Ascetic of Desire: A Novel

The Ascetic of Desire is a work of fiction on the sage Vatsyayana, the author of Kamasutra. Sudhir Kakar is the author of this novel and this is his debut novel. It was published in 2000 by Penguin India and is available in paperback.The Ascetic of Desire attempts to discover the origins of desire. The story unfolds through the eyes of a fictional student of Vatsyayana. The author's depiction of Vatsyayana is noteworthy for many reasons. He has reconstructed the life and times of Vatsyayana in an impeccable manner using psychoanalytic techniques, imagination and an unpretentious writing style. It delves deep into sexual experiences and ideas. The compelling narrative makes it an enjoyable and thoughtful read.The Ascetic of Desire revolves around the life of Vatsyayana. It depicts the various stages of life of this famous sage and sometimes the novel appears to be biographical in nature. The main characters of the story are Vatsyayana, his courtesan aunt, his wife and his student who is the biographer. With the help of these characters the author explains the various aspects of sexuality of men and women.The author points out that the sage evolves into a man who devotes his life to writing about sex, but fails to save his marriage. The author depicts an age of India's ancient history which is aptly referred to as the golden age. It showcases the flamboyant lifestyle of the Indian courtesans of the fourth century AD who were much-celebrated for their beauty.It is evident from this novel that the ancient Indian society was a much more liberal society as far as sex was concerned. The position of women in society, especially prostitutes has been clearly enunciated. The Ascetic of Desire is a passionate tale of sexual philosophy and it offers fascinating insights and entertaining details on the subject.