Sivakami's Vow: Paranjyothi's Journey Book 1

<p>A young man trudges from a tiny Chola village to Kanchi, the great city of art and learning, hoping to discover his destiny. A bikshu wanders around the Pallava empire, befriending lonely souls. Spies lurk in the shadows, and even statues of the Lord Buddha conceal secrets. Emperor Mahendra Pallava, connoisseur beyond compare, rules with compassion and justice, while his son, Kumara Chakravarthy Narasimhar, falls deeply in love with the greatest dancer of the empire, Sivakami.<br>Somewhere in the distance can be heard the drums of war. The fearsome Chalukyas are planning an invasion: their war elephants, horses and infantry sweep towards the Pallava empire. Emperor Pulikesi eyes Kanchi as the crowning glory to his martial achievements.<br><i>Paranjyothi's Journey</i>, the first in the four-volume Sivakami's Vow series, is a riveting tale of war, betrayal, secret passages, guarded forts, passions and a Pallava emperor who will do anything to save his kingdom. It was written by Kalki, a master storyteller who raised Tamil literature and history to new heights almost single-handedly.</p>

<p>Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy (1899-1954), better known by his pen name Kalki, was an editor, writer, journalist, poet, critic and activist for Indian independence. Kalki's expansive body of work includes editorials, short stories, film and music reviews, and historical and social novels. His stories have been made into films, such as <i>Thyaga Bhoomi</i> (Land of Sacrifice, 1939), the M.S. Subbulakshmi-starrer <i>Meera </i>(1945), <i>Kalvanin<br>Kadhali</i> (The Thief's Lover, 1955), <i>Parthiban Kanavu </i>(Parthiban's Dream, 1960) and, most recently, the Mani<br>Ratnam-directed <i>Ponniyin Selvan</i> (Ponni's Beloved, 2022). One of the most renowned names in Tamil literature, Kalki was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel Alai Osai (The Sound of the Waves).<br><br><br>Born and raised in Chennai, Nandini Vijayaraghavan is a director and head of research at the Singapore office of Korea Development Bank. She holds master's degrees in economics and finance from Tufts University and London Business School, respectively, and is a CFA charterholder. Unfinished Business is Nandini's first India-centric business book. Her columns on finance and economy have appeared in <i>BusinessLine</i>, <i>The Hindu</i>, <i>Economic and Political Weekly </i>and <i>Financial Express</i>. Nandini blogs at www.litintrans. com. Nandini has previously published a non-fiction book, <i>The Singapore Blue Chips</i> (co-authored with Umesh Desai, World Scientific Publishing, 2017). She has also translated Kalki R. Krishnamurthy's novels from the Tamil, including <i>Parthiban's Dream</i> (Ratna Books, 2021, shortlisted for a<br>Valley of Words award in 2022) and the Sivakami's Vow series (<i>Paranjyothi's Journey, The Siege of Kanchi, The Bikshu's Love </i>and <i>Shattered Dream</i>, Penguin Random House India, 2023).</p>