A Tale of Wonder: Kathakautukam

A biblical story travels across regions and time-ultimately reaching medieval India where it is transformed by Shaivite overtones. The result is an exquisite epic love poem of love which also attests to the rich diversity of India's cultural past.In an unnamed kingdom in the West the beautiful princess Zuleikha has nightly visions of a handsome young man. So captivated is she by this beautiful stranger that her waking hours are afflicted with heartache much to the anxiety of her father. Zuleikha is resolved to be with Yusuf and it is in her dreams that she learns of the obstacles that separate her from her beloved. What ensues is a captivating tale of longing and love-a parable of the journey of the soul in its search for the divine.Magnificent in its simple elegance A Tale of Wonder is a timeless story that challenges the insidious notion that India has always been dominated by one faith only and insular to other cultural and religious influences. Review An important text . . . A worthy addition to Haskar's lengthy list of translations and a tribute to Penguin Books's desire to make non-western literature available to English-speaking readers.SCROLL.INA modern-day reckoner for many questions that haunt contemporary civilisation.NEW INDIAN EXPRESSA Sanskrit poem which speaks of longing for the divine . . . The potency of Zuleikha's emotions and longing are blindingly obvious yet poignant and evocative as she pursues Yusuf over both distance and time.FIRSTPOST About the Author ADITYA NARAYAN DHAIRYASHEEL HAKSAR is a well-known translator of Sanskrit classics. A long-time career diplomat he served as the Indian high commissioner in Kenya and the Seychelles minister in the United States and ambassador in Portugal and Yugoslavia. His translations from the Sanskrit includeHitopadesaSimhasanaDvatrimsikaSubhashitavaliKama SutraThe Courtesan's KeeperThe Seduction of ShivaSuleiman CharitraRaghuvamsam andThree Hundred Verses all published in Penguin Classics.