Nothing - Almost

  CHAPTER 1 - POONGUZHALI - பூங்குழலி It was a place called Kodikarai. It was situated along the seashore of Bay of Bengal. It was an evening time. A young and beautiful woman was rowing her boat towards the shore. She was Poonguzhali. After reaching the shore, she made sure that the lamp in the lighthouse had been lit. She saw a deer stuck in quicksand. She saved it. Then, she walked through a forest to reach a temple.  The saint in the temple asked her to wait for him so that she would guide him through the forest to reach his house. She sat on the compound wall and waited. While she was waiting, she heard the footsteps of two horses. Suddenly she remembered how two men had come there the previous day and asked her elder brother to row a boat to Sri Lanka. The two horses approached the temple. The two men on the horses were Vandhiyathevan (VT) and the physician's son. When Poonguzhali saw them, she jumped off the wall and ran. VT also jumped off his horse and chased her....

CHAPTER 51 - MAMALLA PURAM - மாமல்லபுரம் A charriot was going in the streets of Mamallapuram. There were three men in the charriot. i) Aditha Karikalan (AK) - Son of the King Sundhara Chola. AK was the Crown Prince . ii) Malaiyamaan - An old man, Father of Sundhara Chola's second wife Vaanamadhevi. iii) Parthibendra Pallavan (alias) Parthiban - A close friend of Aditha Karikalan. Though Parthiban belonged to Pallavas, he joined the Chola empire because Pallavas had lost their glory. Aditha Karikalan (AK) expressed his anger on PPV and CPV that they had announced his messenger a spy. Parthiban blamed Vandhiyathevan (VT ) that he didn't have intelligence but AK wasn't ready to accept it. The oldman asked them to stop the charriot so that he could also speak. CHAPTER 52 - MARRIAGE OF AN OLD MAN - கிழவன் கலியாணம் Malaiyamaan told both of them about the secret meeting held at Kadambur palace. He advised AK to call Arul Mozhi Varman (AMV) to come to Mamallapuram and be w...

CHAPTER 41 - TREASURY - நிலவறை Vandhiyathevan (VT) kept walking in the darkness. After a while, he reached the treasury of the Chola empire. He couldn't believe his eyes. All the jewels and coins made of precious gems were sparkling and lit the place. He didn't want to move from there because the place was so beautiful. Then, he could see two groups of people in some distance approaching each other. In one group, there was Kandhamaaran (KM) and the guard (Returning). In the other group, there were Periya Pazhavettaraiyar (PPV) and Nandhini. The two groups met. PPV and Kandhamaaran exchanged some words. (Though what they spoke was insignificant by then, it had an importance later in the story. KM simply asked PPV if Nandhini was his daughter.) KM stepped down in the stairs. Then, PPV gave a signal to the guard. The guard followed KM. VT knew that if he followed them, he could reach the exit. So, he followed them. At the end of the underground path, there was a wall. The guard tw...

CHAPTER 31 - "THIEVES! THIEVES!!" - "திருடர்! திருடர்!" Through the paintings in the hall, Vandhiya Thevan (VT) came to know the importance Pazhavettaraiyar clan had in Chola empire. In so many occasions, they had helped Chola kings. So, it wasn't surprising for VT that Chinna Pazhavettaraiyar (CPV) and Periya Pazhavettaraiyar (PPV ) had immense power and reputation. VT then realized the critical situation he was in. He knew CPV wasn't fully convinced by his reply about the 'danger'. He knew that PPV's arrival would reveal that because contrary to what VT had said, PPV hadn't actually given him the palm tree ring. VT also knew that the letter he brought for Kundhavai should also be with CPV. VT consoled himself that even without the letter, he could tell the message orally to Kundhavai. He didn't worry if she would believe him or not. If he was found guilty by the Pazhavettaraiyar, he would be sent to the underground prison. He knew t...

CHAPTER 21 - CURTAIN FLUTTERED - திரை சலசலத்தது After his encounter with Kundhavai and her friends, VT headed towards Thiruvaiyaar. He was thinking about Kundhavai (Though he didn't know that the woman he had been dreaming was Kundhavai, he knew that there was a possibility of the woman being Kundhavai). When he reached Thiruvaiyaar, its music and natural scenic beauty attracted him and so he decided to stay at Thiruvaiyaar that night. On his way, he saw the palanquin being carried by men. There were soldiers leading and following it. He was sure that it was coming from Kadambur palace because there was the emblem of palm tree on it. He came to the conclusion that it should be Madhuraandhaga Thevan inside it. The duty assigned to him by Aditha Karikalan (AK) was to give letters to the King and to the Princess. But, he knew it wasn't easy for an ordinary man like him to enter the palace just like that (Remember, he had to give the messages to them without gaining much of an at...

CHAPTER 11 - SUDDEN ENTRY - திடும் பிரவேசம் The astrologer told Kundhavai and Vaanadhi that the future husband of Vaanadhi should be a great warrior and also he would be from the same country. He added that the warrior might get some troubles but eventually he would win. While Vaanadhi was asking about Kundhavai's future husband, Vandhiya Thevan (VT) entered there without obeying the watchman's words. On seeing Kundhavai, he became stunned by her beauty. He went out and continued to argue with the watchman. When the two women went out, VT apologized for the arrogant entry but Kundhavai went past him without saying anything. VT was gazing at her for a long time. CHAPTER 12 - NANDHINI - நந்தினி How did VT reach Kudandhai astrologer's house from the bank of Kollidam river?  A small flashback. When Kandhamaaran (KM) sent off Vandhiya Thevan (VT), Azhvarkkadiyaan (AA) got a place in the boat with him. There was another man with them. AA kept arguing with him which God was greate...

INTRODUCTION BY THE SUMMARY WRITER Because I tend to forget most of what I read, I have the good habit of writing down the summary of whatever I read after every session of reading. In fact I have always felt blessed to have the forgetfulness because I can enjoy the suspense of the same text even with the further readings. Having said that, I don't want to forget when I read history. When I came across Madhan's "VANDHAARGAL VENDRAARGAL" (They Came and Conquered), a dense piece of writing about the history how the Moghuls arrived in India to eventually rule her, I wanted to remember it forever. Due to the habit I had cultivated, it wasn't easy for me to move on to the every next chapter without writing down the summary of the previous one. It felt like a vacuum in my mind if I didn't write the summary. As a reasult, I quit reading it, thanks to my laziness to summarize after every chapter. Since then, I had always shirked from reading history - until one of my...

உண்மையாயிருந்ததால், காயப்பட்டோரே-- ஒதுக்கப்பட்டோரே-- கண்ணீர் உகுத்தோரே-- பொய்யொன்றும் பாதகமில்லை ஐயா! உண்மையைப் போலன்றி, பொய் கொஞ்சம் கருணையுள்ளது; முகத்திலறையாதது; இடம் பொருள் ஏவலறிந்தது; புரைதீர்ந்த நன்மை பயப்பது; ஆறுதலளிப்பது; சுவாரஸ்யம் சேர்ப்பது; இரசிக்கத் தக்கது; மனிதத் தன்மை மிக்கது; கவிதைக்கானது; காதலுக்கானது; ஹாஸ்யமானது; அதி முக்கியமாக, உண்மையைச் சீரணிக்கும் பக்குவம் உலகார்க்கெலாம் வாய்க்கும் வரையிலும், வாழ்க்கையை அழகு செய்வது, பொய். உள்மனதில் உறையட்டும் உண்மை, உதட்டில் சற்று விளையாடட்டுமே பொய்!