How a novel inspired parents to name their children after its characters

The Hindu

17 hours ago

A 100 children will appear on stage at Kalaivanar Arangam this Friday (July 11) for a function celebrating the success of Velpari, a two-volume novel on the Sangam-period Tamil life, by Sahitya Akademi award winner Su. Venkatesan. These children were born during the time the novel was being serialised in Ananda Vikatan or later its publication as books. Captivated by the story, their parents chose to name them after characters from the novel
.'The book crossed one lakh copies in sales and could have earned ₹10 crore. But what I consider the real achievement is the parents' decision to name their children after the characters. There are children named Pari, Velpari, Kapilan, Aathini, and Porsuvai,' said Mr Venkatesan, a Member of Parliament representing the Madurai constituency
.Some of the names, including Soozhkadal Muthuvan, a trader who owned fleets of ships, and Thisai Velar, an expert in astronomy, were coined by Mr Venkatesan himself. In Sangam literature, the daughters of Pari were referred to as Pari Magalir. Only in later periods were they named Angavai and Sangavai
.'Traders like Soozhkadal Muthuvan were very wealthy and had marital relationships with kings. Their knowledge of astronomy helped the Tamils excel in maritime trade with the Greeks for over 400 years,' said Mr Venkatesan, whose earlier novel Kaval Kottam, a historical work on Madurai, won the Sahitya Akademi award. He said the success of Velpari had renewed his faith in modern Tamil society, which, he believes, is ready to celebrate a novel rooted in the righteousness of ancient Tamil life. The book also gave prominence to Kapilar, one of the earliest and greatest poets in Tamil literature
.Historian A.R. Venkatachalapathy noted that books such as Vyasar Virundhu by Rajaji, a few novels by Chandilyan, and Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki had also crossed one lakh copies in sales. 'But the success of Velpari is remarkable because it reached that milestone in a relatively short span,' he said. He added that most of those earlier works were shorter in length compared to Velpari, which was serialised in Ananda Vikatan for 111 weeks before being published as a two-volume work of 1,460 pages. Initially priced at ₹1,500, the price was later raised to ₹2,000.
'Though life during the Sangam period was intricately woven with nature, today there is a constant tension between nature and human greed. Velpari portrays the origin of that conflict. Its central theme makes it a treatise on contemporary politics and social life,' he said.
Actor Rajinikanth, actress Rohini, director Shankar, and Finance Secretary T. Udayachandran will join Mr Venkatesan at the function.