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SAKUNTALA:
TEXTS, READINGS, HISTORIES
Romila Thapar
Rs 225 Pb 2000
81-86706-34-8 |
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The
ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata,
is the origin of the story of the young woman, Sakuntala.
In the epic, Sakuntala is an assertive, autonomous
woman. More than 3000 years later, in about the
fourth century AD, the Sanskrit playwright Kalidasa
drew upon the narrative of the Mahabharata;
but in his play, Sakuntala is a submissive, pliant
woman.
Romila Thapar traces the history of the Sakuntala
narrative in an attempt to understand variant versions,
and their interface with the cultural norms of different
historical periods. She shows how the delineation
of the past is often a reconstruction, drawing on
the needs of the present. Culture, history, literature
and gender mix in Thapar’s interesting cauldron.
This is a fascinating account, of special interest
to Indologists. To European scholars interested
in ancient Indian history, this book is compulsory
reading. A translation will make this rare variety
of scholarship available more widely to Indologists
in Europe.
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ROMILA
THAPAR
has specialised
in early Indian history and has written extensively
on aspects of the past. Among her works are
Asoka and the
Decline of the Maurya's, Ancient India, History
andBeyond and
Cultural Pasts, Essays in Early Indian History.
She has been a Visiting Professor at universities
in Asia, Europe and the USA. She is currently
Professor Emeritus at the Jawaharlal Nehru
University, New Delhi. |
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| “This
book is a frontrunner for the prize of the
best book on Indian history to be published
in the Nineties.” |
--The
Telegraph |
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