Kalki's Ponniyin selvan (son of ponni)

6 Book Pack

Rs. 630.00


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Syndicate Bank, Mayapuri Branch, Delhi, India
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About the book

The 6 part novel is based about the Chola dynasty of Tamilnadu in the year 982 AD, and about Prince Arul Mozhi Varman, who ruled later as the great Raja Raja Chola-I between the years 985 to 1014 A.D. The 2020 edition comprises of all the parts in 3 books of over 500 pages.

Book 1: Part I & Part II Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan, the Vaana Prince, working under the Crown Prince Aditta Karikaalan, accidentally comes to know about an intrigue in the Kadamboor palace by the vassal kings, led by the Elder Pazhuvettarayar, who plan to crown the incompetent brother of the Emperor, Prince Madhurantakan. He gets to know the scheming Queen of Pazhuvettarayar, Nandini, who has vowed to revenge the Cholas for the beheading of the Pandiya King Veera Pandiyan by Aditta Karikaalan. He is deputed to Eezham (Lanka) by Princess Kundavai, to bring back the younger Prince Arul Mozhi Varman. In this he is helped by a boat woman Poonkuzhali, a flower boy Sendan Amudhan, and Azhwarkadiyan, a spy of the Prime Minister Aniruddha Brahma Raya.

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Kalki's Ponniyin selvan (Son Of Ponni)

The 6 part novel is based about the Chola dynasty of Tamilnadu in the year 982 AD, and about Prince Arul Mozhi Varman, who ruled later as the great Raja Raja Chola-I between the years 985 to 1014 A.D. The 2020 edition comprises of all the parts in 3 books of over 500 pages.

Book 1: Part I & Part II Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan, the Vaana Prince, working under the Crown Prince Aditta Karikaalan, accidentally comes to know about an intrigue in the Kadamboor palace by the vassal kings, led by the Elder Pazhuvettarayar, who plan to crown the incompetent brother of the Emperor, Prince Madhurantakan. He gets to know the scheming Queen of Pazhuvettarayar, Nandini, who has vowed to revenge the Cholas for the beheading of the Pandiya King Veera Pandiyan by Aditta Karikaalan. He is deputed to Eezham (Lanka) by Princess Kundavai, to bring back the younger Prince Arul Mozhi Varman. In this he is helped by a boat woman Poonkuzhali, a flower boy Sendan Amudhan, and Azhwarkadiyan, a spy of the Prime Minister Aniruddha Brahma Raya.

Prince Arul Mozhi Varman is named as Ponniyin Selvan (son of Ponni) as he was saved from drowning in the Ponni (Kaveri) River as a child, by an unknown woman. He leads a victory in Eezham and is offered the Eezham crown by the Buddhist Sangha, which he declines. Vandiyathevan gets caught in a sea cyclone and the Prince jumps into the sea to save him. Nandini continues her plotting with the Pandiya supporters led by Ravidasan the sorcerer. Emperor Sundara Chola is haunted by the memory of a deaf and dumb woman whom he had married secretly several years back. Princess Kundavai is keen to marry off her friend Princess Vaanathi of Kodumbaaloor to Arul Mozhi on the basis of astrological predictions that she will give birth to an emperor. Vandiyathevan and Kundavai fall in love with each other.

Book 2: Part III and Part IV Prince Arul Mozhi Varman stays incognito in a Buddhist monastery. Nandini and plotters fix a day and time to eliminate the bed-ridden Emperor Sundara Chola and his sons Aditta Karikaalan and Arul Mozhi Varman simultaneously. Vandiyathevan and Azhwarkadiyan independently find out many facts about the intrigues. Vandiyathevan finds out about the killer sword belonging to the dead Pandiya King which Nandini plans to use for killing Aditta Karikaalan. Aditta Karikaalan, who had wanted to marry Nandini earlier, is guilt ridden for having killed Veera Pandiyan ignoring her pleadings. There is also a mystery regarding Nandini’s birth.

Intrigues thicken with Nandini inviting Aditta Karikaalan to Kadamboor palace. Simultaneous killing of the Emperor and Arul Mozhi is also chalked out. The Queen Mother objects to the proposal about crowning Madhurantakan, as there appears to be a secret about his birth. The deaf and dumb woman reaches Thanjavoor and is bent upon saving the Emperor’s life. The Queen Mother reveals the truth about Sendan Amudhan, the flower boy. Aditta Karikaalan decides to accept Nandini’s invitation against the advice of his sister Kundavai.

Book 3: Part V ( I & II ) Prince Arul Mozhi Varman comes out of incognito and reaches Thanjaavoor. The deaf and dumb woman saves the Emperor by receiving the spear of the killer on herself. The Elder Pazhuvettarayar comes to know the truth about his wife Nandini and the plotters and rushes to save Adiita Karikaalan. Nandini tells Aditta Karikaalan that her father was Veera Pandiyan. Prince Aditta Karikaalan is murdered but his death is shrouded in mystery. Vandiyathevan is accused of killing him. Nandini disappears.

