LOCK DOWN DIARY - Ponniyin Selvan review

 This is from my diary in MAY 2020, publishing after two years!!If you can't go outside, go inside! Let's disconnect to re -connect with ourselves! This has become the fact of life during this period of nation wide lockdown to protect ourselves and to break the chain of spread of COVID 19 Virus. We, the doctors, after our duty hours are supposed to isolate ourselves to prevent the spread of virus. After going through various medical literatures, articles and updates on COVID 19 and constant pouring of COVID timeline in News channels and variety of rumours and memes regarding COVID in social media, my mind got fed up and when i went deep into my mind to divert it, i thought of reading PONNIYIN SELVAN by Kalki. This was in my mind for a quite long time and I wanted to complete reading it before the release of the movie by Maniratnam! So i downloaded it , it had around 297 chapters! So, i fixed a target of 2 to 5 chapters per day depending on my duty schedule, so that i can complete it by the end of June. But by the way that story was narrated by Kalki with twists and turns made me to sit at the edge of chair and finish it off in a swing of two weeks. I was taken back to around 700AD into the chola kingdom. I felt I was travelling with Vandhiyathevan, our hero. The rich heritage of our Tamilnadu and srilanka is picturised through out the story . I couldn't categorize this masterpiece into a particular genre of fiction. It is a historical romantic speculative fiction spiced with magical realism and pinch of horror and humour.

 I would like to pen down, sorry thumb down the summary of Ponniyin Selvan!

This is a tale of happenings in deciding the next in line to reign the chola kingdom after King Sundara Chola whose days were counted. He had three children, Eldest son, Prince Aditya karikalan, daughter Princess kundavi  in middle order and youngest son Prince Arulmozhi Varman ( Ponniyin Selvan). Though the title is named after this charming prince, the hero in this tale is Vandhiyathevan, a trusted promising messenger of Prince Aditya karikalan, later turned out to be love interest of Princess Kundavi and a loyal friend of Prince Arulmozhi Varman. The competition for the throne is not among these three. One group of petty kings in chola kingdom wish to bring the cousin brother of King Sundara Chola, Prince Madurantaka to throne instead of crown Prince Aditya karikalan who is next in pipeline. Mean while Pandya conspirators try to intrude Chola kingdom in revenge to the death of their King Veera Pandian, killed by Prince Aditya karikalan through a enticing young lady, Nandhini. Nandhini ( ex lover of Prince Aditya karikalan) married to an age-old man Pazhuvettavarayar, the most powerful man, the finance minister of chola kingdom, helps out the Pandiya conspirators ( magician Ravidasan, Idumbankari, Devaralan and Soman sambavan). Nandhini portrayed as lover of late Pandiya king Veera Pandian, later as daughter of late Pandiya king? or daughter of a jail inmate described as an insane person  is little confusing and left to the choice of readers to decide who the father of Nandhini is!! The Pazhuvettavarayar without knowing the beast within the beauty of Nandhini, create chaos in deciding the successor in reign. He is made to propose the cousin brother of King Sundara Chola Prince Madurantaka to the throne. But another major twist in this juncture is that Prince Madurantaka is not the original prince as a child swapping occurs in the palace of King Gandaradhitya and Queen Sembian Mahadevi, the predecessor of King Arinjaya chola, the father of King Sundara chola. King Paranthaka chola lost his eldest son Prince Raja Aditya at a very young age in a war during his reign. King Gandaradhitya is middle order son and king Arinjaya chola is youngest son of King Paranthaka chola, the predecessor of King Gandaradhitya. Remember, as Prince Madurantaka was born at a very late age of his father, he was so small to succeed his father and lost his chance to King Arinjaya chola who also died shortly and his son Sundara chola succeeded as king as Madurantaka was too small at that time to rule over a Kingdom and also as King Gandaradhitya has obtained an assurance from his wife to bring up their prince Madurantaka as a Shiva devotee and not to indulge him in reign. The reason for this decision is thought to be due to the mystery of birth of Madurantaka. The real Madurantaka is brought up by a deaf and mute lady Vani as a Pious young flower vendor Sernthan Amuthan who helps Vandhiyathevan and prince Arulmozhi Varman many a times. Vani is younger sister of Mandakini, also a deaf and mute. Mandakini is love interest of Sundara chola and mother of Nandhini ( who looks alike her mom )and Madurantaka. Mandakini saves Arulmozhi Varman from drowning in river Kaveri ( Ponni ) and hence the name Ponniyin Selvan as he was thought to be reborn from river Ponni. Also she saves Arulmozhi Varman many a times from his enemies and finally lost her life saving the life of King Sundara Chola from Pandiya conspirators. Unfortunately Prince Aditya karikalan is dead under mysterious circumstances in the fort of a petty king kadambur sambuvarayar. kadambur sambuvarayar has a son Kandamaran (a friend of vandhiyathevan who later turned against him under the seduction of Nandhini) and a daughter Manimekalai who has a love interest for vandhiyathevan. Vandhiyathevan is falsely accused of charges for the murder of Prince Aditya karikalan but truth is unveiled subsequently as Pazhuvettavarayar comes to know of Pandiya conspirators and original face of Nandhini, he kills himself taking charge of the murder of Prince Aditya karikalan (actually murdered by Nandhini! this too left to imagination of readers).  Other characters of interest in this tale are the Prime Minister of chola kingdom Aniruddha Brammarayar, the master mind in solving many mysteries and the savior of chola kingdom and his spy Alwarkadiyan Nambi also known as Thirumalai ( also foster brother of Nandhini) who comes to help Vandhiyathevan at his tough times. The other one is a Pallava Parthiban, a friend of Aditya karikalan who along with Kandamaran rival with vandhiyathevan at many junctures under the seduction of Nandhini. Meanwhile the real Madurantaka brought up as Sernthan Amuthan is brought to limelight as Utthama Cholan who is supposed to be successor of King Sundara Chola as he is elder to Ponniyin Selvan. But the people of chola dynasty wants their charismatic prince Ponniyin Selvan as their ruler. And as Ponniyin Selvan has won the hearts of people, he accepts to be the king as Sundara Chola wants to take rest due to his senility. But on the day of Installation ceremony, Ponniyin Selvan foregoes his chance and Crown Utthama Cholan as next chola king. Utthama Cholan is married to boat woman Poonkulazhi ( his uncle's daughter), she has also helped Vandhiyathevan and Ponniyin Selvan in transit between srilanka and Tamil Nadu. Ponniyin Selvan is married to princess Vanathi, a soulmate of Princess Kundavi! 

Ponniyin Selvan is none other than Raja Raja Cholan, the one who built Brihadeeswarar temple in Tanjore!! 

Kalki has included many Tirukkurals, hymns from Thevaram and hymns of alwars. It had reference to sigiriya Rock in srilanka too which we visited on our trip to srilanka months back. And before conclusion i like to share my surprise, it has a reference to an unknown flu like illness in srilanka for which Prince Arulmozhi Varman who is suspected to have acquired the illness is quarantined in a Buddhist vihar in Nagapattinam on his return to India!!