Exclusive Interview With Novelist & Ponniyin Selvan Translator Sumeetha Manikandan

Ponniyin Selvan 1 was released in the theatres on September 30, and so was the fifth and final volume of Ponniyin Selvan Novel's Translation by Sumeetha Manikandan.

Being an ardent fan of the Novel I had much to discuss with her. I reached out to her for an interview, and she was kind enough to spare some time.

When did you begin the translation process and how did you manage to pull through this intimidating task?

Translating a five-volume novel can be extremely daunting and that too this is a novel that has been translated already. So I wanted to know her motivation behind this tiring task and this is what she had to say.

"I started translating this in the early 2000s when the blogging culture came about. I was excited about putting my chapters out and receiving comments on them, and it was a rewarding activity. Then after a point, I did stop doing it, and a few years later I picked up again. This time I planned to finish the books and self-publish them. And over time, it has been picked up by a publisher, and the books are doing well.

About motivation, well, although there already were translations of the novel, I felt that I could bring an enhanced readability factor to the translation. For example, I use words like Thambi, without translating them, to give a native feel to the content. This and a few other things, I thought would make a difference in how engaging the novel is to a non-Tamil reader."

What made Ponniyin Selvan special for you?

"The novel to me is an efficient history lesson. Although the story is mostly fictional, the writer Kalki managed to take breaks in telling the story and narrated abridged versions of the Chola history, which made me interested in exploring the history further. And he brought to life the famous Raja Raja Cholan that too, in an age and form where you get to see how his young mind shapes up to become the emperor that he transformed into later.

I loved how he wrote his female characters and how each of them was distinct from the others. I could go on all day about why this novel is a masterpiece."

Which character's introduction impressed you the most in the story?

"I did enjoy the introduction of Poonguzhali, but her entrance was at least announced earlier. The intro that I loved the most was of Arulmozhi for sure. It was completely unexpected and it had a nice surprise and a shock factor. The way he initially appeared to be just a mahout, and suddenly gets into a brawl with Vandhiyathevan and then reveals himself, was an exciting read.

I'm glad they retained that portion's excitement in the film, and I was quite satisfied with Jayam Ravi's portrayal of Arulmozhi. In fact, I was impressed with most of the casting choices."

What is your day job?

During the conversation, she mentioned this as more of a hobby project and I wanted to know what she does for a living. She said that until very recently she was a freelance writer taking up a variety of projects that suited her skillset. And currently, she works in a Cybersecurity firm as a Marketing director. She joked about how her job gives so much information that she could easily convert it into books if she had the time to do it.

Your other works?

She has written and published a novel titled 'These Lines Of Mehendi' apart from the translated volumes of Ponniyin Selvan.

Her books can be found in the following link.

What do you have planned next?

When I asked her about her further projects, she said that a translation of another epic novel by Kalki 'Sivagamiyin Sapatham' was on the cards. She also said she is waiting to pick up one of the many unfinished novels she is working on.