The story of Shakuntala as seen through the eyes of the great painter Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma is one of the greatest Indian painters. He has many firsts to his credit, a member of the Royal family of Travancore in modern day Kerala (the current royals are his direct descendants), the first to extensively use oil paintings , the first to make his paintings accessible to the common man by setting up the first lithograph press in India. His greatness transcends these firsts. He was the first to give form to and introduce to the world, the traditional Indian concept of feminine beauty, of proud and confident women draped in the most elegant, form fitting Indian sari and jewelry. He brought to life in his paintings, the great nayika and nayaka, the heroines and heroes in the Indian tradition, epics and literature, in a very human, relatable form. His rendering of the subject and the access through his lithographs meant that since the late nineteenth century, Indians have seen t...