabirdas #indianmystic #mysticpoet
The legacy of the 15th-century Indian mystic poet Kabir travels across borders, weaving songs of awakening, self-knowledge, fierce honesty, devotion, and compassion. Steeped in spiritual and socio-political reverberance, spoken and sung in the colloquial tongue, his words carry even greater resonance around the world today. Celebrated academic and writer Linda Hess, a retired professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, has worked extensively on Kabir’s oral and written traditions. Her books include Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Traditions and Performative Worlds in North India. In conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy, Hess explores the deep impact of the mystic poet and the ways his poetry can illuminate the human condition.
Linda Hess is a translator-scholar of North Indian devotional poetry, music, and performance. Her lifelong work has been on the 15th-century Hindi poet Kabir. Her books include Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Traditions and Performative Worlds in North India; Singing Emptiness: Kumar Gandharva Performs the Poetry of Kabir; and The Bijak of Kabir, co-written with Shukdev Singh. She taught in the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University for 21 years, retiring in 2017.
Sanjoy K. Roy, an entrepreneur of the arts, is the Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces over 33 festivals in 42 cities and 17 countries, including the world’s largest literary gathering at the Jaipur Literature Festival and international editions of JLF. He is a founder-trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust, which provides support services for street and working children in the inner city of Delhi, helping over 1,30,000 children benefit from education, training, and residential services. Roy is the co-chair of the Art and Culture Committee of FICCI and former President of Event and Entertainment Management Association. He lectures at and works in collaboration with leading universities worldwide and has been conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa by the University of York, UK, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the arts and society.
Follow us on –
Website - jlflitfest.org
Facebook - facebook.com/JLFInternational
YouTube - youtube.com/@JLFInternational
Instagram - instagram.com/jlfinternational
Twitter - twitter.com/JLFLitfest
#kabirdas #indianmystic #mysticpoet
