According to Publishers Weekly, Deepak Chopra has received a six-figure advance from Virgin Books to rewrite Vatsyayana’s Kama Sutra. An article in yesterday’s HindustanTimes has a bit more detail:
The deal has been described as bringing together two of India’s well-known and established brands. The book might be called Deepak Chopra’s Kama Sutra: Timeless Erotica for the Virgin Mind…
Originally the (Kama Sutra) served purely as erotic literature for kings and queens, said Chopra. But he believes that there is a great connection between sexuality and spirituality. He wants to explore that and take the carnal experience to new heights of spiritual ecstasy. Link
And here’s Guruphiliac’s take on it:
As much as we find Chopra a pabulum factory for Hollywood’s seeker set, he’s sidled right on up to the next hottness in spirituality: freedom from sexual guilt and Victorian-era moral repression.
While we’re sure Chopra will palpify it in no time, it’s still a signficant development in the alternative spiritual scene. But just because Chopra is Indian doesn’t mean he’s a master of doing it. It’s too bad Virgin didn’t have the vision to hire someone with more affinity for the subject matter. We imagine rock star Tommy Lee and a bevy of beautiful Sanskrit scholars locked in a hotel room for a week could take the centuries-old text to a whole new level of the erotic. Link