SHAKUNTALA THE WOMEN WRONGED

i am shakuntala and i am not
someone who suffers in silence and sheds tears in isolation. i am like the
snake that opens up its hood and…strikes the fear of life and god… the story
of shakuntala is well known her upbringing in the ashram, her meeting with
dushyant, their marriage and subsequent separation due to a curse and their
final joyous reunion. what is not so well known, however, is that the gentle,
lovelorn shakuntala immortalized by kalidasa is very different from the
original shakuntala of the mahabharata a strong, fiery woman who stood up for
her rights when she was spurned by her beloved. in this thoughtful retelling
of the story of shakuntala, utkarsh patel brings to the fore the original
heroine, the bold and beautiful daughter of menaka and vishwamitra who fights
to get herself and her son the recognition they deserve. she does not
surrender to anyone, not even the king of hastinapur. retold to suit the
modernday context, shakuntala: the woman wronged is a mustread to understand
one of the most powerful yet underrated female characters of the mahabharata.
features a unique retelling of the story of shakuntala that portrays the
heroine in a very different way from the popular story. shakuntala is recast
as a fiery feminist heroine who will not take any injustice silently. the
message of the story is very relevant to today’s times. a compelling
pageturner that will keep the reader hooked.