I wanted to ask something that is perhaps in a totally different wavelength from all the discussions that are concurrently going on in the group.
The only version of Ponniyin Selvan (PS) that I have used and owned is one which was collected from Kalki magazine when PS was published as a weekly serial in the 50s and which carries Oviyar Maniam's illustrations.
Just as many of us may have mental pictures of many gods and goddesses from the paintings of Ravi Verma, I carry mental pictures of characters from PS (Nandini, Kundavai, Vandiyathevan, Poonguzhali, AruLmozhivarman, etc) that are as much or more from Maniam's drawings as from Kalki's word pictures. I am pretty sure that my mental pictures of the characters would not have been as strong without Maniam's drawings. In fact, I would not be surprised that even great Kalki was directed in his descriptions (e.g., contrasting the beauty of Nandini and Kundavai in the Irandu PoornachandirarkaL) by Maniam's drawings.
When I read the older novels of Kalki such as Parthiban Kanavu, Sivakamiyin Shapatham, Thyagabhoomi, Ala Osai, I read from later printed bound volumes which understandably had very few or no illustrations, and I truly miss the chapter-by-chapter illustrations of talented artists like Maniam.
I would like to know if other admirers of PS have similar reactions to Maniam's contributions and to more about Maniam, and whether his drawings for PS and other books have been preserved in an archive that is accessible. I guess same goes for some of the other talented magazine illustrators of that time such as Gopulu (in A.Vikatan), Chandra, etc.
Dear you may please recall only kalki's writttings dedicated by Government and not maniam picturues and hence the publishers of ponniyin selvan etc could not publish the pictures of maniam. I hope i may be correct. LIke writers the oviam also to be dedicated by Government so that any body could re publish it. If I am wrong please correct me