Ponniyin selvan (Son of ponni)! - It is a Tamil historic novel with the backdrop of chola dynasty. This master piece was written by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Well this is not a review of this book. I am just going to write how I happened to read this novel and what I felt after reading this magnificent piece of Tamil literature.
It was three or four months back, I was crazy on books and had finished reading some brilliant works like Harry potter, Lord of the rings, Fountainhead, Atlas shrugged, Shantaram, crime and punishment, etc…But I had not had a chance to lay my hands on any Tamil novel. It is not because I had not found Tamil novels interesting instead, it was because of the lack of awareness. When I say lack of awareness, I must tell you Tamil is my mother tongue and I have been speaking Tamil ever since I began to articulate. The only language that I could speak without stammering. I am proud to be a tamilan. I had scored great marks in Tamil when I was in school. I admire the language but still it was a shame that I had not understood its beauty and neither did I attempt. I had seen it only as a language but it was not.
My father is a great admirer of Kalki and has all his novels. One fine day while I was cleaning bookshelf, by chance I happened to saw this novel (PS). I dusted it out and began to read it. It took some time for me to get used to the narration because the language is distinctive from the colloquial Tamil I use. Besides that, I had not been reading Tamil on a great deal after I had left school. The book began with the protagonist (Vandiyathevan) set out to the land of Cholas and there I set out to learn the beauty of language, its heritage, culture, history along with the hero Vandiyathevan. The feel was great. I was riding along with the hero. Houses transformed to palaces, cars/buses transformed to bullock/Horse carts, Jeans/churidar transformed to dhotis/saris. Suddenly I was taken to 10th century by some time machine (Thanks of the old Tamil movies otherwise I could not have visualized). I was absorbed.
I began to read day and night because I could not take my mind from it. Even now, I could not come out of the novel and I know it will be lingering in my mind as long I have the sense of remembrance. It took me a week to complete the entire six volumes amidst of my hectic work schedule. After finishing it, what I thought was “how did I miss it so long? Why I had not been aware of the greatness of this novel? “ . Certainly, I know the existence of this novel but not the greatness of it. Since then I have been persuading many of my friends, relatives, colleagues to read the novel .If some English author had written this novel, it would have been in the bestseller list for ages. I am wondering how many such great treasures like Ponniyin selvan, Sivagamiyin sabatham are still unnoticed by our generation.
Ponniyin Selvan is one of the most precious gems in the crown of Tamil literature. It should be treasured and passed on to generations. It is our onus to appreciate and spread its greatness. This book has not been made in to movie yet because of budget constraint. However, Kalaignar TV has taken initiative to make it as a mega serial. “Marmadesam” Naga is directing the serial. Hats off to them. I am hoping that someday it will be made in to a movie too and captivate millions of people. It is awesome even to imagine PS in the lord of the rings style. How it would be to watch in the big screen? "I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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