Here's a look into a book I read recently, written by none other than our illustrious Dr.Jaybee.
By now, I think everyone knows that he's an expert on a good many things- but take a peek at what his topics of interest range through:
Astrology, history, Myths and Legends, Cooking, Thamizh literature, tidbits on the world wide web(incidentally, he coined the Thamizh term for it- "Vaiya virivu valai"- and its in vogue among Thamizians today), discourses on humour, Saamuthrika Lakshanam...the list goes on. Talk about versatility!
His book "Inaiyaththil Jaybee" is an example of his expertise. What particularly interested me was the chapter devoted to 'Gangai konda Chozapuram and Rajendra Chola'. He's written about Rajendra's reign, his armies and battles.
How Rajendra's forces crossed the Ganges. How the commander, "Araiyan Rajarajan' defeated enemies and pressed them into service, while bringing the waters of Ganges down south. And the answer to my pet question: Did the Cholas have anything with quelling Muhammed Ghazni's forces??
How(and why) Rajendra built his famous city, instead of continuing with Pazaiyaarai as his base. How he dug the famed lake, 'Chozagangam'.
The book doesn't end there, you know. There are humourous referances to modern day 'ThirkkuraL's about the web, eager questions and contributions from fellow members on every topic under the sun (Ex: a dicussion thread that seems to have centred on proverbs- especially one on 'Udumbup pidi' :-). There're also funny descriptions about his tenure as a doctor- and they're guaranteed to have you in splits.
Another topic which caught my attention was this: A full-length story on Saamuthrika Lakshanam, written with wry humour - with tidbits about movies that have featured this particular topic. But wait. There's also a personality profile on Thirumalai Naayakkar, before you move onto the crux of the essay.:-)
Dr. Jaybee's favourite historical personality seems to have been Rajaraja Chozhan. (Hooray!)
What makes the book un-put-downable is the fact that its full of conversations, rather than long, essays one after the other. I mean, there're essays- but they're inserted within dialogues between members. And that makes even better reading.