Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

dear all,

Could any one tell me that,

the novel ” UDAYAR ” written by Mr.BALAKUMARAN,

is this possible to consider as ” the RECORD of chola’s Life style ” ?

thanking you.

sakthisree

hi sakthi sree,

it’s possible, because, the tanjure bigtemple gives all msgs about
rajarajacholan. whos, think about always related to rajaraja, that person write
the stroy related to rajaraja exactly.

i read that novel entirely, its so beautiful also, so every one read udayar
novel.

thanking you

Sakthi Sree, I personally dont feel so. I feel he has confuseda lot of facts
and details and created a very different image of Raja Raja and the society that
we get to imagine from other sources. I dont think such a confused society
existed and still succeeded as an enormous empire with excellent economical
strengthand rich social heritage – some of those still continues. Today, we are
no where close to the golden era that was alive 1000 years back. So, my request
is please dont spoil your image of Raja Raja and his society with Balakumaran’s
view (with a lot of respect to him). I certainly cannot accept RRC as a weak old
man trying to balance himself between his arrogant (??) son, revolutionary
society and a demanding household. He was not that definetely.

to add a few more points, udayar novel has all ingrediants of a social political record of the tamil country 1000AD. many areas are very good narration about the war techniques,medicine, food processing, caste stratification, diplomacy, engineering,economics,politics…criminology..etc. occasionally i find certain aspects exaggerated for the sake of novelty. apart from this it is a definitely a book to be recomended to all tamils.

I was orally informed sandilyan 100th brithday is going to be held at naradagana saba today or tomorrow. Is it true? any body knows, it may please be informed

dear all:
Balakumaran is know for his writing skills but please remember he is only a
writer..his writings had always been skewed..he projects some values which
he thinks right but in reality they are not…certainly not in RRC era..RRC
period is still the very best in the entire Indian history and he is still
unmatched…deliberately he has hidden facts and misled the readers…for
example, he says Rajendran left for Jeyankondacholapuram when RRC was still
the king..the fact is he ruled from Thanjavur after having been crowned by
RRC..you know RRC has many firsts to his credit..cholas had the tradition of
allowing the crown prince to work under the king for atleast 2 years before
taking over the throne..RRC himself was an example..he was with Uthamacholan
for 2 years before he became the monarch..same way Rajendran was with his
legendary father before he took over the throne..he ruled well in
Thanjavur..

another fact is he had to shift his army from Thanjavur to a plain valley
which was not available in and around Thanjavur..remember RRC was the first
to have had an army of his own, not just an army, but a very large one..more
over Rajendran wanted to move to nadunadu for ease in controlling the
northern parts, as the south has been completed brought under his full
control and he expected no problem from the south..that is why he moved out
of Thanjavur..

That RRC and Rajendran did not go well is a distortion of facts and I firmly
belive that they were just two great people and had a very fine
relationship..I dont think there is any bit evidence that Rajendran was not
a good son to RRC..among all his blessings was having Rajendran as his son..

Balakumaran has shown his brahminical feelings also in the novel and made
himself happy in making RRC prostrate before a brahmin lady while not so to
a non-brahmin family while both families had lost their breadwinner in the
war..you can see this kind of projections not only in the Udayar novel but
all through his writings..I dont think he ever had any respect for
egaliteran values which existed during RRC period..

RRC just happened to be from a non-brahmin caste..he is from marava
community..so he has not been given his due place in the history of
tamilnadu or even in India..had he been a brahmin, his fame would have been
different..

Kalki, on the other, has proved to be true to history to a large extent
although he too had his own imaginations..but he never mixed his perceptions
with facts..that is PS remains a legend like Cholas of sastri..

so please treat Udayar as a novel and not a book of facts on either Cholas
or RRC.. as a story book, it is a very interesting one and like many I too
enjoyed reading it but i do understand where it fails…

neverthless i would appreciate him or having tried his best in portraying
RRC and his period as the epitome of Tamil culture and like him I too have
cried many a time when i visit Rajarajeswaram..I am from his land although
born and brought up in pandya land..my wife is from jeyankondacholapuram and
I dont miss to visit Kangaikondacholapuram when ever I happen to be there…

we all should be proud that we live in a land ruled by cholas…

Dear Mr,Gandhi,
I welcome your balanced observations of Udiyar Novel.

I have read many of Balakumarans Novels beginning with ‘Mercury Pookkal’, which
discusses labour strife based on anyers strike and lock out of Simpson group in
late sixties.

I remember a novel,by him, on the Chola period of Adithya Karikalan and his
assacnation.. I have just not able to recollect the title of the novel.

I am a fan of Kalki. But I would not like to compare Balakumaran with him . It
is like comparing Tolstoy with Irwing Wallace. However I wish to make a pont.

Kalki is a hero worshipper of Raja Raja, while Balakumaran is an Iconoclast and
is objective about what he he sees.

VKR

i do think balakumaran has certain brahmin prejudices. but the fact is there has been a positive discrimination towards brahmins in RRC times.the big temple is notoriously sanskritised in all the inscriptions. there are evidences that he had an officer in charge of his government was a brahmin. respect for brahmins is quite natural in cholmandalam. even to day such practice exists in certain social spheres. i have heard the cholan had them crowned by the dheekshidhars in chidambaram in the 100 pillar hall.
gandhi