Emperor Sundara Chozha, the ageing, ailing monarch of the Chozha kingdom, is ensconced, albeit uneasily, in Tanjavur Fort. A sinister plot is being hatched to wrest the throne from the warlike crown prince, Aditta Karikalan. The powerful senior minister Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar could well succeed in his plan to install the ineffectual Madhurantakan, Sundara Chozha's nephew, as successor to the throne.
Hearing these rumblings, Aditta Karikalan entrusts his friend, the intrepid Vallavaraiyan Vandiyatevan, with a mission-to deliver urgent messages to the emperor, and Karikalan's beautiful and brilliant sister Kundavai. Will Vandiyatevan succeed? Or will he fall prey to the scheming Pazhuvettaraiyar's? Will Kundavai be able to protect her beloved brother? What role does the bewitching, resourceful Nandini, the elder Pazhuvettaraiyar's wife, play in these deadly machinations?
A gripping tale of politics, betrayal, passion and ambition unfolds in tenth-century Tamil Nadu in Kalki Krishnamurthy's magnum opus, Ponniyin Selvan, a timeless bestseller. Beautifully translated by Gowri Ramnarayan, Kalki's granddaughter, First Flood is the first volume of this engrossing historical fiction series.
Kalki Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy (1899-1954) was a pioneer of modern Tamil literature, whose active involvement with India's freedom struggle inducted him into journalism. A liberal humanist and true-blue Gandhian, he had a passion for his mother tongue and took pride in his pan-Indian heritage. Krishnamurthy was a fiery, often controversial, crusader for political freedom, social reform and cultural revival. He adopted the pseudonym 'Kalki' after the apocalyptic avatar with the avowed intention of destroying repressive regimes and creating a new era with radical writings.
Kalki's prolific output includes essays, fiction, travel writing, art critiques, songs, poems and even a screenplay or two. He is lauded for his mesmerizing storytelling, conversational style, lyricism, wit and trademark humour. The serialized historical romances that made Kalki a cult figure appeared in the eponymous nationalist weekly he founded in 1944. His magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan remains a bestseller in the Tamil-speaking world.
Gowri Ramnarayan is a writer, translator, journalist, playwright, theatre director and educator. Formerly deputy editor of The Hindu and vocal accompanist to the legendary Carnatic musician M.S. Subbulakshmi, she has authored children's books, a biography of M.S. Subbulakshmi and profiles of iconic Indian artists. The 2017 collection Dark Horse anthologizes her original plays. Gowri has translated Kalki Krishnamurthy's short stories, his award-winning novel Alai Osai (The Sound of Waves), a two-volume biography by M.R.M. Sundaram titled Kalki Krishnamurthy: His Life and Times, as well as two plays by Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar. She is the chairperson of the Rukmini Devi Arundale Trust, senior associate editor at Sruti magazine and adjunct faculty at the Asian College of Journalism. Gowri has served as a member of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) juries at film festivals and holds a PhD in comparative aesthetics from the University of Madras.
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