Published Paper Details:

Borrowed from the legendary episode of Dushyanta-Shakuntala narrated in the Adi parva of Mahabharat, Kalidas, the greatest playwright of Ancient India in the court of Vikramaditya of 5th CE BC, has done the superb dramatisation of that love episode between Dushyanta and Shakuntala in 7 acts which extols him to the rank of a world-class playwright. Deserted by the original parents, Maharshi Viswamitra and Apsara Menaka, Shakuntala grows up under the sanctity of sainthood of Rishi Kanwa in the sylvan beauty of nature. Love at first sight begins when King Dushyanta in his mad pursuit of hunting a male deer encounters an exquisitely pretty lady in the abode of Nature, as a daughter of Green Nature. As a token of love and reminiscence, Dushyanta offers a ring to Shakuntala that acts as a symbol of loss and reunion in the core of the plot. To her rich inheritance of hermitage, Rishi Kanwa instills in her the fundamental religion of sustainability, as a married lady in her husband's house, at the time of her departure from Nature's abode to the domestic confinement in Dushyanta's house. Nature, in this love episode, plays a key role in magnifying the beauty of adolescence and virginity of Shakuntala and equally reciprocates in sharing at her departure from Kanwa's house. Rishi Kanwa in accompanying Shakuntala, takes permission of the trees, herbs, shrubs, animals and birds in Nature whom Shakuntala nurtured as a doting mother. The entire flora and fauna, surrounding Rishi Kanwa's house became silent and sad. This kind of organic involvement, caring and inter-dependence between Shakuntala and Nature percolates a nice ethic of human sustainability at the time of adversity - Nature consoles the bereaved soul. Kalidas's attempt of keeping together Nature and man-woman in the tie of love, not in exploitation, exudes a positive vibe of sustainable development through environmental caring.