Sakuntala as an epitome of a 'modern woman', a 'single mother', Re reading of Kalidasa’s Abhijnanasakuntalam

If we trace women's journey in Indian literature from the classical to this contemporary time frame, we find a great transition has happened in their position of belonging. Nowadays, all these transformations are very quickly visible and definable as it has explicitly changed their outer form. The prevalent notion of categorising the different gender with specific roles and comments has been somehow marginalised in this postmodern and digital worldview. The preconceived notion of specifying women with nature and men with culture has come under a critical perspective. Ecocritics have shown how this interlinking is now an essential issue of debate in the contemporary world. Whenever we compare the present with the past, our instinct always claims the present as superior and developed in its state. Do we not say it as a stereotypical mindset? This natural or free-flowing instinct prevents us from caving in to the superior side and timelessness of the past.

By resisting this instinct here, I want to read Kalidas's famous text, 'Abhijnana Sakuntalam', from a newer perspective. It is very well known that many critics have done many great works and given their valuable comments on this iconic text. Many feminists have raised many questions regarding Sakuntala's (female protagonist) plight and criticised the male-dominated world. By keeping all these traditions in mind, I want to explore this text regarding Kalidas’s feminist endeavours. Shakuntala's journey to her husband's home is easily accepted as a woman's journey to her laws. However, if we give a deeper insight, we can perceive and also feel that the journey is not only literal; rather, it is metaphorical. The journey is not only restricted to a physical and sensual movement but also depicts a topographical, philosophical movement. The journey symbolises a journey from nature to culture, which again implies the journey of movement of women to the more incredible world. It is a kind of challenge towards patriarchal domination. It also hints towards a reverse journey by challenging the prescribed form of patriarchy. Patriarchy matched women with nature and men with culture. Women are always synonymous with nature. We also tend to compare Sakuntala as an epitome of nature.

Dushyanta's rejection of Sakuntala as her wife makes us think of it as a rejection of a woman’s prerogative to enter into culture, which is traditionally believed to be male territory. So, this text depicts how Sakuntala moves from nature to culture instead of culture to nature. Thus, it very acutely hints that it is breaking the stereotypicality. In this twenty-first century, many women's positions rest under the domain of culture; that is why marking the difference in terms of their position and journey is somehow problematic. This essay makes a case for Kalidasa as a proto-feminist who had already discussed the concept of 'new women' long before its existence in the nineteenth century. We may also read Sakuntala as an epitome of a single mother through her rearing of her child in an isolated forest. Her lonely life amid the forest with her child also makes us think, is it the punishment for her ambitious approaches towards life? 

Or she has to perform this struggle to get the position in culture? In our great epic Ramayana, we find how Sita has to also rear her twin sons in sage Valmiki's hermitage. Mallika Sengupta, in her Sitayan (1996), has developed the story of Ramayana from Sita's perspective. She has discussed the conflict and struggle of being a single mother. Though the husband's role differs regarding Sita and Sakuntala, both are being questioned about their sexuality and identity. Both of these fierce women have shown their skill and talent. Though they were in a state of single parenthood, their sons showed they could ideally socialise in the world. Thus, women have challenged the preconceived notion of patriarchy from the classical era.   

In the modern world, we glorify the role of women by coining many new terms such as 'single mother', 'new women', and 'modern-day women', but we neglect the tradition. So, we may say that Kalidasa's seminal text also explores a deconstructive reading in terms of feminism and ecocritical study, where he has raised many prevalent issues in the veil of the love story.