Women 5 -
raja Ravi Varma's Painting Of
vivacious Shakuntala
Rating: ★5.0
When the beautiful and charming Shakuntala
Who lived with her foster father Sage Kanva,
In a forest dwelling in a humble thatched hut,
Surrounded by nature's foliage of trees and flowers,
Suddenly, most unexpectedly, in the forest,
She meets the handsome Prince Dushyanta, on a hunt in the forest,
Here even history recalls - that the time stood still with abated breath!
It was a meeting willed by nature's destiny,
When two pairs of romantic eyes met with
Such breathless enchantment,
A powerful play of sense and senses,
With ardent curiosity,
And a revolution of mind,
Beyond reason and logic!
It was love at first sight, without any doubt,
Shakuntala and Dushyanta, could not take their eyes off each other,
As their youthful minds embraced and plunged,
Into the depth of deepest desires and attraction.
As her friends pulled her away from the startling encounter,
The vivacious Shankuntala, had to look back at her secret sweet heart - once more!
With the pretensions of a thorn in her dainty foot!
A mythological love story,
From the fascinating Mahabharata,
Immortalised by Kalidasa in his 'Abhijnana-Shakuntalam'
Retold again, with a splash of bright colours,
Revived as a visual delight by the vibrant painter,
Raja Ravi Varma continues to be a household name in Kerala,
Revered and honoured for his captivating artistic expressions.
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Topic(s) of this poem: art,love and art,mythology
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
This poem is based on the famed Painting of' ‘Shakuntala' in my Series on ‘ Women' of Raja Ravi Varma Paintings. A story from the epic of Mahabharata, Shakuntala was born of Sage Vishwamitra and the celestial beauty Menaka. She was brought up by her foster father Sage Kanva in a forest. The story of Shakuntala and her interesting meeting with Prince Dushyanta, their intense love, followed by a series of emotional events and finally, a happy ending with marriage of the lovers. Shakuntala attains greater glory as the mother of the valiant and powerful son- Bharata - the famed emperor of ancient India, then, known by the name of Bharata. The great Poet Kalidasa immortalised Shakuntala with his marvellous play in Sanskrit entitled - "Abhijnanashakuntalam". The picture showcased here is the copy of Raja Ravi Varma's painting Raja Ravi Varma (29 April 1848 -2nd October 1906) is a celebrated Indian Artist. He remains my favourite artiste amongst Indian Painters both from the ancient and modern era. His portrait of women and art of Kerala are outstanding and have been applauded by the whole world. I conclude this short series on this great painter and the women of India, during this week of celebration of womanhood.