age and ponniyin selvan
  • Hi

    Malathi's question aimed at the animators made me think.
    what is the ideal age for reading ponniyin selvan?
    do we have clues from the book as to what age group readers kalki intended this book for.

    I personally read ponniyin selvan @ 35 or so.
    could members share with us the age they read PS first( and completed it of course)

    venketesh
  • I read PS when i was 24.. I completed reading it second time also when i
    was 24..
  • I read it (completed it) when I was 20.

    I got a PS collection when I was 19 but then my father's friend who was a
    tamil teacher said he got a PS collection which he collected from Kalki and
    binded them together, so I waited for him to give it to me and finally able
    to read it with Ma Se's artworks...
    It was well worth a wait I suppose...
  • Hi krithiga

    orE varushathula once more aa
    great
    but please also tell us who told you about the boo, or how you heard about it.
    it could give us an insight on the tremendous audience response for this book
  • Actually, when i was in my college , my classmates used to talk abt this
    book and they got this book from old book shops and they used to read it
    by sharing basis..
    But in my house reading novels during college and schools days are
    strictly prohibited..My classmates used to discuss abt VD, nandhini
    etc..and that brought the interest in me slowly.

    Then i enquired abt this book with my mom...my mom also told so much abt
    this and how she read this and the craze she had..so all this added to
    my interest..

    Then i decided after my studies when i start going for a job, i shud buy
    this book and read this..After joining job, i bought PS, Kadal pura and
    started reading them.

    This is how i got PS and i read it and now really i have become die hard
    fan of VD,PS...and i hav started reading udayar also.

    Waiting for that day in my life when i also can go and visit all the
    places related to our PS... :)
  • My BIL - A silent member in this group read it when he was in class 8! The
    point is age was never a problem for true lovers of PS. Only the interest
    towards the story and the way in which it is narrated counts.

    I am not sure where this movie will be screened. Will it be in theatres / or
    will it be in TV or will be released as a DVD / CD directly. The length of
    the movie also I am not aware of. But proper marketing strategy will make
    this a huge success among youngsters as well.

    ~ Udanx
  • The
    > point is age was never a problem for true lovers of PS. Only the interest towards the story and the way in which it is narrated counts.


    vaanga sir vaanga.
    i was hoping somebody like this would crop up.
    i of course knew lots of people read ps before they were ten

    now comes my supplementary question.

    can a 8 year old relate to events in PS like nandini's disputed parentage?
    we need to remember this is not a visual medium. we read, imagine and understand.

    please let us know whether he enjoyed it more when he read it a subsequent time.

    please dont be silent sir!!. enlighten us


    > I am not sure where this movie will be screened. Will it be in theatres / or> will it be in TV or will be released as a DVD / CD directly. The length of> the movie also I am not aware of. But proper marketing strategy will make> this a huge success among youngsters as well.



    as of now I understand its on a tv channel. of course it must be followed by dvds.



    venketesh


    >
    > ~ Udanx
    >
  • sorry sir
    aarva kolaru

    read it as age 8 not class 8( age 13)
    >
    > The
    > > point is age was never a problem for true lovers of PS. Only the interest towards the story and the way in which it is narrated counts.
    >
    >
    > vaanga sir vaanga.
    > i was hoping somebody like this would crop up.
    > i of course knew lots of people read ps before they were ten
    >
    > now comes my supplementary question.
    >
    > can a 8 year old relate to events in PS like nandini's disputed parentage?
    > we need to remember this is not a visual medium. we read, imagine and understand.
    >
    > please let us know whether he enjoyed it more when he read it a subsequent time.
    >
    > please dont be silent sir!!. enlighten us
    >
    >
    > > I am not sure where this movie will be screened. Will it be in theatres / or> will it be in TV or will be released as a DVD / CD directly. The length of> the movie also I am not aware of. But proper marketing strategy will make> this a huge success among youngsters as well.
    >
    >
    >
    > as of now I understand its on a tv channel. of course it must be followed by dvds.
    >
    >
    >
    > venketesh
    >
    >
    > >
    > > ~ Udanx
    > >
  • I read PS for the first time during the summer vacation of class 9. It was given to me by a neighbor ( an advocate) . One of his clients had given him the book, the very first series from Kalki magazine with Maniam's drawings. After that I've read it almost every vacation till I finished college. Now the frequency is not so much. Think I shd start now , haven,t touched it in the last 4yrs.
    I have a collection of bound books with pics. both by Maniam as well as Vinu which I acquired after pestering the Easwari library for a looong time :)
    Shobha
  • Thalaivare ...

    I said he read it when he was in Class 8 not at the age of 8. That is
    roughly 12 - 13 years old. He is in his late 40s now. The maturity level for
    teen agers in those period was high - I guess.Correct me if I am wrong.

    But yes todays kids they are exposed to so many things ... much more than
    what the other generations were exposed to. But the maturity level is not
    there. Again this is my opinion. I may be wrong.

    Your witness please

    Since Shobha wrote about an advocate trying to use the VASANAM used in court
    scenes in film.

