Piro and the Gulabdasis : Gender, Sect, and Society in Punjab

This book studies Piro's poetry and autobiographical verses, analyzing her bhakti's imaginary that constructed her autonomous subjectivity. The Gulabdasi sect is examined through her and her guru's writings, commenting on their advaita-inspired heterodox practice that allowed Piro's blossoming. The Gulabdasi presence in Punjab is traced from the nineteenth century to the present. The book looks at the vibrancy of apparently marginal religiosities of gurus and deras, commenting on their remarkable place in people's piety.