Devgiri Bilawal: Nayikaparva

by Rangnath Tiwari, Gopal Tiwari (Editor)

Vedas are well known to be an ocean of ancient Indian knowledge and music is one of the most important aspects they covered. Vedic music was supposed to be original Indian music which was meant to be sung in the praise of the almighty and its manifestation in nature. Music was one of the most important means to communicate with nature. No wonder a musician made it rain at his will or lit up lamps in the darkness or turned lions as obedient as any other animal by sheer application of the knowledge he had. Yes, music was not an art but knowledge. Medieval Islamic invasions in the India forced this treasure to get vanished in the pages of history. An attempt to steal this treasure left a mixed breed of Irani and Vedic music to the future generations to recognize it as Indian or Hindustani Classical Music. Devgiri Bilawal is a series of two books based on Yadav-Khilji fights in the thirteenth century where two cultures stood still in front of each other. Gopal Nayak - the last master of Vedic music and Princess Devalde of Gujarat play a crucial role amidst political tussles between Sultan Khilji and Ramdevaraya Yadav. The cultural exchange between the two religious faiths and their followers is accompanied with unfolding the glimpses of this lost musical treasure. A journey of music, love, lust, politics, wars, victories and defeats in the backdrop of pure human instincts in this series is awe inspiring. The ruling ethics of Khiljis and the brutality of their attacks are as remarkable as the shrewd and cunning political moves by his beloved commander in chief Malik Kafoor. The clashes between Khilji's queens and his sons make the situations more complex. On this backdrop, the river flow of Gopal Nayak's journey has two trusted banks - music and philosophy. It is interesting to read how amidst such circumstances he manages to prove the superiority of his culture and yet succeeds in keeping certain part of it secret from the invaders. This classical Marathi Periodic Novel Devgiri Bilawal is a period drama that depicts the forgotten pages of Indian history. Nayak Parva (Era of Nayak) is the tale of Gopal Nayak - a disciple of Vedic music who chose to discover for next generations, only a limited part of the knowledge of music he had. The circumstances he faced portray the pride of a true seeker breaking the egos of the mighty rulers like Alauddin Khilji and eminent artists in Khilji's court including Amir Khusro as easily as one can breathe. Nayak Parva is a tribute to this forgotten gem of Indian music. Nayika Parva (Era of Nayikas - the heroines) is the tale of great ladies from the palaces of Devgiri, Gujrat and Delhi who played an important role in turning the tides of Indian politics in an irrevocable manner. Queens of Alauddin Khilji viz. Begum Maahru, Kamalde, Chhitaai Begum and his daughter in law Devalde have been in and around Delhi Sultanate's decision making diaspora in some key events that shaped cultural history of India. Nayika Parva is the journey of their love, desires, betrayals and revenges. Nayika Parva is the epitome of Indian politics played by the ladies who seldom appeared on the foregrounds of historic records.

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2020