Disclaimer : – This is not a review for the novel “Ponniyin Selvan”
One cannot believe that this historic novel was written in the 1950s when google and wikipedia were not a part of this world for searching information. I am still amazed at the author’s ability to collect all the information,collate them and deliver in the form of a novel. If he were alive today, everyone would have asked him the same question – How did you manage to collect all the historic information and from where did you get all the data required to write this novel?
I began reading this novel in May and managed to complete it in about two months. I cannot help but mention that I had the most memorable two months of my life when I was reading this novel.No other book in this world can entertain and engage a person to such a great extent as this one does.
The following were my facebook statuses for quite some time.
Love,Friendship,Betrayal,Hatred,Revenge,Power,Sacrifice-
A perfect blend of all the above traits in a single package with twists and turns so intricately woven that you just can’t put it aside after embarking on the journey which commences from Kanchipuram and goes all the way to SriLanka.Hats off to Kalki for pulling off such a historic thriller in an era when google and wikipedia were not a part of this universe.Thank you “PONNIYIN SELVAN” for those amazing moments which lasted for 2 months.
“PONNIYIN SELVAN” – according to me is a time machine which takes you to a period a thousand years back from the present and enlightens us with the rich cultural heritage and lifestyle that prevailed over Southern India during the historic Chola regime.You might have hated the big history books during your school days, but you would definitely start developing a liking for History after reading this novel.
As I have mentioned above, I had a typical hatred towards History during my school days. Once I finished reading this novel, I felt a lump in my throat for the hatred I had towards History earlier. This novel was the motivation behind my trip to Badami,Aihole and Pattadakkal.
As is evident from the first page, the central character of the story seems to be Vanthiyathevan. But I felt that a huge amount of importance has been given to Nandhini who happens to be the daughter of VeeraPandiyan. VeeraPandiyan is killed by AdhithaKarikalan,the elder brother of RajaRajaChola who then takes the center stage from the middle of the story.
Kalki has kept the plot simple. Nandhini wants to take revenge on the Cholas to avenge her father’s death and she has a group to support her achieve that. Whether she succeeds in hitting the target forms the rest of the story and it has been presented in the form of a thriller with numerous twists and turns.
As I have mentioned above, the novel acts as a time machine and literally takes the reader to the past. It gives the reader the privilege of traveling along with all the characters in the story while encountering all the historical places which are being mentioned in the book.
This is one of the must read books by anyone who is game for a thriller ride through the history.
Super. This is in my must read list along with Crime and Punishment,Idiot from Doestovsky!!
Ya Kiran, It is definitely a must read one. You ll definitely enjoy the ride. I must also try to get my hands on the books you have mentioned above
It’s definitely worth trying. You ll enjoy it.