    ~ Udanx
  • Hi,

    I read the novel at my age of 26.My aunty made me to read it.I started without the intrest(because i am not aware of any novels)but after reading some pages i forgot everything around me.Now i became a mad of PS.

    Rajee
  • I read Ponniyin Selvan for the first time at the age of 23. Actually I was not aware of historical novels much at that time. But I used to read lot of social novels & detective ones. And if I am with books I forget the whole world. Then one of my friends got Sivagamiyin Sabatham from a library and introduced me to read the historical novels. After reading that book, I became a fan of Kalki and asked my friend about his other works & he got me PS from library again. But, I am sure PS created more impact in me than SS. 
    In the same year, I read the book once again. And I saved money to buy a boon am a regular reader of PS.
    I was so captivated by PS, that I narrated the story to one of my office colleagues during lunch hour & break time and completed telling the story to her in around 9 months.
    When I came to Kuwait 2 years back and was at home I used to read PS (e-book) very often - around 4 or 5 times in a year. 
    RegardsVardhini.
  • I read it when I was 22. Of all the time I lived in India I dint touch the book. Only after coming to US for master , bored out of my 6 hr lab shift I started the ebook.

    Very very big Thanks to Project Madurai!!!!!
    !!
    Its also the biggest book I have ever read...second biggest book is Fountain head I guess.
  • Vairam, So you have not read Atlas Shrugged??

    I read Kalki's book in sequence, when I was in 9th Summer Holidays, I
    read Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatam. Though I wanted to read
    Ponniyinselvan, I did not get the book in my hostel and got the chance
    only during my 10th holidays. I still remember, for a couple of days I
    was stuck with the book and I never left the house. I wish to go back
    to those days :)
  • unfortunately, I don't clearly remember when I read it, should have
    between 10th to college. I started off with Sandilyan and jumped to
    Kalki. Reading the novel along with the Maniam's picture was thrilling
    and exciting. Usually I start and finish in one go if the book is very
    interesting, not sure how I read PS, probably 2-3 days.
  • I asked this earlier in this group, I ask again :-)))))))))))))))

    Is there an online English translation available? Project Madurai's one was not complete when I last checked.
  • Atlas Shrugged is an awesome book... for those who want to read it, i would not break the surprise but close to half the book, it would seem that the author is asking us to be selfish...
    The book is a revelation.
  • Hi,

    I think its covering all age groups...

    Now I am 24 years old.I had read that at my the age of 19.
    After that till now I am reading that when ever I saw the book.
    Till now I read that more than 10 times (fully). Not even skip a single
    page.
    I think I will read that for alll of my life time.

    I got the information about the book from my father.
    As he is also a KALKI fan as like us.


    Endrum anbudan,

    Karthi Kn
  • Dear Venkat
    Thats an interesting question....
    It might surprise a lot but I first read it when I was in 4th Standard....I grew up in Hunsur near Mysore till 2nd standard and hence could not read or write tamil but could read and write kannada...so when I joined Ida Scudder School they said if I couldnt read or write by the end of the year I was staying in 3rd stanadard again...So my folks got me Vikadan...Kumudam and Kalaimagal to develop my tamil skills...My father used to meticulously pull out all serials and bind them and there was a collection of PS with vinus pictures which was a parting gift from our tamil neighbours in karnataka a 50s version...
    My uncle who was a medical student used to visit us every semester holidays and always read this book...Curiosity killed the cat..If someone who has just finished reading for a semester exam comes and reads it so engorssed there must be somthing in it....and I read it in the holidays after my 4th std exams...and practically read every summer....if fact am in the process of yet another read....Nandhini is talking to Veerapandiyans Avi in Kadambur...
    As far as your question is how much can a young mind understand...It is very valid because you are young and naive but in a family of PS lovers you clarify things but what is more important is that age a charector changing their stand is difficult to understand like Arulmozhi and Poonguzhali or vice versa...Parthibendran changing all that is difficult to digest but once you are grown up and wise you do appreciate thats how human mind works.....
    and its normal...

    As far as telling others I think PS does it to you Me and two of my friends used to walk back home from St Antony's School to Yagappa Nagar eating verkadalai or sundal for the 25 p bus charge and I kept them engrossed with PS like a thodar every evening for almost the entire 7th std....Those were the days

    Sri
  • I read PS for the first time when i was 25 yrs old. I got to know abt PS
    from my brother and some of my older relatives. Especially my chithappa who
    is an ardent fan of Kalki's works.I was relocating to Muscat and had taken a
    6 months break from work. So before coming here i got the first volume of
    PS. (before starting PS i read Kalki's Short Story collection just to see if
    i like his style of writing!!!)
    I finished the first volume in a couple of days and was so hooked on to it
    that wanted to read the rest but unfortunately didnt have the rest of the
    volumes then.
    And then when i had a chance to get hold of rest of the volumes, finished it
    at one go and also read it for the second within the same month :)

    I was so fascinated by PS that it got me very interested in Tamil History
    and was always in the look out for something related to read. Thats how i
    chanced upon our group and have gained wealth of knowledge just by being a
    silent member :)
  • I firmly believe PS original story is not for kids, by that not that it is crude or anything but just a story for older people. Think of these situations - Nandini has a fake marriage with PPazhuvettarayar, Ooomai Raani gives birth to kids outside marriage, Veerapandiyan's head is kept on a spear and glorified by AK - are all these incidents meant for very young minds?

