Good to see so many new comers participating. Kalki has definitely redefined many things. A master story teller.
I havent read any of Sandilyans novel. Earlier there were discussions about other authors as well. So thought will give a try. Got a copy of 'Rajamudhirai' by Sandilyan. ayyooo..enna koduma sir ethu (chandramukhi Prabhu style-la padikkavum)..initially iwas very much irritated..out of 10 pages the story runs only 2 lines. javvu...mathiri descriptions. Later i started skipping the descriptions and read only the dialogues....appa sami...I cant stand more than 250 pages of the 600 odd in the first volume....muyarchiya kai vituten...I really wonder how people praised Sandilyan in earlier mails.... :(
Kalki is really great. Never makes a sluggish writing anywhere....though some gaps here and there which is 'OK' for the three year race on a weekly basis..
I have read all the three and except for Yavana Rani I found none of the other books by Sandiyan gripping. My scale for a book is if it makes to read more than once just for the pleasure of it, that will be in my favorite list.
No offence meant for Sandiyan fans though, this is just my opinion.
We need diff style to read sandilyan, first we need to read the story,then we need to read his descriptions, really satish , when u read the descriptions cooly sure its a class 1.
But for our kalki particularly in PS its a perfect mixure. These will go along with the story.
Hi, I had joined the PS yahoo group few months ago. But this is my first post. When I read Mr. Satishkumar Arunachalam's thought's about Sandilyan, I thought I should write a reply. For me before reading Kalki's magnum opus I read Rajahthilakam by Sandilyan. This is a 1000page sigle volume novel about pallavas. Well, I got a bit frustrated as Mr. Satishkumar in the beginning since Sandilyan wrote a single sentence which went into a full paragraph and I couldnt make head or tail. Anyway I was patient enough and finished the full novel. Then I came back to the first paragraph or sentence. That's when I realized his style. I think the way Sandilyan describes the events and the surroundings is what he stands apart from others. Many people want the storyline to be fast paced and skip the descriptions. But that is history and thats what we read in textbooks. If you want to enjoy Sandilyan's novels. you need two things. 1. Lots of time 2. Lots and lots of patience. I think if you go back and read his novels again you will start appreciating his style and you will realize he is as a master story teller as Kalki is. With Kind Regards, Ragothaman
many have said this before in this group. kalki redefines your approach to modern tamil literature.
its unfortunate ( or fortunate may be) if you happen to read kalki first.you will never fully appreciate the efforts of any other tamil author. its not fair because each author has his own style and puts in a lot of his time and effort to create an individualistic trait.
so when people ask you how many tamil novels you have read do you tell them "read kalki 5 times"
Thank you Venkat. Friends, Venkat himself is an excellent Writer. Stuffed with informations on several topics - related to History & Religion. Real Tribute to Kalki. Thanks once again. regards/ sps
One of the learned tamil history based writer is Sandilyan,it seems he is the only tamil author to write about the naval forces,especially the maharashtrian knoji angre. sowmya
Dear Sowmya He has also written about the Chola expedition to kadaram during Vira Rajendra in Kadalpura and He is prolofixc in his descriptions of naval vessels ie Akramantharam,sarpamandaram etc in Kadal pura
similarly the battle formation in Yavanarani...the Karudavyugam and sarpavyugam
IMO many tamil writers are not writing for a common reader like me. There are thousands of books that are well acclaimed, but the question is how of them actually reached the general public.
I also heard the criticism over Kalki for his writing by the literature circle. It is as simple as reaching the public could have been his philosophy, note that he was also an journalist.
Very few can claim the charm with which Kalki writes. I too agree Sandiyan is a proflic writer in his own right, but it is also true none had created such a passion in the readers mind as Kalki.
> > IMO many tamil writers are not writing for a common reader like me. There are thousands of books that are well acclaimed, but the question is how of them actually reached the general public.
Hi sivaram,
its not only the tamil writers who face such accusations.
there are many writers in every language who write more for them selves or for the satisfaction of their muse.
for eg: any booker prize book looks like that.
have you read 'the life of pi' the last years booker
in life of pi ' a man, a hynea , a zebra and a a tiger are marooned on a life boat. interesting sequence right. but he drags this open sea voyage for 200 pages. it has been acclaimed one of the best pieces of fiction in several decades.
kalki's great in his historical rio. but the same cannot be said for his other books. some of his short stories are out right boring as deepa pointed out the other day.
but his endevour to reach the crux of his story to the reader completely is to be appreciated. in fact we end up thinking exactly like kalki when we read his books.
Okay, I myself am a fanatic about PS, but it's nice to know that you appreciate SS for its merits. :)
I like Sandilyan's "Kanni Maadam" best among his historicals. A little slower on the steamy side, and it's chock-full of history. Next come Yavana Rani and Kadal Pura. I agree though, that it's re-read value is rather ... small. Not like Kalki, anyway, who can provide you with about a 25 times more than any other historic- fiction writers. There's something in the sheer beauty and simplicity of his words that make you appreciate his work. he doesn't pose, doesn't pretend, doesn't patronize the reader - he's in love with Chozha Nadu, and he makes sure you're a part of the experience too.
The only thing that bugged me in PS was Arulmozhi's apparent "love" for Vanathi ... but I suppose some leeway has to be given in a novel that's got five brilliant volumes.
Dear Pavi Why am I not surprised that you have responded after all those debates on PS andSS Kannimaadam of Sandilyan is good but not as good as Yavanarani...the twist and turns of Yavanarani are really gripping... Interestingly Kannimaadam has the same theme as Sozhanila by Mu Metha only thing is Kannimaadam is from the Pandya side Sozha Nila is from the Chola side but the Two Thandanayagars are in both of them
Venkatesh, I too agree that all authors should be read. When Krupa used to say SS is boring, I said I enjoyed it. Description is not I am against to. I liked Akilans Venagayin Maindan. Na.Pa's Manipallavam is another classic.
Two weeks back happened to read Prabanchan's 'Vanam vasapadum'..Initially the language was tough, but after a few pages I started enjoying it. It was too gripping and i liked it, except for the fact that it didnt had a logical ending. Read 'Naan Krishna Deva Rayan' part I this week. Too simple and compelling. Every author has their own flovour, but Rajamuthirai was too much for me.
My mother never likes Sandilyan and when I brought the book Rajamuthirai, I told her that we should taste all authors. First two days, just because i told those words, I forced my self to read. Fourth day I gave up. Maybe I should try Yavana Rani and Kadal pura as Sri suggested.
By the way, any comments about Prabanchans Manudam vellum?
I would suggest that you try Kadal Pura first, to get a dramatic insight into Sandilyan and then there is one about Rajendra's Gangai conquest, I forgot the name, Kannimadam( i did not enjoy much) due to the dragging sequences in some places
I have not got my hands around Yavana Rani or others, but sounds interesting.
Thanks to Dr.Jaybee, the name of the book is "Mannan Magal", one of the quick paced books. KanniMadam is known for the subtle humour in the guise of a character called "Adigalar". Sandilyan is THE AUTHOR who can come up with very good war descriptions.
cakkara Kottam and its downfall would have been vividly described, while Kadalpura has a good amount of sea wars, with good deal of plotting and cunningness of Karunakaran dealt..