• About Us (current)
  • Seminars
    Events Women's International Networking (WIN) Equal Opportunity Initiatives for Women Equal Opportunity Commission for Women Gender Equality
    Overview REPORT - A Creative Consultation on 'Unified Voice for Gender Equality'
  • Publications
    The Quest of a Woman's Soul A Quest For Roots A Quest For Roots - Index Path Breaking Research on Kalidasa
  • Awards
    Dayawati Modi Streeshakti Samman Streeshakti Science Samman Vidushi Vidyottama Stree Shakti Samman
  • SHE Leads
    Overview Media Coverage Gallery Download Brochure
  • Ageing Conference
    A Collection of Good Practices
  • WLC 2025
    About WLC 2025 Speakers Schedule Sponsors & Partners Gallery
  • Media
    News Coverage Gallery
  • Contact (current)

KALIDASA VIDDYOTTAMA

Kamal Kishore Mishra

Who is the author? Kalidas or Viddyottama? A Research Study
Dr. Kamal Kishore Mishra
Asst Professor Dept Of Sanskrit, University of Kolkata



Authorship Revisited: Mahākavi Kālidāsa or Viduṣi Vidyottamā, the Learned Princess of Kāśī?

With utmost humility and reverence, we take this opportunity to present before the esteemed audience of the 19th World Sanskrit Conference in Kathmandu a set of three thought-provoking and research-oriented publications that seek to revisit a profound question concerning Sanskrit literary history:

रचयिता कौन? महाकवि कालिदास या काशी की राजकन्या विदुषी विद्योत्तमा!
सर्जक कौन? कालिदास या विद्योत्तमा — विद्या की राजनगरी काशी का पाण्डित्य
Mahākavi Kālidāsa or Viduṣi Vidyottamā, the Learned Princess of Kāśī? — Authorship Revisited


Foreword: Dr. Karan Singh
Transcription:Shovana Narayan
Support : Rekha Mody
Research and Conceptualization: Dr. Kamal Kishor Mishra
Head, Department of Sanskrit, University of Calcutta



This humble academic offering arises from a sincere attempt to explore an alternative lens on the authorship traditionally attributed to Mahākavi Kālidāsa. With great respect for our classical traditions, the researcher gently raises the possibility that a woman’s voice — subtle yet pervasive — might be discerned throughout the celebrated works.

The emotional depth, psychological insight, and dignified portrayal of women across Kālidāsa’s oeuvre may point toward a distinctly feminine authorship, possibly that of Viduṣi Vidyottamā, the renowned scholar-princess of Kāśī. While we remain deeply reverent of the canonical legacy, this inquiry aspires only to offer a supplementary perspective for thoughtful reflection.

Characters such as Śakuntalā, Ūrvaśī, Mālavikā, Dhāriṇī, Aushīnari, Indumatī, Pārvatī, Sītā, Kauśikī, Rati, and the Yakṣiṇī are presented not merely as figures of poetic imagination but as women of intellect, emotion, and agency. Their inner strength, silent endurance, and graceful resistance speak volumes — often through nuanced expression rather than overt declaration.

The themes of love and longing, separation and reunion, motherhood and widowhood, dignity and resilience, and the quest for poetic justice—so deeply embedded in these works—may indeed resonate with the lived experiences and sensitivities of a refined female intellect.

We feel honoured and grateful to partake in this gentle academic re-exploration. May this endeavour, undertaken with devotion and scholarly sincerity, serve as a respectful tribute to both Mahākavi Kālidāsa and the possible veiled brilliance of Viduṣi Vidyottamā, whose contribution, if indeed present, remains a silent but shining light in the history of Indian literature.

AWARDS

  • Dayawati Modi Streeshakti Samman Awards
  • Streeshakti Science Awards
  • Vidushi Vidyottama Stree Shakti Samman

SEMINARS

  • Women's International Networking - WIN
  • Equal Opportunity Initiatives for Women
  • Seminars on Equal Opportunity Commission

STREESHAKTI - The Parallel Force

Equality, Education, Dignity, Self-Reliance - Good Governance, Accountability

Together with it’s international partners STREESHAKTI takes on an international dimension across cultures, areas of work and public and private sectors.

Streeshakti © 2025. All Rights Reserved. Designed & Developed By: AV Solutions