I want to share a book that is more than just a favorite to me. Before getting into the book's particulars, let me sneak into a small happening in my life where I was badly longing to read a book written in Tamil and is considered to be the greatest novel ever written in the Tamil language, and its nonetheless, Ponniyin Selvan. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read the book back then, so a small wish of mine turned out to grow a desire in my heart. As the years passed, the wish remained, and expectations on the book flew high. I finally got the chance to read the book in the first lockdown, which is during the year 2020 in May. Even with the over expectations, I could say that the book was far beyond that. I might sound dramatic, but the truth is what I said is. If someone had asked me back then why I wanted to read this book particularly, I would have said something very intellectual like I don’t know. But if the same someone poses a question to me now stating, Why I wanted to speak about this book, then I will give a reply that would fit in paragraphs, and it would also do a good job in being the review of the book.
Before anything, let me say a few lines about the author regarding respect because every book honors its author the same way a child honors their parents. Ponniyin Selvan was the last work of Mr. Krishnamurthy, who is well known for his pen name Kalki. Besides Ponniyin Selvan, the writer is famous for his works Sivagamiyin Sabatham, Parthiban Kanavu, and Alai Osai, for which he received Sahitya Academy Award. Initially, the works of the writer weren’t novels but the stories of a weekly magazine. After completing the series in weekly edition, they were integrated into a novel and were published.
Ponniyin Selvan is a fictional work but is based on the true history of Tamil Nadu. It deals with the saga of the mighty Chola emperors. Still, the book’s ultimate focus was on Arulmozhi Varman, who is entitled Raja Raja Cholan, and his other name is what the title shares, Ponniyin Selvan, which is known to be said as the son of the river, Kaveri (in the Chola period the river Kaveri was named as Ponni).
The story of this novel is set on with one of the protagonists, Vandiyadevan, who is a messenger on the way to the main palace of the kingdom. Then the story would portray the hurdles he faces to deliver his message at the right hands, Hands I say, because it was Olai Chuvadi back then. The hurdles were like; he was pushed to lie, disguise, and also to the prison. And his struggles off course, made me realize that if a king rules a country, it’s not just an energetic emperor that holds the kingdom, but even the smallest of the soldiers must be loyal to the royal blood.
A major element of the book is whose name the book’s title shares is also the protagonist and who makes the entry only during the third volume of this pentalogy series. Well, if someone mentions the name Raja Raja Cholan, we all would remember Thanjavur and the temple there built by him during his reign. But the book is set in the period before his rule. So, we can get that the ruler Raja Raja Cholan is not just the builder of the temple but many more.
Ponniyin Selven is absolutely a saga with the perfect blend of motherhood, vengeance, death, sacrifice, friendship, love, and the author’s creativity in history. More than love, it was shattered the love of many that pulled the reins of the plot. The lost love of many like, Manimegalai, Karikalan, Arulmozhivarman, Sundara Cholan, Nandhini, and Mandhagini, who are superior role-sharers.
So, overall, the basic plot of the five books is how the Chola dynasty takes a spin when the existing ruler is weakened, and the utmost aim of almost all characters is to make the person they desire to take up the throne and rule the state. The well-woven plot, along with the insightful yet sharp-witted words uttered by the characters and the valiant portrayal of women, definitely catches the reader’s heart. Upon all, the root that makes the reader dwell immensely into the book is the element of suspense carried out throughout the book and is revealed only at the last volume.
Even though Ponniyin Selvan shows the readers many facts about our ancestors and throws hilarious comments that ease the tense at the scenario of the tale, one could still find an element missing and might fail to figure out what the element is. It might be that lost love of people was shown completely, whereas the blooming love of many was just dropped in the middle. For instance, it is the love of protagonist Vandiyadevan and Kundavai, Raja Raja Chola’s sister. Their story was not fulfilled; in fact, their love itself was not revealed to many of the characters in the book to whom it must have been revealed.
Except for the sudden completion of the book, I could say it is the best. Ponniyin Selvan possessed a massive foundation of four volumes, but then the last volume was so light. Though the book had five volumes in it, I still hoped it could be continued not just for its abrupt ending but also for its engaging and enthralling plot.
Let me conclude by saying only one point, which is a continuation of my very first point.
“MASTERPIECES ARE MASTERPIECES REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE, AND NO LANGUAGE IS DEPRIVED IN FRONT OF THE OTHER.”
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