Archive for the ‘Books’ Category
Ponniyin Selvan -An intriguing Epic..
Sometime last week, my wife picked up the online English version of Ponniyin Selvan. She is not as fluent in Tamizh as I am ( well, I can read, write and converse a tad better than her)… But that immediately prompted me to pick up the tamizh version online…
I remember my grandma having a bound version of this book. This novel came as a serial in one of the famous tamizh weekly magazines ( I am not sure if it was Ananda Vikatan or Kalki..).
It is hard not to get immersed in the plot. Kalki is a master story teller and it is a pleasure to be transported to a totally different universe that he has so meticulously crafted. He understands the pulse of the readers and I can imagine the plight of the readers who would have to wait for a week to know “what next”… Every chapter ends with such intrigue that I really do not have any words to describe the thrill and joy that I experienced ( and am currently in Vol 2).
I came across this interesting video from Michael wood who explores the world of the Chozha kingdom, on which Kalki’s novel is based. Once you read the book, it is hard to visualize Tanjore and its surroundings with the same way… I am now eagerly looking forward to visiting the Brahadeeshwara temple in Tanjore …..
Meantime, enjoy this video… Skip to 24:00 mins to trace the rise of the chozha empire and then to around 39:00 minutes for an interesting snippet on Shilpa Shasthra…
Oh, btw, my wife completed 4 volumes but she could’nt find the English translation of the 5th and final volume. She now regrets not being fluent in Tamizh….and she will have to wait till I start narrating the story in Tamizh.. I am still at Volume 2…and I can see she is getting increasingly fidgety… hehehe
