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“He (Siruthondar) turned to the man beside him and removed the wig, beard and moustache thus revealing the proud and majestic face of Mamalla Narasimha Chakravarti!” With this one sentence Kalki brings to an end all our questionings about the sivanadiyar and Veerasenan and yet the entire romantic mystery of the novel woven by the commanding presence of the two only gets intensified, so much so, that one never tires of reading the novel for the nuances.

Unfortunately, Gita Rajan’s translation has sought to ‘rectify’ what she may have considered as a ‘drag’ by tightening up the narration. In the process she has missed vital clues that were imbedded in the storyline by Kalki as when he writes: “There was a greater magic (mahendra jaala vidhdhai) which took place now. Sivanadiyar who had been bound and placed on the sacrificial stone suddenly released himself from the knots and jumped down free.”

Gita Rajan has erased this Houdinian moment with her prosaic insertion that Siruthondar “climbed on to the altar and cut free the ropes that tied the sivanadiar.” Actually, Narasimhavarman’s talent to free himself is an indication of all that he had learnt from his father, Mahendravarman. Kalki had cast Narasimhavarman as a glittering personality. Six decades have not withered his infinite variety as a lover, husband, father, soldier, artist and patron.

Poor Kalki. He certainly would not have expected such a painful siphoning away of the beautiful ancient Indian ambience he had created for his historical novels. For, it is atmosphere that gives vigour to the story’s movement. We may know in advance every move and change in Kalki’s historical novels, but we return to them with the same zest as when we read them for the first time.

The charm and significance of a historical novel lies in the recreation of a vanished past, an art that Kalki had mastered to near-perfection. The segments of South Indian history he chose coincided with the rise of the Bhakti movement. His quotes from contemporary hymnologists and the presence of Tirunavukkarasar made Parthiban Kanavu a splendorous tale. Unfortunately, all this has been brushed aside as the translator has sought to compress the narrative to the scenes of action. This has also taken away the characteristic Kalki touch of cheery humour.

Indeed the chapter where Kundavai meets Tirunavukkarasar has been deleted and with it have gone the immortal “kuniththa puruvamum” verse and the sage’s ecstatic reference to Saivism and Vaishnavism. Gone is Kundavai’s exclamation: “He just can’t stop talking! No answer to my question! All because of senility!” A reader of this version may also exclaim: “Bless thee, Bottom, Thou art translated!”

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