My child! I fervently wish that the Chola kingdom reclaims the eminence and glory of the bygone era. This is what I dream of, day and night!'. This is Chola king Parthiban’s dream.
The resplendent glory of Cholas under his ancestors Karikala Chola & Nedumudi Kili was a thing of yore. Now Cholanadu was a palm-sized vassal state that had to pay tributes to the mighty Pallavas of Kanchi. So when Parthiban refuses to pay tributes to the Pallava king Narasimha Chakravarthi, a battle ensues. He and his army fight valiantly and die on the battlefield. Parthiban’s fervent desire that his son, Vikraman become an independent ruler and reestablish the Chola suzerainty across oceans becomes the sole life-driving force for Vikraman.
Also, a sivanadiyar (a Saivite ascetic) who witnesses king Parthiban’s valour on the battlefield asks the dying king his last wish and promises to fulfill it. Who is this ascetic and how is he instrumental in helping Vikraman realise Parthiban’s dream? Parthiban’s Dream, a historical fiction with elements of romance and suspense, holds the answers.
It’s pretty easy to guess who the sivanadiyar is after 1/3 rd book is read, yet the story with a multitude of minor twists has the reader completely engrossed. Love at first sight between Vikraman and the Pallava princess Kundavai, the loyalty and valour of Cholanadu subjects - Valli and Ponna, horrific human sacrifice that kabalikas (cannibals) practiced, the highly wicked antagonist Marappa Bhupathi help sustain interest.
Descriptions of the verdant landscape on the banks of river Kaveri in Cholanadu and the sculptures at Mamallapuram, little nuggets of information on how Mamallapuram received its name, the Bhakti movement saints, how the Pallavas razed down Vatapi, the capital of the Chalukyas after defeating Pulikesi enrich the reading experience.
Hope, despair, love, sacrifice, valor, trials and tribulations, and the triumph of truth and virtue in the end make the read a complete package.
When the author through his characters Parthiban and Vikraman asserts that one must be subservient to none, bravery and honour alone should matter, we understand his vision and zeal for Indian independence. The author, also a freedom fighter, wrote this book (Parthiban Kanavu in Tamil) in 1941 as a weekly serial in the magazine he founded, Kalki. That he wrote its prequel - Sivakamiyin Sabatham actually after Parthiban Kanavu allows us readers the freedom to enjoy it standalone.
The translator, Nandini Vijayaraghavan, in her acknowledgements writes - “History enthusiasts owe a debt of gratitude to the (late) Kalki R Krishnamurthy. Indians who were exposed to a Delhi centric interpretation of history through school texts became aware of Cholas, Pallava , and to a limited extent , of Sinhala and Pandya histories thanks to Kalki’s meticulous research and engaging narration.” And thanks to the process of translation, this classic of Tamil literature is available to readers from across the world.
In lucid prose and glitch free translation, with beautiful illustrations by late S Gopalan, this classic is indeed an interesting page turner.
For me, Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Parthiban’s Dream is a much more than a book, it's a little potli bag of memories - of how my father sung praises of the movie based on the book starring Gemini Ganesan and Vyjayanthimala that released in 1960, the illustrations in it reminding me of the magazine Kalki that my mother read in little snatches of free time, of how my parents-in-law always read the authors’ works with unwavering attention as if preparing for competitive examinations. Reading this book is an experience I will always cherish.
