This course explores the twin themes of war and love through some of the most influential works of Indian tradition and world civilization in their cultural context: the great epics Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, the philosophical Bhagavadgītā, Kālidāsa’s romantic drama Shakuntalā, the animal fables of Pancatantra, and the adventures of Cilappatikāram (Tale of an Anklet). The works covered in the course were originally composed in Sanskrit or Tamil, but we will read them in English translation and watch clips from films and tv series based on them. No exams, but a group creative mid-term and an individual final project.