The gallant, quick-witted Vallavaraiyan Vandiyatevan is en route to the war-ravaged island of llankai at the behest of the captivating Chozha princess Kundavai Devi. Aided by the free-spirited boatwoman Poonkuzhali, our ingenious hero wends his way across land and sea in search of 'Ponniyin Selvan' the beloved Chozha prince Arulmozhi Varman.
Back home in the Tamil country, the diabolical plot to take over the throne of the Chozha empire gathers momentum. At its centre stands the wife of the senior Pazhuvettaraiyar, the beguiling and dangerous Nandini, who will stop at nothing to bring down the Chozhas. Will the Chozha princes, assisted by the valiant Vandiyatevan, manage to outsmart such formidable foes?
This epic saga, masterfully penned by Kalki Krishnamurthy and elegantly translated by his granddaughter Gowri Ramnarayan, continues to unfold in The Cyclone, the second volume of the Ponniyin Selvan series.
Kalkı 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 'Kalkı' 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 Selian 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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