Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara, and lessons for millennials from the seasons of nature
Click here to read the story on News9, where it was first published on Jan 26, 2022.
To read Kalidasa feels like a daunting idea as a millennial who doesn’t know Sanskrit or read classical poetry. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to find Abhay K’s translation of Ritusamhara for it reveals the legend for who he truly was — a man deeply in love with nature and the life around him. The poet and playwright, whose fame far outlived his lifetime, was believed to have been blessed by goddess Kali herself because a talent such as his had to be divine. In order to truly grasp this, however, one must read him because after all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is widely believed that he lived around the fifth century and is best-known for his play Shakuntala and poems Meghaduta and Ritusamhara.
Abhay K, a poet-diplomat and currently India’s ambassador to Madagascar, found Kalidasa in bits and parts. He came across him for the first time when he heard about Alkapuri, the mythical city mentioned in Meghaduta. It is believed to be modern day Kathmandu, which is where Abhay K was working until 2016. The next dose of inspiration came in the year of lockdown, i.e., 2020, when he read verses that referenced the cloud messenger poem again. At this point, he dived deep into the world of Kalidasa and how! Since then, he has expertly translated the two poems, both of which were published by Bloomsbury in 2021. The books feature the Sanskrit verses as well as their English translations.
What attracted Abhay K towards Kalidasa most was how significant nature was to the legendary poet. He wrote with knowledge, empathy, and affection about the flora and fauna around him in a way that invites wonder. As the world reels from the threats of climate change and increasing ecological disasters, Abhay K, who has also articulated an appeal for greater climate consciousness in his Earth Anthem, felt the modern world needed to rediscover Kalidasa and set out to translate the poems in a way that they could be easily understood and appreciated by the uninitiated readers.
When Kalidasa wrote about nature, he was also writing about how changing nature impacts the rhythm of love and life. In Ritusamhara, he shows us how our love and life is influenced by various seasons of nature — greeshma (summer), varsha (monsoon), sharad (autumn), hemanta (frost), shishir (winter), and vasanta (spring). And so, when the summer begins, the sun is harsh and Manmatha, the love-god, is in a slumber. The women drink fine wine and listen to melodious tunes but the flowers, trees, and the animals struggle. Antelopes, for instance, mistake a mirage for a pool of water which appears as ‘kohl-like dark clouds’ to them. Birds perch on leafless trees, monkeys hide in caverns, and the buffaloes are confused. Kalidasa drives home the harshness of Indian summers in this verse —
A thirsty cobra lolls out his forked tongue To suck the breeze, his hood shines like a jewel Under the blazing sun, tormented by his own venom, Sweltering heat and thirst, he does not hunt the frogs (1–20)
Kalidasa’s verses show how the flora and fauna around us are intimately connected with our own lives. The poet and playwright, whose fame far outlived his lifetime, was believed to have been blessed by goddess Kali. Kalidasa is best-known for his play Shakuntala and poems Meghaduta and Ritusamhara. Kalidasa wrote with knowledge, empathy, and affection about the flora and fauna around him in a way that invites wonder.
To read Kalidasa feels like a daunting idea as a millennial who doesn’t know Sanskrit or read classical poetry. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to find Abhay K’s translation of Ritusamhara for it reveals the legend for who he truly was — a man deeply in love with nature and the life around him. The poet and playwright, whose fame far outlived his lifetime, was believed to have been blessed by goddess Kali herself because a talent such as his had to be divine. In order to truly grasp this, however, one must read him because after all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is widely believed that he lived around the fifth century and is best-known for his play Shakuntala and poems Meghaduta and Ritusamhara.
Abhay K, a poet-diplomat and currently India’s ambassador to Madagascar, found Kalidasa in bits and parts. He came across him for the first time when he heard about Alkapuri, the mythical city mentioned in Meghaduta. It is believed to be modern day Kathmandu, which is where Abhay K was working until 2016. The next dose of inspiration came in the year of lockdown, i.e., 2020, when he read verses that referenced the cloud messenger poem again. At this point, he dived deep into the world of Kalidasa and how! Since then, he has expertly translated the two poems, both of which were published by Bloomsbury in 2021. The books feature the Sanskrit verses as well as their English translations.
