Ponniyin Selvan , the historical novel of Kalki Krishnamurthy, is now in a new form to captivate the young readers. The novel, spanning five volumes, has been adapted to the comic book format in Tamil, suitable for readers aged 12 and above.
The first instalment of the comic books, which is an adaptation of the first two chapters of the novel, was released on Monday, in an event organised to mark the birth anniversary of Raja Raja Chozhan.
P. Saravanaraja, Managing Director of Nila Comics, a Chennai-based publishing house, said they would release a comic book every fortnight. “Every comic book will be an adaptation of two chapters from the novel. While Ponniyin Selvan is a classic and considered one of the finest pieces of literature among adults, we wanted the young readers and children too to know the story,” he said.
Available as e-book
The book is was being made available as an e-book as well across online e-commerce websites.
Stating that most readers would have visualised the characters and scenes in their minds as they read the novels, Mr. Saravanaraja said that he hoped that the comics would appeal to older readers too.
M. Karthikeyan, animation director with 5 Elements Entertainment in Chennai, who has worked on the illustrations for the comic books, said he had initially gone through all the volumes of the novel and then worked on the sketches for the characters.
“I based my illustrations of the characters on how Kalki had described them in the novel. The character descriptions helped me visualise them and I have tried to illustrate their expressions and the scenes in depth,” he explained.
The release of the comic was supported by the Tamil Ezhichi Mandram. Its secretary P. Irayarasan said he hoped children would also be interested in the comic given that many of them were interested in cartoons and animation films.
The comics will also be translated in English and released soon.
