Since blogging is the latest trend around, like all others even I started a blog about more than a year ago. With just 2 posts, that too the time between the two was long, I had to relocate to another country. With a toddler and a little girl it was quite a task to get settled in the new place. While in India, the parenting task was bit easier as they kids were taken care either by domestic help or when out to play by some friendly neighbours. But here with them around me for the first 4 months, with my elder one not starting school till then there was no time absolutely to think about blogging. Now with me settling down in the new place for more than 10 months, Iam again finding some time to pen down my thoughts on random things .
Today when i thought to write a new post i was thinking of an apt subject to start with. So i thought let me share the memories of probably my most favorite book i have ever read - Ponniyin Selvan. If you are already into tamil fiction this book needs no introduction. For those who are yet to get an idea about this book let me take the pleasure of telling about this novel experience. Ponniyin Selvan was a novel written by the tamil author Kalki.Krishnamurthy.This book has 5 volumes and narrates the story of the Chola Dynasty in the 10th and 11th century. The novel revolves around Arulmozhivarman (Raja Raja Cholan) and the name Ponniyin Selvan refers to him as the Son of Ponni. Ponni is another name of river Cauvery.
I first read this book probably at the age of 13 or 14. Its when my patti (grandmother) literally forced me to read the book. She was not really happy about me reading nancy drews and hardy boys. So she was hellbent in making me read tamil fiction too. So during one of my holidays she handed me a bound book which was a bound out of the pages she had managed to collect from the weekly kalki for almost 2 years i think. My patti had 3 or 4 copies of bound ponniyin selvan since the first time it was published as a thodar novel or a continuing novel in the weekly kalki.
The first time i read it i got so much absorbed into it that i finished the five volumes before my holidays were over. People who have already read this book would accept with me that it makes us live with the characters that we literally worry about Vanthiyadevan when he gets into trouble,we will be happy when Arulmozhivarman reciprocates Vanathi's love for him or hate Nandini . Each character is chiselled so well that is etched in our memory forever.
Though each of us have our own favorites, my favorite character in the novel is that of Kundavai, the Chola princess and sister of Rajarajacholan. I literally imagined myself as Kundavai when i read this book since her character inspired me so much. Then comes Arulmozhivarman,on whom I had a secret crush as a teenager. For very long, I literally beleived Rajarajacholan to be exactly the way Arulmozhi was described in the novel. So i would never see other movies or read novels which describe him as otherwise for very long. :-)
I dont know how many people in the future would get the pleasure of reading this great work of fiction. For me and my cousins we had our grandparents who recommended us such great books. Its really a boon to have been through the journey of Ponniyin Selvan . This book indeed take us to a different world and we literally live with the Cholas of 11th century. I hope many people in the future try to read this novel and have the same memorable experience as me.
Today when i thought to write a new post i was thinking of an apt subject to start with. So i thought let me share the memories of probably my most favorite book i have ever read - Ponniyin Selvan. If you are already into tamil fiction this book needs no introduction. For those who are yet to get an idea about this book let me take the pleasure of telling about this novel experience. Ponniyin Selvan was a novel written by the tamil author Kalki.Krishnamurthy.This book has 5 volumes and narrates the story of the Chola Dynasty in the 10th and 11th century. The novel revolves around Arulmozhivarman (Raja Raja Cholan) and the name Ponniyin Selvan refers to him as the Son of Ponni. Ponni is another name of river Cauvery.
The first time i read it i got so much absorbed into it that i finished the five volumes before my holidays were over. People who have already read this book would accept with me that it makes us live with the characters that we literally worry about Vanthiyadevan when he gets into trouble,we will be happy when Arulmozhivarman reciprocates Vanathi's love for him or hate Nandini . Each character is chiselled so well that is etched in our memory forever.
I dont know how many people in the future would get the pleasure of reading this great work of fiction. For me and my cousins we had our grandparents who recommended us such great books. Its really a boon to have been through the journey of Ponniyin Selvan . This book indeed take us to a different world and we literally live with the Cholas of 11th century. I hope many people in the future try to read this novel and have the same memorable experience as me.
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