Kãlidãsa for the 21st Century Reader · Selected Poetry and Drama

Kãlidãsa (circa fourth century CE) is widely regarded as India’s greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist. Over the centuries, his work was cited, commented upon, and celebrated, and served as a benchmark for poetics and aesthetics in literature. Kãlidãsa’s work also became a source for understanding early Indian sensibilities.

Mani Rao is the author of eight poetry books and a critically acclaimed translation of the Bhagavad Gita as a modern poem. Her poems and essays have been published in a number of international journals and anthologies, and translated into several languages. She has an MFA in creative writing, and is currently a PhD student of Religious Studies at Duke University