Kalidasa: Selected Poetry and Drama

Mani Rao's Kalidasa brings together a range of poetry and drama by the greatest poet and dramatist of Sanskrit literature and revitalizes them for the modern reader. Through her remarkable translations, Mani evokes in all its richness the vibrant montage of life in ancient India that Kalidasa depicted in his works: one replete with kings-queens-jesters-sages and abounding in romantic intrigues and promises, misunderstandings and betrayals; where humanity and nature intertwine, and characters negotiate their freedom within the framework of duty and destiny. She weaves into the renditions textual interludes for clarity, restores the names of personas otherwise denoted by their roles in the plays, and uses contemporary language to help the reader relate to the characters and contexts, while faithfully capturing the lyrical beauty in the texts in all its charm and intricacy. In doing so, she refreshes the tradition of Kalidasa's translations, and invites one and all to savour these absolute literary delights. In the end, as we enter the world of Kalidasa, his world too enters ours.