Hi, I am Jeevan, and I am new to this group.I am reading this book for some time now..I have been dreaming how Kalki had this kind of imagination to write such a fabulous book..and this admiration boosts up lot of questions in me regarding the book...
one of them are..
Ponniyin selvar is called so because while he was in his childhood, when all of the family members were in cauvery, our 'cauvery Mainden' had slipped in to the river and everyone assumed that it is the 'cauvery amman' who saved him. But later it is revealed that she is his mother and she is saving him from all sorts of trouble in his life and follows him wherever he goes.
Though, most of the charcters in the book were true charcters and kalki is talking about true incidents, this particular character I believ it si somewhat imaginary.becasue of the portrayal of this charcter I believe it is an imaginary character of Kalki..
I need a clarification in this...Please help me guys, waiting for ur replies...
> Ponniyin selvar is called so because while he was in his childhood, when all of the family members were in cauvery, our 'cauvery Mainden' had slipped in to the river and everyone assumed that it is the 'cauvery amman' who saved him. But later it is revealed that she is his mother and she is saving him from all sorts of trouble in his life and follows him wherever he goes.
Hi Jeevan welcome to this group of ardent kalki fans.
an author may have had many reasons to chose a title for his novel. but klaki chose this one incident in the flashback words of kunthavai( I think) to name the hero and the book.
we have had many interesting discussions on this.
one was whether there were autobiographical touches( kalki's father had a nick name of ponnu iyer in his village)
the other was whereas tanjore town( the cholas place) does not have a ponni( cauvery) river there is a river called ponni( poinai actually) in vanthiyathevans town of thiruvallam. along with the fact that vanthiyathevan dominates the entire volume one without ponniyin selvar making an entry, we wondered if kalki changed heroes half way(????)
> > Ponniyin selvar is called so because while he was in his childhood, when all of the family members were in cauvery, our 'cauvery Mainden' had slipped in to the river and everyone assumed that it is the 'cauvery amman' who saved him. > But later it is revealed that she is his mother and she is saving him from all sorts of trouble in his life and follows him wherever he goes. > Hi jeevan
"later it is revealed that she is his mother" -not correct. it was his father's lover.
Its not wrong..that lady who is dumb will show some drawings to ponniyin selvar in a cave in lanka, while this incident even vandiyathavan and azhvarkudiyan also will be with them... In those drawings it will be told as that lady gave birth to 2 childrens and she left them in the palace and ran away and than she came to forest and follows our hero and helps him where ever he goes...
Hi Jeevan sir, The character of Mandhakini may be an imaginary one. But I think the incident is true. I remember reading the same story of Arulmozhi Varmar falling into the Cauvery some where too. I don't remember exactly.(May be in the Kalki magazine edition of Ponniyin Selvan as a box message? Anyone to clarify?).