Malvika | Dnyaneshwar Kulkarni | Malavikagnimitram Retold as Marathi Novel

Young Kalidas walks into Vidisha. He sees the empty pleasure-garden and the fading picture gallery, and he wonders who once danced in that silent royal hall. Malvika by Dnyaneshwar Kulkarni retells Kalidas's first play, Malavikagnimitram, as a flowing Marathi novel, with illustrations by Chandrashekhar Joshi.

King Agnimitra of the Shunga dynasty falls for Malavika, a graceful dancer in Queen Dharini's household. A jester's tricks, a jealous queen, an Ashoka tree waiting to bloom and a secret about Malavika's birth all play their part. What makes the book special is its frame: it begins with Kalidas himself, imagining the lost splendour of Vidisha before he picks up his pen to write the play. Readers who find Sanskrit drama hard going can enjoy the whole story here in simple Marathi prose.

This is the fourth book in Dnyaneshwar Kulkarni's series retelling Kalidas, after Kashchitkanta, Akashganga and Rituraj. For the original play, see Malavikagnimitram, translated by Alaknanda Inamdar. For the poet's own life, see Kulkarni's Kaviraj.

Book details

• भाषा / Language: मराठी
• प्रकार / Genre: कादंबरी (कालिदासाच्या मालविकाग्निमित्रवर आधारित)
• लेखक / Author: ज्ञानेश्वर कुलकर्णी
• चित्रे / Illustrations: चंद्रशेखर जोशी
• बांधणी / Format: Paperback
• प्रकाशक / Publisher: वरदा प्रकाशन, पुणे

विदिशेच्या राजदरबारातील नर्तिका मालविका आणि सम्राट अग्निमित्र यांची प्रेमकथा — कालिदासाच्या "मालविकाग्निमित्र" नाटकावर बेतलेली ज्ञानेश्वर कुलकर्णी यांची रसाळ, चित्रमय मराठी कादंबरी. संस्कृत नाटक न वाचलेल्या वाचकांनाही कालिदासाच्या कथेचा आनंद देणारे पुस्तक.

मालविका — वारंवार विचारले जाणारे प्रश्न / FAQ

Q: मालविका हे पुस्तक कशावर आधारित आहे? / What is Malvika based on?

A: It is based on Kalidas's first play, Malavikagnimitram, retold as an illustrated Marathi novel by Dnyaneshwar Kulkarni.

Q: मालविका आणि मालविकाग्निमित्रम् यात फरक काय? / How is it different from Malavikagnimitram?

A: Malavikagnimitram is Kalidas's original Sanskrit play, which Varada sells in Alaknanda Inamdar's translation. Malvika is a novel that tells the same story in Marathi prose, framed by Kalidas writing the play.

Q: ज्ञानेश्वर कुलकर्णी यांची इतर पुस्तके कोणती? / What else has Dnyaneshwar Kulkarni written?

A: Kashchitkanta, Akashganga and Rituraj, which are also Kalidas retellings, and Kaviraj, a novel on Kalidas's life.

Q: हे पुस्तक कुठे मिळेल? / Where can I buy it?

A: मालविका हे पुस्तक varadabooks.com वर उपलब्ध आहे. घरपोच डिलिव्हरी मिळते.