Abhijnana Sakuntalam Webinar

Critics and general readers agree that Abhijnana Shakuntalam is the best drama of Mahakavi Kalidasa. He has exhibited his dramatic genius and poetic art in all its glory in Shakuntalam. Descriptions of nature, birds, animals and even bees are picturesque. Characterisation of not only the hero and the heroine, but minor characters also is intensely attractive because of an interplay of their emotions and situations.

This is a story of an innocent hermit girl Shakuntala and King Dushyanta. This occurs in the Mahabharata, Padma Purana and Jataka stories. However, the dramatic turns and twists innovatively introduced by Kalidasa take this simple story to an exceptionally wonderful literary masterpiece.

Webinar Highlights

• Introduction of the drama with its sources and innovations by Kalidasa

• The seven acts of the drama will be discussed in the light of theories of literary criticism like Rasa, Dhvani, Alankara.

• Etymology, word by word meaning and translations of the verses with various interpretations

• Students, general readers and researchers would benefit from these talks.

Facilitator: Prof. Gauri Mahulikar

Time and Schedule

Dates: Commences Sunday 18 February 2024

Approx 30+ sessions 

Live Session: Every Sunday 9.30 to 10:30 AM IST

Relay (repeat) Session: Every Sunday 4:30 to 5:30 PM IST

Recordings will be available to the students in their dashboard every Wednesday.

Q&A Session could be arranged after the completion of each act of the drama if a good number of participants wants it.

Webinar Eligibility

• Any individual, of any age, desirous to learn Sanskrit Sahitya and know more about the Sanskrit poets can join this camp. Though the drama is in Sanskrit, lectures will be in English. Therefore basic knowledge of English is necessary.

• Availability of a computer with audio-video internet conferencing facility etc. is mandatory.

Reference Texts

1. The Abhijnanasakuntalam of Kalidasa, Ed M.R.Kale, MLBD, 1994

2. Abhijnana-Sakuntala of Kalidasa Ed R.D.Karmarkar, Chaukhamba, 2013

3. The Abhijnanasakuntalam of Kalidasa, Ed A.B.Gajendragadkar

4. The Abhijnanasakuntalam of Kalidasa, Varada Books, Pune 2012 (Marathi)

5. The Abhijnanasakuntalam of Kalidasa, Ashok Kaushik (Hindi Translation)

6. Complete works of Kalidasa, C.R.Devadhar

About the Facilitator

Prof. Gauri Mahulikar is the Academic Director at CIF. Dr. Mahulikar was the Gurudev Tagore Chair of Comparative Literature Professor, former Head of Department of Sanskrit at the Mumbai University and the former Dean of Faculty at Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth. She holds a Doctorate in Sanskrit on ‘Vedic Elements in Puranic Mantras and Rituals’. An author, who has published 8 books and over 100 research articles in English, Marathi, Hindi and Sanskrit, Dr. Mahulikar has mentored several doctoral students; eighteen of whom have successfully earned their doctorates. She was instrumental in launching courses in Manuscriptology, Bhakti Literature and Mysticism in the Sanskrit Department and has coordinated a UGC funded project on ‘Digital Preservation of Palm Leaf Manuscripts’ (2010-2015).

Dr. Mahulikar was awarded the Maneckji Limji Gold Medal for her dissertation on ‘Ancient Greek Dramas and Bharata’s Natyasastra’ from Mumbai University. Some of the many awards that Dr. Mahulikar has been awarded are the ‘Ramakrishna Award’ by the Canadian Education Foundation, Ontario, for the propagation of Sanskrit (2003); Guru Gaurav Puraskar by Kalasadan, Mumbai (2011); Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit Sadhana Puraskar by Maharashtra State Government (2013); Adi Sankaracarya Puraskar awarded by H.H. Sri Jayendra Saraswati Mahaswamigal, the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (2014); Savitribal Phule Puraskar by Mumbai University (2015); and the Indira Behere Puraskar by Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune (2015). Dr. Mahulikar was recently awarded the Adi Shankara Fellowship by the Government of Madhya Pradesh to work on the biography and mathamnaya tradition of Adi Shankaracharya.

Contact Details

For further information or clarification:

Contact: +91 92077 11517 | +91 90806 49810

Email: onlinewebinars@chinfo.org