Recently i had uploaded to flickr a photo of a tree's branch which i shot Kodaikanal. I liked the picture very much because of the simplicity in the picture... But i was taken aback when one of my friends (Obviously wouldn't want to name him) asked me if i took this shot against a white wall. Actually he asked me whether i was holding some kind of twig against a white wall when taking this picture...
I was shocked and surprised, to clear the air i am posting a picture which would explain how this picture was shot... i shot this from a view point tower en route to Berijam lake in Kodaikanal hills...
The background is actually a mist... Phewww - photography :P!!
Ponniyin Selvan - the greatest novel ever written. When i went to the book fair this jan, i came across this novel and the sheer size and the volume of the books surprised me... there were totally 5 books in the package and all of them were huge (last one was the biggest).
Nevertheless i decided to buy "Ponniyin Selvan", came back home glanced through first few pages and forgot all about the book... I thought i would never be able to completely read the novel as it was really huge and i didn't have time to spend for "Ponniyin Selvan".
One Saturday i was extremely bored and didn't have anything else to do and started reading the first chapter. "ஒரு பானை சோற்றுக்கு ஒரு சோறு பதம் " The first chapter was enough for me to get hooked into the novel... That was all, after that i just couldn't get away from the book....
Remember that this novel came in the weekly magazine "KALKI" in the 1950's.. i always used to wonder how people could contain their excitement till they got to read the next chapter... the plot is woven such that the suspense is carried throughout the novel.... Kalki would have written in such a way that at any given point the story will go in different places, be it Kodiyakarai, Thanjavur, ilangai, Nagapattinam or Pazhayaarai - He will carry the story back and forth between these places and he would leave a suspense waiting at the end of every chapter...
Ponniyin Selvan - though it is hailed as a great historic novel, was written only based on some loose historic facts surrounding the death of Adhithya Karikaal Cholan and how RajaRaja Cholan ascended the throne. It is written in simple tamil and though kalki quotes certain poems from Tamil Literature he has explained the meaning in a simple manner. For people who are well versed with செந்தமிழ் and பைந்தமிழ் this book will be a treat to read.
I used to get up really early in the morning and go to sleep late in the night to read "Ponniyin Selvan", for two months the only thing i was doing other than going to office was reading "Ponniyin Selvan". It was so gripping and exciting
After travelling alongwith Vanthiyathevan, after walking with Kundavai and Nandini in the palaces of Thanjavur, After swimming with Arulmozhi varman and poonguzhali i felt really lonely when the novel ended... so i started to look into online forums to get more information related to the novel and i am sharing all the links so that you too can enjoy "Ponniyin Selvan" to a great extent. VIDEOS: Click on the below links: >> Video about RajaRaja Cholan by BBC - the great chola king(Skip 23:00 mins)
Those of you who would shy away from reading Tamil books, here is a open challenge just read the first 4 or 5 chapters of "Ponniyin Selvan" and see if you could resist from reading the full book. I am not trying to compare "Ponniyin Selvan" with any other books but "Ponniyin Selvan" is truly a masterpiece....
I will be happy to help you if you need any more reference links regarding "Ponniyin Selvan"
If you have finished reading "Ponniyin Selvan" you can get yourself involved in the following discussion forums:
