Book review: Utkarsh Patil's Shakuntala; The Woman Wronged

Of the people who know little about Mahabharat's Shakuntala, most perceive her as a seductive woman dressed in a scant saree and flower jewellery; the lovelorn wife of King Dushyant who was cursed to be forgotten by her husband.

I, as well, had a similar kind of idea, not having read the Mahabharata or Kalidas's dramatised version of Shakuntala's story. It was reading its revised version written by author Utkarsh Patil that portrayed a different picture altogether for me.

In his book Shakuntala: The Woman Wronged, Patil brings forth to his readers a firm-minded, intellectual woman as Shakuntala, who is more than just a pretty face or an urn-bearing seductress. She is someone who has fearless voice, even as a child. She raises questions, debates with learned men, and states opinions even when it comes to the matters of the gods.

Patil's Shakuntala stands in contrast to the other female characters in the story.  With this contrast, the writer draws a picture of the patriarchal reign in the times when gods and kings ruled the earth. Shakuntala stands out to be the only woman who protests, argues and remains humble at the same time.

While it is Shakuntala that the author refers to as "The Woman Wronged" (apparently for the curse that separates her from her husband), I found the other female characters in the story much more wronged and silenced: Meneka, who loses out on the bliss of married life and motherhood because of the ego clash between a god (Indra) and a bigoted husband, or Ahalya, who ends up being the only one to bearing the cross for committing adultery.  

The story of Shakuntala is ages old, has been told many times in many forms. It is the way Patil weaves the story that brings a fresh air to it. In telling the story of a woman who is wronged by a gods and humans alike, Patil has told a different tale altogether: one in which the petty, humanlike egos of the gods have been talked about, the feelings of apsaras discussed, and the injustice towards women openly stated.

Publisher: Rupa Publications

Pages: 296