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.