New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) Bestselling author Sarbpreet Singh’s new book, ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’, is a fictionalised retelling of the life of Punjab’s 16th century mystic and sufi poet Shah Hussain and his passionate love for a Hindu boy Madho.
Told in the voices of Hussain and his bulbul, Maqbool, the story of the master of the ‘kafi’ form of poetry and Madho is touted to be among the most celebrated examples of same-sex love in pre-modern India.
It is published by HarperCollins India.
Born to a low caste Muslim weaver family, Hussain, who was a malamati — a Sufi who actively debased himself, choosing a lifestyle that would earn him rejection and abuse, as a means of conquering his ego — lived during the ruling periods of Mughal emperors Akbar and his son Jahangir.
Hussain’s life took a turn when he came across a Brahmin Hindu boy, Madhu Laal, riding a horse from Shahdara, across the river Ravi. He followed the boy back to his town, overwhelmed by the feeling of love and enchantment.
“Lal Hussain is smitten the moment he lays eyes on Madho, and this sets in motion a saga of passionate love, heartbreak, scandal, mystical experience and, ultimately, spiritual triumph, as Lal Hussain becomes Shah Hussain, the king of faqirs,” read the book’s description.
Over time, the very identities of Hussain and Madho merged, and today the great Sufi is known as ‘Madho Lal Hussain’. They lie in the same mausoleum outside Lahore, which is the site of the annual Mela Chiragan during which thousands gather to revel in song, dance and worship.
“‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ is among the most moving and beautiful novels about the wonders and mysteries of love and faith that you will read,” said the publishers in a statement.
The book is endorsed by noted historians Rana Safvi and Manu S Pillai.
While Safvi called ‘The Sufi’s Nightingale’ a beautiful retelling of the famous 16th-century Sufi pir-mureed known by their composite name, ‘Madho Lal Hussain’; Pillai described the book as a “historical fiction at its best”.
“Steering clear of the loud and theatrical, Singh quietly immerses us in the period, till, by the end, one can almost feel the Sufi’s breath through the pages,” said Pillai, author of “The Ivory Throne” and “Rebel Sultans”, in his praise of the book.
Singh’s previously authored books include “The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia”, “The Night of the Restless Spirits: Stories of 1984” and “The Story of the Sikhs: 1469-1708”. PTI MG SHD SHD
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.