Kalki's Ponniyan Selvan translated by Sumeetha Manikandan....the gripping novel of 5 volumes and more than 2000 pages...a month long mesmerizing reading, best utilization of holiday season, last night I finally completed reading this populous novel.
My interest in the story started since the PS1 release and at the right time, Editor Divya Balaji posted about this English Translation from Sumeetha published by Giri Traders.
As a writer, I couldn't stop admiring the herculean task of translation by Sumeetha. Writing for your self is much easier than daunting task of translating a well-known novel and right, yet simple language, without diverting a single line is not easy. Kudos to Author Sumeetha and her team who worked hard behind this. They literally nailed it to the core.
Coming to the story of PS, the author very cleverly leaves the story with lot of open ended questions and suspense. The success of this story is in the weaving of innumerable characters and making each one of them important
Nextly, not giving it an ending that of popular opinion, Kalki n Rajendran very beautifully ends the story with readers wanting to read more. Not just 2 series of movies, but more than a dozen of them can be made from this magnificent book.
A facto-fictional story allows the author to pick important pieces of history and weave his imagination and bring in fictional characters that can dominate the story. Classical example is Nandhini.
Taking you through a journey and enhancing anecdotes of the dynasties that ruled the Tamil Kingdom, bringing the beauty of natural resources of rivers, forests, mountains and a subtle romance, fierce wars, vengeance, lust and love, relationships, cultural references, spiritual touches and references to epic Tirukural, everything becomes a part of the maya of this novel. Unknowingly you will get addicted to this novel, once you start reading. You will crave for the story to continue even after you complete reading all 5 volumes.
Jai ho Kalki...jai ho chola dynasty...jai ho Tamil culture...Jai Ho Sumeetha Manikandan. Congratulations girl, you have for sure etched your place in history with your English Translation. Way to go author !
