I am not a Tamilian and I have never stayed in Chenai or any part of Tamil Nadu to have been influenced by anything Tamil. I am, in every aspect, a true blue Bangalorean - a staunch Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javgal Srinath fan. No wonder I was surprised to find myself reading a book that is considered a Tamil classic and probably not too well know with people speaking other languages. This was recommended to me by my boss( I was told it's worth learning Tamil just to read the original!! I settled for an English translation by Karthik Narayanan though) :-)

For those not too familiar with the Tamil history and lore, the book is about political intrigue during the times of the Cholas- set along the banks of river Kaveri ( I think Ponni is another name given to Kaveri, and is used all through the book).

I just finished reading the First Floods, part 1 of the 6 volume book. My reaction - had this book been written by an author based in the west and had the book been a 300 page thriller, it would be on the New York Times and all the other best-seller lists worth their salt  for ages and would have made the retail cash registers ring and how!

The book starts slowly and Tamil words are interspersed all through the narration - for someone who is not acqainted with Tamil, this is a little irritating - but I am not cribbing too much - if I can bear with French and Spanish words in an English novel, I have no issues whatso ever with Tamil. Thankfully, there is a glossary  for all the Tamil words used in the book.

I guess the original had poetry inbetween prose;most are in appreciation of nature or in the praise of God. There is ofcourse the exaggeration -the utpreksha- in praise of the Chola rulers and the Tamil speaking people. If you are not the one who apprecites poetry and understands poetic licence, you can easily ignore these parts - they don't really contribute to the plot, I think. You are most welcome to correct me if I am wrong.

Coming to the plot - this is truly amazing. The warriors defeated by the Cholas are plotting to overthrow them, the King's uncle's son ( hey again, if I got the relationship wrong please correct me - a lot of the relationships are quoted in Tamil) who was denied the throne is also plotting a coupe and travels around the country disguised as a woman and then there is the lover who has spurned many- I am still unable to figure out on whose side she is on. There are brilliant women in the harem who are trying to out-think and out smart the plotters ( or are they with them - I am not really sure). Spies disguised as holy men, coded sign language,kidnapping, treason and corruption at high offices - all the trappings of a 'un-putdownable' novel and truly overwhelming. 

I will start the second book  - The Cyclone soon. I will come back and share more. In the meanwhile can anyone else share their thoughts - I am sure a lot of you would have read Kalki and Ponniyin Selvan. What's with the Flood and The Cyclone and such names. And how much of the book is fact and how much is fiction?