Veerayuga Nayagan Velpari

         Back in 2019, when I first came across the book "Velpari," I had little faith that it would be a worthwhile read. I assumed it would be one of the typical tales about a little king giving his chariot to a growing plant. After two years, I heard from a friend that this book is enjoyable to read, so I decided to give it a try. I was astonished to realize that there was no stock at all and that it was in high demand when I tried to purchase the book. It greatly increased interest in this novel. I kept track for almost six months and finally clicked the book as soon as the stock arrived.

        After reading the book, I could now appreciate its true value. I also realized the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Some novels will make us feel happy, while others will make us stop and ponder, while still others will make us cry, and still others will make us feel proud. However, this book presented everything at once. I got goosebumps reading this novel, every single paragraph. The way our ancestors lived, how beautifully they coexisted with nature, their knowledge of nature—all of it is mind-blowing—it’s really beyond imagination.

     Veerayuga Nayagan Velpari written by Su. Venkatesan. The narrative opens with Kabilar, a renowned Tamil poet, setting out on a voyage to meet Pari. Kabilar became curious to find out whether the reports that Pari is a great guy, that he is so nice, that he is generous, and other things, are true or not. Pari and his people lived in Parambumalai. There is no set path to take to get to his residence. To prevent the invasion of other kingdoms, Pari kept it as a secret. Only few Parambu protectors are aware of the route.

     Kabilar came upon Neelan, a Parambu soldier, as he was walking towards a thick forest. Neelan leads the way to Pari's residence. Kabilar, one of the best poets of his day, was incredibly knowledgeable. But after speaking with Neelan for a short while, he realized that Neelan knew more about nature than he did. Despite his lack of literacy, his way of life taught him many valuable lessons. This fueled even more interest in Pari and his people.

      The story goes on. The voyage of Kabilar, the way Pari addressed him, and the way the residents of Parambu embraced him, all topics are covered in greater detail by the author in this book. During Kabilar’ s time in Parambumalai, a significant celebration known as "Kotravai Vila", which takes place once annually, took place. It was a festival where members of several tribal communities—which are on the verge of extinction—displayed their superior cultural abilities. All these extinguishing communities called Parambu as their home and hearing their past life would truly melt us and bring tears to our eyes.

     Life is comprised of love. In the kingdom of the Pari, love was abundant. Young couples were allowed complete flexibility in selecting their partner. Caste, community, status, and other restrictions that we have created now did not exist. Among them, love is unconditional. Being loved and being in love is a different level of feeling. Isn’t it? I was completely mesmerized with the love story of Murugan and Valli which is depicted in this book.

      Speaking of science, Space science was one of Pari and his people's specialties. Today, we have GPS and maps to help us locate a place. However, the Parambu people used stars to find the location about 2000 years ago. They were incredibly skilled at interpreting the behavior of the stars and their patterns. I doubt that we can accomplish that on our own even today (without any technical gadgets). In this book, Murugan and Valli would have a dialogue where they discuss about "Karthigai."

“During one of their late-night discussions in summer season, Valli observed a tail-shaped star pattern which she had noticed a few months before, was not present in the sky. She questioned Murugan about it. We will be staying behind them, he said. Valli appeared puzzled. She also questioned why there were flowers everywhere when it was raining and during summer. But there were no flowers in the interim between other seasons. Why?

The six stars arranged in the shape of a tail, according to Murugan, are the cause of these events. There were thick clouds covering the sky and it was raining heavily when the moon and these six stars were together. The sun is bright all over when it is with these six stars at the same moment. Water and light are the two things that cause flowers to bloom. Because of this, those two times of the year have more blooms than other times of the year, he said. Murugan’ s insightful observation and explanation shocked Valli!

For the heavy clouds (in Tamil, it’s called KAAR-MEGAM) and the bright sun (In Tamil, for hot climate, it’s called THEE), these six stars in tail shape is the reason. So Valli and Murugan named this cluster as KARTHI.” That showed how excellent they are at space science.

      Have you ever heard of the animal Slender Loris? In other words, it’s called "Devangu" or "Kaadu Paapa". Pari and his people worshipped slender loris as their god. An interesting fact is that it always sits facing north. There were three big kingdoms in southern India called Cheras, Pandyas, and Cholas. When they came to know that there was an animal which always sat facing north, they were astonished and wanted to capture it, because it was a boom to their sea trade. Imagine the age of no compass. At sea, one needs to be an expert at finding directions to reach the desired destination. They were using stars for that. However, not everyone could predict the route using stars. It’s very difficult. So, an animal like slender loris is a "wheel of fortune" to them. Hence, they together invaded Pari’s kingdom. Not only for Slender Loris, but they were jealous of Pari’s fame also. Hence, they wanted to bring him down.

     What then happened? How did the little king manage the three enormous kingdoms? If he was successful in rescuing his people? What tactics did he employ to fight the huge army? All these were part of the book. One could experience a super thrill ride on this book. Pari and his people also possessed amazing knowledge of medicine. For every disorder, they had an efficient treatment. There are numerous examples of Parambu people using their extensive medical expertise to treat patients, throughout the book. I've attached a list of a few species names that I came across for the first time while reading this book.

      As I mentioned each chapter in this book is unique and engaging. Few characters like Neelan, Palaiyan, Angavai, Thekkan, Vaarikaiyan, Aadhini, Koolaiyan, Uthiran, Iravadhan, Mudiyan, Porchuvai, Thisaivelar, stays in our hearts forever. The author came up with a compelling and unique plot for their work.

    The phrase "Nature will not offer space for those who destroys it" is the central theme of the Parambu people's entire way of existence.

One of the best books I ever read. Do give a read💓