The Elder Pazhuvettarayar clears Vandiyathevan and kills himself. The boat woman Poonkuzhali, who had cherished dreams of marrying the Prince, abandons those and agrees to marry the flower boy Sendan Amudhan. The old Madhurantakan disappears after finding out that he is the son of Veera Pandiayan. Prince Arul Mozhi Varman agrees to be crowned, and on the day of coronation, taking Vandiyathevan into confidence, places the crown on the head of Sendan Amudhan, who is the real Madhurantakan, and who rules for the next 15 years. Poonkuzhali marries him. Arul Mozhi marries Vaanathi and proceeds with Vandiyathevan to conquer eastern countries of Eezham and other islands, and to demolish sea piracy.

Most Important Primary Characters (Male):

  • Prince Arul Mozhi Varman (later Raja Raja Chola I)
  • Vaana Prince Vallavarayan Vandiyathevan
  • Prince Aditta Karikaalan
  • Emperor Sundara Chola
  • Azhwarkadiyan (Thirumalai)
  • Elder Pazhuvettarayar
  • Younger Pazhuvettarayar
  • Sendan Amudhan
  • Prince Madhurantakan
  • Sorcerer Ravidasan
  • Prime Minister Aniruddha Brahma Rayar
  • Kandamaaran
  • Parthibendran
  • Commander Elder Velaar
  • Kudandai Astrologer

Most Important Primary Characters (Female):

  • Princess Kundavai
  • Pazhuvoor Queen Nandini
  • Poonkuzhali the boat woman
  • Princess Vaanathi
  • Deaf and dumb Mandaakini
  • Queen Mother Sembian Maadevi
author

Smt. H. Subhalakshmi Narayanan

Info

Title : Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan (Son Of Ponni)

Publisher : Ailum Educational Gateways (P) Ltd

ISBN : vol.(I) 978-81-928538-1-9, vol.(II) 978-81-928538-2-6, vol.(III) 978-81-928538-3-3,
vol.(IV) 978-81-928538-4-0, vol.(V-1) 978-81-928538-5-7, vol.(V-2) 978-81-928538-6-4

Language : English

Binding : Book in Paperback, with HardCover Standee

Dimensions (inches) : 10 x 6 x 3.5 in

Weight with packing : 2.12 Kg

Reviews and Comments

The best of both worlds!
By Nishanth Arulappan on
28 January 2017
Amazon Verified Purchase

Translating a literary work from the original language to a target language can be daunting task, and the author has accomplished this challenge, with the current translation of a magnum opus in Tamil literature - Ponniyin Selvan. I have previously read two different English translations of this book, but none came close to the professional quality rendered by this publication from Ailum Educational Gateways.

The main challenge when attempting a translation like this requires the translator to capture the original author’s meaning and flavor, and yet make it appealing and relevant to the modern reader. Most translations fall into one of two camps: (1) a word-for-word translation tries to retain the original sentence structure and semantic forms, and thus aims to produce a literal translation as much as possible, while (2) an idea-for-idea translation attempts to translate entire sentences or phrases as a whole, thus achieve a high ease-of-readability for a modern day reader (who may not be very familiar with the original language, culture, and background of the story). The drawback with the word-for-word translation method is that due to the differences between the original language and the target language, achieving exactitude is difficult, if not impossible, and can also leave the present-day reader confused about some of the original terms and meanings used. The drawback with the idea-for-idea translation is that while it tries to be very much relevant to the present-day-reader, it can sometimes compromise on the original author’s essence, and may not have the same effect as produced in the original target audience.

However, this translation of Ponniyin Selvan, by H. Subalakshmi Narayanan, brings together the best of both worlds. It blends both the translation philosophies in a deft manner, and includes transliterations where necessary, thus striking a chord with readers who are familiar with both English and Tamil. For readers like me, who have a fluent sense of colloquial Tamil, but not very familiar with classical Tamil, reading a book like Ponniyin Selvan in the original language will not be an easy task. However, this translation by Narayanan has made that task easier not just for people familiar with the native language, but for any literature aficionado.

My suggestions for the future would be:

  • (1) to include a map of South India, especially showing the different rivers, places, and the boundaries of different kingdoms mentioned in this novel;
  • (2) include a family tree/kingdom chart for the different families and kingdoms;
  • (3) have a cultural glossary/footnotes for special words, which may not be familiar to modern readers without a background in ancient Tamil culture.

Ponniyin Selvan weaves together the moods of a swashbuckling secret mission, a complicated subterfuge plot to overthrow an ageing king and his dynasty, romantic treachery and deceit, political vengeance and loyalty, love and fidelity, and much more! My thanks to Ailum Educational Gateways for this translation and I wish they continue to produce more material like this in the future.


Devoid of frescos!
By kumar on
5 April 2017
Verified Purchase

A good work by author indeed..author translation is impeccable ...but kalki's version is superlated by drawings/illustrations which conveys each chapter message surgically.that is the grey area to be straightened.


Kudos to the writer and the author for the amazing translation.
By Jeevan on
27 March 2017
Verified Purchase

Bought this for my wife. She's addicted to this book. Haven't got a chance to read this book yet but my wife loves the book. Kudos to the writer and the author for the amazing translation.


Kalki at his best.great product
By Amazon Customer on
26 June 2017
Verified Purchase

Bought this for my wife. She's addicted to this book. Haven't got a chance to read this book yet but my wife loves the book. Kudos to the writer and the author for the amazing translation.

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