Raj Arumugam
The Desert of Man is an ancient story, and its essence can be found in many ancient traditions.
The story begins in a village and centers on Ukresan, a mute, who receives the power of speech and the gift of poetry from the Goddess of Learning, Saraswati.
Vidyapati (as Ukresan becomes known after he receives the gift of poetry) arrives at the city of Pataliputra and teaches his way of wisdom. The guardians of Pataliputra, however, are opposed to any teacher not from the elite core of teachers of the Orthodoxy, and they wait for the right moment to have Vidyapati arrested. Their opportunity arrives when Vidyapati breaks social conventions and they have him arrested and thrown into prison.
Vidyapati is subsequently released, and murdered on his return to his village.
Only three of his poems survive and these are included at the end of this volume.