HAILAKANDI, Dec 10 � Mahakavi Kalidasa, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language was remembered in Silchar on Sunday last. The Kalidasa Sandhya was marked by lectures, recitation and performance of cultural items. Speaking on the occasion, head of the department of Sanskrit in Assam University, Snigdha Das Roy explained the life and writings of Kalidasa. She said that his plays and poetry are primarily based on the Puranas and philosophy.
Kalidasa wrote three plays. Among them, Abhij�anasakuntalam is generally regarded as a masterpiece and it was among the first Sanskrit works to be translated into English, and has since been translated into many languages, she added. She informed that Kalidasa is the author of two epic poems. Raghuvangsa and Kumarasambhava, among his lyrical poems are Meghadoota and Ritusamhara. Kalidasa�s poetry is celebrated for its beautiful imagery and the use of similes, she added. According to her, Kalidasa�s main base of writings was nature and romanticism.
Dr Tripti Paul Choudhury of Assam University�s Bengali department while explaining the writings of Kalidasa, said that he is the legend among all the poets of the globe. Kalidasa�s Abhij�anasakuntalam was one of the first works of Indian literature to become known in Europe and it was first translated to English and then from English to German, where it was received with wonder and fascination by a group of eminent poets, which included Herder and Goethe, Dr. Paul Choudhury added.
Retired professor of Silchar Women�s College, Amarendra Bhattacharjee also spoke on the different aspects of the life and the writings of Mahakavi Kalidasa. Writer Shivani Bhattacharjee said that Kalidasa was not only a poet of nature and beauty but also a poet of romanticism and he had given a positive final shape to all his romantic writings at the end. Biswajit Saha read out a selfcomposed poem and Ranabir Purkayastha recited a poem.
