Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan: Volume 1

by Kalki Krishnamurthy, M. Rajaram (Translator), M. Venkaiah Naidu (Foreword)

No Tamil book or novel has been as grandly celebrated and fondly remembered as Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan in Tamil literature. This is a story of Prince Arulmolivarman, alias Ponniyin Selvan, who later on ascended the Chola throne. A story of romance, wit and wisdom, suspense, thrill, sacrifice, twists and turns and plots within plots, it has been the most widely read historical fiction. Dr M. Rajaram’s masterly English translation has made it possible for all non-Tamilian speakers to perceive and enjoy this perennial Tamil classic.

Genres: Suspense

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2022

About the author

Tamil language Novel Writer, Journalist, Poet & Critic late Ramaswamy Aiyer Krishnamurthy also known as ‘Kalki’. He derived his pen name from the suffixes of his wife name Kalyani and his name Krishnamurthy in Tamil form கல்யாணி and கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி as Kalki (கல்கி). His name also represents “Kalki avatar”, the tenth and last avatar of the Hindu God Vishnu.

His writings includes over 120 short stories, 10 novelettes, 5 novels, 3 historical romances, editorial and political writings and hundreds of film and music reviews. Krishnamurthy’s witty, incisive comments on politics, literature, music and other forms of art were looked forward to with unceasing interest by readers. He wrote under the pen names of ‘Kalki’, ‘Ra. Ki’, ‘Tamil Theni’, ‘Karnatakam’ and so on.

The success that Krishnamurthy attained in the realm of historical fiction is phenomenal. Sixty years ago, at a time when the literacy level was low and when the English-educated Tamils looked down on writings in Tamil, Kalki’s circulation touched 71,000 copies – the largest for any weekly in the county then – when it serialised his historical novels. Kalki had also the genius to classify the historical and non-historical events, historical and non-historical characters and how much the novel owes to history.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original has great reviews. This one is a translation to English. The original novel is considered to be a masterpiece with a culy following till this day. But this one lacked creativity according to me. The writing is plain and sentences seem to be broken.

[Aparna Ram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up as a Tamil person abroad, I have only a very surface level knowledge of the Chola empire. However Ponniyin Selvan, a book about the Chola kings is one I’ve heard mentioned a lot while growing up, receiving such lavish nostalgic praise from parents, aunts, and uncles. I enjoyed the recent film adaptation of the book, and so I was excited to read the source material which is so legendary in South Indian culture.

I have to say I was torn between giving this book a 3-star or 4-star rating. Whilst I was captivated by the fast paced plot, carefully timed and revealing backstories, the endless scheming, and palace political intrigue, I felt let down by the language. I read the English translation and for the most part it was sufficient. However, at many points I did longingly wish to be capable of reading and understanding the original Tamil version of the book.

There are lines like “When Kundavi met Vandiyathevan, her lotus bud-like heart opened its petals gently, blooming its full glory. But how unfortunate! A dark bee came to sit on that bloom to bruise its soft petals with its poisonous stings.” which I know would sound poetic in Tamil but falls flat here. The book is also peppered with phrases like emotionally disturbed and mentally disturbed that are uniquely Indian but feels a bit jarring for an English reader.

Overall, I felt like volume one of the novel was enjoyable enough to propel me and look forward to reading volume two.

[Arvind Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awful translation, all the prose and imagery from the original story is lost in this abridged version. The language is overly simplistic and many descriptions and details are left out. Like another reviewer said, this translation feels like you're reading a pure text version of the Amar Chitra Katha graphic novels.

Would recommend picking up one of the other translations by Pavithra Srinivasan or CV Karthik Narayanan instead.

[Nala · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to review a timeless classic. It's too bad I discovered this masterpiece only after the movie was announced. Nevertheless, I'm glad I got around to reading it.

[Shri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story with a wonderful storyline and a fascinating link between different parts. Portrays history extremely well and as I can't read Tamil, the translation was beautiful!

[KJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story. Not the best translation perhaps. Feels amateurish.

[Hareesh Iyer]

Classic, thriller and well written plot. The Story is engaging and plot-twists are really fantastic. Much thrilled to start the second volume of this great historic-fiction novel

[Vivek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Vismay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like Amar Chitra Katha’s comic books. A good introduction to Chola dynasty, though the English translation is disjointed and jarring at some places.

[Abha Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read so far..too many stories and all interconnected …