    That said - we have versions of Ramayana and Mahabarata too for kids despite many incidents that cannot be totally explained to them (like the famous kid friendly story that many adults believe of Kunti begetting kids with just a 'shloka'!!). We can simplify PS Story too very much to make it kid friendly - actually when I read PS I was 16 years old. Among my huge crowd of cousins and friends I was the only one who could read all this so they thought very highly of me and every saturday was a PS Story telling session. I know really well how to make the story palatable for kids atleast in those days and it is defintiely not like relating the story to an adult.

    As for those kids fed on Sidney Sheldon and Irving Wallace - depends on the age - teenage is ok perhaps given today's standards over 13 is ok. Even in US those are standards for such books although very curious kids find ways easily around that and still read them. Below that age...God help the poor parents.

    Malathi
  • Yes Ayn Rand was a philosopher writer who was very famous in her days and got a little controversial later. The 'selfishness' she advocates is one of responsiblity, not materialism and lot of her critics do not clearly understand that. In any case in her days she was revolutionary and we have to respect her for that. Lot of her books are movies too - Atlast Shrugged and Fountainhead in particular quite well known movies.
  • I had never read any of Ayn Rand's books. One day I was going to read it, but Michael Shermer poured water on my aims.
  • I was 9th std when my enounter happend with PS, I had fell sick - bed rest for 1 month and could not find anything to keep me occupied....
    PS was there to give company and it does till date :-)

    - R
  • Hi Sri,

    Reading PS at the age of 4 ?!! That was Pinjil pazhutha pazham !!!

    I read the PS when I was 30. But I finished reading it in 2 days. I started reading it in the evening.... kept reading it till 3am and then decided to stay at home the next day (work from home !!!) and read the volumes all thru the day.... did not have bath too :)))
    Finished the next day by afternoon. I remember the effect it left on me - Truly a sensational writing.
  • People often confuse age with class / standard / VAGUPPU / Pallikoodam. Avar
    4 vayasula padikkale sir naalam class padikkumdodhu padichaar.

    ~ Udanx
  • Not age 4 when I was in 4th standard thats something like 7 or 8 isnt it?
  • MESSAGE POSTED BY (on behalf of ) NEW MEMBER :; SRIDHARAN GOPALAN
    ==============


    > dear sir
    >
    >
    > I tasted the novel when I completed my PUC and enjoying the holidays. Believe me between that period and now, I have read the novel for more than 50 times. I consider this novel as my medicine whenever I am down with stress
    >
    > sridharan g
    >
  • I have read the novel for more than 50 times. I consider this novel as my medicine whenever I am down with stress
    > >
    > > sridharan g



    My My isnt that new
    PS for stress releief
    sure , till th main story starts .yes.

    but werent some portions too stressful?

    kalki ending the book with manimekalai's death was intended to keep the story permanently etched in our minds.
    like i used to ask a director friend of mine on movies with tragic ends
    " we go to the theatre for 3 hours of fun or releif. why should we cry there? or come out crying?

    he said the tragic stories are etched in our minds for longer periods.

    i reLISE ITS TRUE.


    Venketesh
  • Dear members
    Every body is telling their age and experience while reding the PS at first time.But I got different experience. I read the story at may age of fifteen.
    When I am reding the stroy I felt that I am the parpendira pallavan who is close frined of AK. Before reading the story itself, I could easily visualise what is going to  happen to parpendiran. ...
      In specific I am able to feel the same words what parpendiran spoke to periya pazuvettiar when he is with nandini.
    My close friends says that it is because of poorva janma. Is it true?   PS Friends please clarify.
  • Hi All,

    I am very new to this group. I am following all the email communications
    happens between our group members; interesting.

    I started readying PS during the year 1993-94 (when I was studying 12th
    standard); but I was not able to complete it. I got second chance recently
    to read the book and this time I was able to complete the whole book, due to
    the curiosity (while ready first time), I was literally running through the
    book and completed ready the book real quick. Now I am reading the book for
    second time (as I know the story) reading slowly and enjoying every scene
    portrait by Dr. Kalki.

    regards & thanks
    Yuva
  • Dr. Sir,
    Why you felt as Parthibendiran? Why not RRC, VD, AK? did you ever probe in
    that direction?
  • When I am reding the stroy I felt that I am the parpendira pallavan who is
    > > close frined of AK. Before reading the story itself, I could easily
    > > visualise what is going to happen to parpendiran. ...

    > > My close friends says that it is because of poorva janma. Is it true?

    I think parthibendran is a true charecter and not a fictional one. i remember some kalvettu on his behalf

    venketesh




    PS
    > > Friends please clarify.
    > > Yours
    > > Dr L Kailsam
    > >
  • RV,

    RRC, VT, AK - all are real characters.
  • Proud Rulers could build proud monuments that we now rever. Unless there is an acheivement to be proud of, pride becomes an empty boast. :)

    Ayn Rand is a must read to be proud and to be individualistic.

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