My grandfather stressed a lot on Tamil culture and history and stated that if I didn't know and understand it, I could throw away all my books into the fire.
The reason he stated for such a statement was:
'What are you going to do after you read other books about lifestyle and culture if you do not know the glory of your own soil?'
This hit me very hard, and I decided to check out the English translation of Parthiban Kanavu by Katha. We also have a humongous edition of Ponniyin Selvan — all five volumes combined — in 570-ish pages.
The only problem is that it is in Tamil. It is no surprise, therefore, that I decided to sit with my mother and read Ponniyin Selvan too, after finishing with Parthiban.
I am so glad that I got around this book. The writing was so captivating that within two days I finished a hundred pages, and within one night, when sleep was a stranger, I finished almost like another hundred.
The basic plot is this:
Parthiban Maharaja is the ruler of a Chola kingdom, which is 'the size of your palm', and he deeply regrets it. He wants his kingdom to expand, out from the clutches of the Pandyas and out into the world, like Karikala Valavan and Nedumudi Killi, 'who ruled the world'.
This dream he projects on to his son, Vikraman, in the hopes of realizing it. This he does, with the mysterious but strong help of a Sivanadiar.
The characters came to life before me, and I was transported to Woriyur, Kanchi and Mamallapuram (which became Mahabalipuram lately) and to Senbag Islands.
But let me offer you some advice: nobody is who they say they are.
I marveled at the love between Ponnan and Valli, while constantly wondering who the mysterious Sivanadiar was; I marveled at Parthiban Maharaja's love for his own nation and the dreams he had; I saw and gaped at how resilient Rani Arul Mozhi (Parthiban's wife) and Vikraman (his son), were.
I also spat at Marappa Bhoopati for his ignorance and betrayal;
I went with Narasimha Chakravarti (the Pandyan king) and his daughter Kundavi Devi to Mamallapuram, and saw the history happen; I observed the strong Father-Daughter bond they shared.
I gaped as a love story unfolded… Which was decent and pleasant, which did not put weight on the story…
Anyway, the whole Chola and Pandya lifestyle unraveled before my eyes. All these characters were stitched together in an intricate plot that nobody, not even a side character was left useless and came together for the climax;
What I felt after reading it was two points. They are:
- 'What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish that the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it.' — Holden Caulfield, Catcher in the Rye.
- I felt that… I wished that it would've been longer — you know — know more about the characters and all.
That is why I've started reading Ponniyin Selvan!
The book I read, Katha Books, was illustrated by Sri — Srisrividhya K — who has done an excellent job in capturing the scenes with his powerful sketches. Mwah!
Full 5-on-5 stars!
Kalki Sir is great!
(Also, if the pictures are not great, forgive me. I scanned the items myself. They're bound to be a bit shabby.)
Source: https://medium.com/@srisivan.k/thoughts-on-parthiban-kanavu-c93f9b94218b
Posted by: jonjonspearowe0268473.blogspot.com
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