The Killer Sword Ponniyin Selvan Part 3

When I started translating Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan in 2010, blissfully unaware of the depth and the magnitude of the work, several people tried to dissuade me. One potential publisher even lured me with an offer to translate another work of Kalki. Reason: there were already many translations around. Yes, there were. But most of them, though done with utmost sincerity, failed to create the emotional bond with the readers which the original author had effortlessly done in the Fifties when Ponniyin Selvan was serialised in a popular magazine. I did not rush up. I did not have a target or deadline. I let the translation work progress in its own pace. That explains the six long years I spent for this project. I read and re-read the first draft a dozen times before handing it over to my editors. There were many points of contention. There were issues where we could not reach a consensus easily. Finally the hard copy was ready for publication in 2016. The publisher had jitters and so did I. We got ready rough copies of two volumes. I gave it to two of my friends, who had read the original more than sixty times, with a mandate to read them in one go. They did and said “This is the best you can do in English.” The work culminated not when the book was released by a former Central Minister in 2016, not even when it went for three editions but when an ardent fan of Kalki sent a mail to me in 2019. “It was as if Kalki himself rendered his great work in English.”

An engineer by profession, Karthik Narayanan (1938) was born in Calcutta and had his early education in Tuticorin. He is an industrialist and heads companies that manufacture automobile components. He has occupied a number of important positions like the President of the Association of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, President of the Automobile Research Association of India, Chairman of the Southern Region of the Association of Indian Engineering Industry, Member of the Senate of the Annamalai University. Steeped in South Indian history, its arts and culture, KN is an avid reader of all the novels “Kalki” wrote, and is an accomplished player o of the percussion instrument the mridangam. KN is also an enthusiastic traveller, trekking in Himalayas being a favourite hobby. Married to Uma who is an accomplished translator of French and Tamil books and Managing Trustee of the SOS Children's Villages of India-Chatnath Homes and the Karna Prayag Trust, KN has a son Ramgopal, daughter Gayathri and a granddaughter Niveditha.

The Chola kingdom needs a strong ruler and the Tiger Throne a new master. Rival factions stake their claim to the Chola throne as a power struggle ensues with Emperor Sundara Chola’s failing health. The air is thick with political intrigue. On one side stands Prince Madurandaka, supported by the ruthless Pazluvur chieftains. On the other is Prince Arulmozlivarman, the future Raja Raja Chola, one of the greatest emperors in Indian history. The Pazluvur chieftains take the emperor hostage and civil war looms over the Chola kingdom. History and fiction merge to weave a story of vengeance and romance, disguised princes and beautiful princesses, secret passages and dark dungeons, evil sorcerers and master spies… Who will emerge victorious in this dangerous and thrilling game to seize the throne? Preetha Rajah Kannan has written five books on Indian mythology, edited a translation of the Telugu Navagraha Purana and contributed to several newspapers and magazines. A homemaker and mother to two sons, she lives in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

Ponniyin Selvan is Kalki R Krishnamurthy's magnum opus, set in 10th century Tamil Nadu, exploring the early life of Emperor Rajaraja the 1st. It might have been written more than 60 years ago, but this saga is timeless, reeling in readers with a gripping plot interwoven with intrigue, conspiracies, mystery, romance and adventure. Fresh Floods is Book 1 of a total of five volumes. Who is the rightful heir to the ancient Chozha throne? Will Madhuranthakar-son of the eldest son-or Aditha Karikalan-the grandson of the younger-wear the crown? And will justice prevail in this struggle for power? Follow our young, enthusiastic hero Vallavarayan Vandhiyathevan on his fascinating journey, as this historical fiction based on real characters and incidents unfolds at a spell-binding pace, delving deep into human tendencies, desires, personal motives, political ambitions and the fight to gain power at all costs.

When I started translating Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan in 2010, blissfully unaware of the depth and the magnitude of the work, several people tried to dissuade me. One potential publisher even lured me with an offer to translate another work of Kalki. Reason: there were already many translations around. Yes, there were. But most of them, though done with utmost sincerity, failed to create the emotional bond with the readers which the original author had effortlessly done in the Fifties when Ponniyin Selvan was serialised in a popular magazine. I did not rush up. I did not have a target or deadline. I let the translation work progress in its own pace. That explains the six long years I spent for this project. I read and re-read the first draft a dozen times before handing it over to my editors. There were many points of contention. There were issues where we could not reach a consensus easily. Finally the hard copy was ready for publication in 2016. The publisher had jitters and so did I. We got ready rough copies of two volumes. I gave it to two of my friends, who had read the original more than sixty times, with a mandate to read them in one go. They did and said “This is the best you can do in English.” The work culminated not when the book was released by a former Central Minister in 2016, not even when it went for three editions but when an ardent fan of Kalki sent a mail to me in 2019. “It was as if Kalki himself rendered his great work in English.”