What attracted Abhay K towards Kalidasa most was how significant nature was to the legendary poet. He wrote with knowledge, empathy, and affection about the flora and fauna around him in a way that invites wonder. As the world reels from the threats of climate change and increasing ecological disasters, Abhay K, who has also articulated an appeal for greater climate consciousness in his Earth Anthem, felt the modern world needed to rediscover Kalidasa and set out to translate the poems in a way that they could be easily understood and appreciated by the uninitiated readers.
When Kalidasa wrote about nature, he was also writing about how changing nature impacts the rhythm of love and life. In Ritusamhara, he shows us how our love and life is influenced by various seasons of nature — greeshma (summer), varsha (monsoon), sharad (autumn), hemanta (frost), shishir (winter), and vasanta (spring). And so, when the summer begins, the sun is harsh and Manmatha, the love-god, is in a slumber. The women drink fine wine and listen to melodious tunes but the flowers, trees, and the animals struggle. Antelopes, for instance, mistake a mirage for a pool of water which appears as ‘kohl-like dark clouds’ to them. Birds perch on leafless trees, monkeys hide in caverns, and the buffaloes are confused. Kalidasa drives home the harshness of Indian summers in this verse —
A thirsty cobra lolls out his forked tongue To suck the breeze,
his hood shines like a jewel
Under the blazing sun,
tormented by his own venom,
Sweltering heat and thirst,
he does not hunt the frogs (1–20)
But then come rushing in the rains, like a king with a full ceremonial procession. The clouds thunder like elephants and for lovers, it is the beating drum of their hearts. The peacock who was in anguish before is dancing now. In this season of mating, even women brave rains and thunder for midnight rendezvous. Men thirstily drink the wine from the lips of these women. In autumn, then, everything calms down a bit — nature, animals, and so also, the lovers. Kalidasa captures the glory of autumn and blossoming love in this verse —
Blossomed pink lotus as its face,
Unfolded blue lilies as its eyes,
Fresh white Kasa blossoms as its robe,
May this autumn, with its heart-stealing
Brilliance, bring you utmost delight,
Like your lustful beloved, madly in love with you! (3–26)
As the climate cools down, soon enough it is time for frost. In this season, while the lotuses wither away, the Lodhra flower blossoms all around. In order to help the reader experience Kalidasa fully, Abhay K makes sure to add notes to explain the flora and fauna references. Here, he tells us that the flower is Symplocos which is turned into paste and applied to skin likely to nourish against the dryness of the cold weather. On the other hand, the astuteness of Kalidasa’s observations about nature and women can be seen in this verse —
The cool touch of bracelets on wrists,
Armlets on upper arms, and silk
On round hips and full bosoms,
Is unbearable for the amorous women (4–3)
In any case, winter has arrived now. It is harsh but also time for cosy intimacies. Piercing arrows of moon[light] give no joy nor does sandal paste provide any comfort. It is comforting, however, to keep the windows shut and wear heavier clothes. It is even better when fields come alive as the paddy ripens and women with suppressed smiles survey their bodies following a night of passionate love.
In the final season of spring, both nature and life renew themselves. Trees are abundant with flowers, ponds with lotuses, the breeze with fragrances, women with longings, the days with pleasantness, and evenings with charm. Everything appears more enticing in spring but the men cry inconsolably because it’s time for them to separate from their lovers and leave for work. Of course, the seasons will keep on changing for eternity and with that, nature, lovers, and life will play out the same poetry over and over again.
We can see then, why we must read Kalidasa today and for ages to come: He not only conjures vivid imagery when it comes to emotions of all forms of life around us but simultaneously uses the dualities — the internal and private versus the external and public — to show how flora and fauna around us are intimately connected to our own lives. The vibrant interdependency and duality of Kalidasa’s world is in stark contrast with the carefully curated and hyper-connected online but dissatisfying and isolated personal lives of millennials today. Living in our enclosed spaces, more so in the times of COVID-19, most of us do not have access to nature.
Abhay K’s translation of Ritusamhara is a timely and important reminder for us to question the quality of our lives even as we continue to progress materially. We revel in our modernity today, both ideological and materialistic, but Kalidasa and Abhay K show us that caring for and protecting nature is an eternally modern theme. Both of them bring alive the magic of nature, love, and life, and gently remind us as to what really counts in our fragile and ephemeral existence. It is difficult to say of Kalidasa anything that hasn’t already been said before but much of it can be understood through Abhay K’s translation of Ritusamhara. Millennials need to discover Kalidasa not just for his poetic genius but also to learn why they are instrumental in helping our societies realise the value of nature and love going forward.
