Ponniyin Selvan - a story, an experience

If you asked me for one thing that I regret about my schooling, it'd be the fact that I didn't receive a formal education in my native language, Tamil. I learned how to read and write in Tamil at a pretty young age. Yet, I never learned the literature or grammar of the language formally. As a result, all the Tamil I read was in magazines and sign boards when I'm back home in India. I'd started reading Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam's autobiography, The Wings of Fire (Agni Siragugal) in Tamil during my bus rides to and from college. But, being a hard core fiction lover, I never found the motivation to finish it. Also, I couldn't read Tamil as easily or as fast as I could read English and I'd just stopped reading the book. Almost four years later, I was intrigued by a Tamil book named Washingtonil Thirumanam (Wedding at Washington) which was about a Tamil Brahmin wedding happening at Washington DC in the 1960's. The book was short and a fun read. Once I finished reading, I wondered why I hadn't read any other Tamil books. My consistent guilt at being a self-proclaimed avid reader who hasn't read anything in her mother tongue, along with the sudden interest I had towards reading Tamil books, encouraged me to read Ponniyin Selvan. It also happened to be probably the most popular and widely loved Tamil novel of all time. Written by Kalki Krishnamoorthy, this 2400 page long historical fiction was set in the 10th century Chola empire. I immediately ordered the entire set (the book is split into 5 volumes) on Amazon. After placing the order, I wondered if I would even like the book since I didn't particularly enjoy reading historical fiction. Also, reading five volumes would take a lot of dedication towards the book. I still decided to go ahead and give this widely loved story, a try.

When I did start reading the first book and was a few pages into it, I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep reading. Even then, I pushed myself to continue. The fact that this story is so popular also intrigued me and I had to find out what it was all about. A few chapters into the book and I was hooked! I was drawn into the story and for the three long months (yes, it took me that long) that I was reading it, I also led an alternate life, in the palaces and streets of the Chola empire, being part of political conspiracies and adventurous trips. After reading the first half of the first volume, I realized why this story has such a dedicated fan following. I initially wondered why this story would possibly take 2400 pages. But the author takes you on a trip through the Chola empire in Tamil Nadu and from there to Sri Lanka on a boat. Every scene is so brilliantly described with such rich detail that the reader can easily visualize the situations. I'm not a big fan of very detailed descriptions in books. I like for things to be left to the reader's imagination. However I was not disappointed here. The story ended with a lot of open ended questions, and there's no better way to ensure that the readers don't forget the story soon, than to let them figure out the answers to their questions.

The strongest feature of the story are its multi-faceted characters. The best thing about this story is that it does not overly idealize its characters, maybe except for the character the book was named for - Ponniyin Selvan (Raja Raja Chola I). Interestingly, the book was not named after its title character. The title character is a brave, loyal, witty young man named Vandhiyathevan. The book follows him as he travels through the Chola kingdom to visit the King with a message from his son, the crown prince. Without him realizing, Vandhiyathevan finds himself in the midst of a political conspiracy that would change life as they knew it in the Chola kingdom. As he travels through the kingdom, he meets a lot of interesting people but I was delighted at the fact that the most interesting of them all were the six women he met - Kundavai, Vanathi, Nandini, Poonguzhali, Mandakini and Manimegalai. It was absolutely refreshing to read a story with six strong female characters who were pivotal in driving the plot! Each one of these women were so different from each other. In a way, they were representative of the women we see around us. Not all six of them had always been courageous and strong willed and opinionated, but when the time came, they rose to the occasion and displayed extraordinary courage and determination! 

I have always been hesitant to read books that have a lot of hype surrounding them. I usually start reading these books with a lot of expectations and am left disappointed. However this time, I glad I decided to give this story a try. It was not only a wonderful reading experience but has also left me feeling a little closer to Tamil, almost like discovering a connection to my mother tongue that had weakened over time! For a person like me, who fantasizes about traveling the world one day, the road trip-like (or the 10th century equivalent of it, anyway) nature of the story was an absolute treat! Some stories pull you into their world as you read, some stories stay with you long after you finish reading them and some stories make you wish you had met the characters in them. When you find a story that fits into all three categories, it's just perfect! Ponniyin Selvan is one such story.

