YAYATI

Yayati is the story of the lust of a king by the same name, who appears in the Mahabharata, one of the two epics of India. Though married to beautiful Devyani, he found the female servant, Sharmishtha, enticing. He had five children from these women but his desire for pleasure remained unsatisfied. Did his quest for the carnal end with his exchanging his old age with his son’s youth? How long did he enjoy the sensual pleasures? Yayati stands for one who is never satisfied with earthly pleasures. Though the story of the ancient times centers only around dissolute desires of an individual, one can draw parallel examples from the present days of consumerism where the insatiability to have more pleasures continues. Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar (1900-1900) was a prolific writer. Winner of the coveted Jnanpeetha Award which may be compared to being the Noble Prize for Literature in India, Khandekar made his mark in Marathi literature through his novels, short stories, essays, critiques. He played an important role in Marathi filmdom through his screenplays dialogues, and lyrics. He had won many accolades in his long literary career.