Defining life by the fleeting glimpses of happiness

“But a chance tone of colour in a room or a morning sky, a particular perfume that you had once loved and that brings subtle memories with it, a line from a forgotten poem that you had come across again, a cadence from a piece of music that you had ceased to play− I tell you, Dorian, that it is on things like these that our lives depend.”   −The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

I went through a phase in my adolescent years when I thought that every good thing that happened in my life would be followed by an unpleasant experience, and vice versa. Back then, what I considered to be good experiences were a small set of happenings. Now that I think about it, that small set consisted entirely of materialistic things. It took me a while to identify and appreciate the little things that put a smile on my face and brought me small bouts of happiness. These little things happened every day, even on the most ordinary of days. They taught me that happiness is not that expensive. We look for happiness in big, rare and expensive things. However, happiness is closer and easier to reach than we think. I hope this post will inspire you to think about all those little things that never fail to put you in a good mood. I also hope that this will be something I can go back and read whenever I need a quick trip to my happy place, because it is these little things that our lives are made of.

My little bouts of happiness are brought by the smell of jasmine flowers; Arijit Singh's voice; the rare occasions when I wake up early on a weekend; walking while a soft breeze is blowing, neither too hot nor too cold; the smell of freshly baked goodies from the oven; and the softness of my grandma's hands. Then there's waking up to the pitter patter of raindrops on my window; driving while the sun is still rising; watching my plants bloom after the winter; the smell of coffee; a good book; snuggling inside the blanket at the end of a long day; catching up with a friend after a while; unexpectedly hearing a song I like; the sky painted with the colors of the sunset; and traffic-free commutes. Good hijab days; finding the perfect accessories to go with an outfit; experiencing the magic in AR Rahman's music from the 90's; binge watching a TV show (I have recently been accused of becoming a PLL addict; guilty as charged); listening to my brother narrating stories from his favorite shows and pretending that I understood everything; watching deer peacefully walking on my neighbor's backyard; and looking at my reflection in the mirror and being able to appreciate my beauty beyond the pigmented skin and other imperfections. Sound of the Athan (call to prayer); leaving late and still reaching on time; the sight, smell and taste of anything chocolate, especially brownies; playing with young children and having a baby hold on tightly to my pinkie finger; a rare warm day in the middle of winter; someone filling my car's fuel tank and saving me a trip to the gas station; experiencing the thrills of my deep childhood love awaken as I watch the opening credits of a Harry Potter movie; and postponed deadlines when you've been praying for one. Watching a feel good Indian movie; successfully breaking a wooden board in Taekwondo (on the first try!); a fully charged mobile device; the first ray of sunshine after many rainy days; a piece of complicated code that works after hours of coding/debugging; a perfectly fitting outfit; and oversized sweatshirts. Singing along to my favorite song at the top of my voice; German chocolate cake ice-cream; Nagercoilian plantain chips; ginger candy; chukku kaappi (ginger tea sweetened with palm jaggery); the smell and sounds of early morning at my home in India; and late night drives along the brightly lit streets of Jeddah with my parents and brother (I'm not sure if they enjoyed my constant chatter). Listening to EM Nagoor Hanifa's spiritual Tamil songs; my grandfather's voice calling me 'Kutty' (little one); walking in a stream over rounded pebbles; reading the notes on the inspiration wall in my bedroom; long talks with my sister whilst lying under a clear, starry night sky; the first sight of Nagercoil on the way home from the airport; opening the window blinds every morning and letting in the sunshine; re-reading Harry Potter and discovering something I didn't notice before; a certain mixed smell of spices and perfume that transport me to the open air souks of Jeddah; coming home to a warm hug from my littlest sister; walking on the streets of NYC on a cold winter night; repeatedly listening to a newly released soundtrack composed by AR Rahman until I'm in love with the songs; jhumki earrings; falling asleep with my head on my mom's shoulder while traveling; the eve of Eid at home in India; walking through quaint little towns that have an old world charm to them; pillow fights with my brother; and walking into bookstores. Early morning visits to the farmer's market; sitting on the banks of lakes or ponds and gazing into the distance (I don't quite understand my obsession with them); window shopping at the mall; watching cartoon shows that I loved, as a little kid; city lights at the night time, thanks to my 11 years in the ever so brightly lit Jeddah; the clear musical jingle of ice-cream trucks; late night talks with my mom, aunt, brother and sisters, punctuated occasionally by our grandma's snores and complaints that we're all being too loud; looking through old photographs; and listening to a song all over again from the beginning just because I missed my favorite line. But most of all, I love those little moments when the heart is content and all you can think of is to thank God for the little blessings that make up our lives.