A Pallava Adventure by Preetha Leela Chockalingam
My take on the book:
Twelve-year-old Pallavi lives in the vibrant port city of Mamallapuram in 620 CE, where her father Vaidyanathan, holds a prestigious position in the royal treasury of King Mahendravarman. Pallavi spends her days in the grand library, studying alongside her best friend Shobavathi as she dreams of becoming a scholar and a poet. But her world comes crashing down when her father is banished from the kingdom after a drunken, disgraceful incident at court.
Forced to abandon her studies, Pallavi helped her stepmother Kaivalya run a modest seaside shop, where they sold Pannagam and flavoured buttermilk to travellers and sculptors who worked nearby. While they struggle to keep their home afloat and pray for Vaidyanathan’s return, Pallavi secretly scratches verses onto the clay water jugs and corners of the shop. Unknown to her, one of these jugs has caught the attention of spies from the rival Chalukya empire. When a mysterious woman arrives in Mamallapuram bearing a dark family secret, Pallavi is forced to question everything she thought she knew about her family.
Whether Pallavi can navigate these and come to terms with the truths her family had kept buried, forms the rest of the story.
The main highlight of the story is the author’s ability to recreate the world during the Pallava kings; Mamallapuram comes alive with its library, its bustling shores, and its royal intrigues. Pallavi is the perfect protaganist who is ambitious, smart, focused on her goals and future unlike Shobavathi or Divyatheshwari who only dreamt of handsome boys and marriage. Pallavi instead dreamt of becoming a scholar, being well versed in the three languages — Sanskrit, Tamil and Pallava Tamil scripts. Her resilience amidst challenges or smart thinking when faced with extreme conditions makes her a role model for kids.
The author also keeps Pallavi real and flawed but introspective of her behaviour. The library and school of those days, how letters are inscribed on surfaces, how even glue was naturally made makes the reader ponder on how our ancestors lived sophiscated lives with the meagre resources available to them. All the supporting characters like Kaivalya, Veerakka are fiesty women. The author also details about life in the Pallava kingdom at the end of the book providing good insights. The royal palace and library also depict the religions practised during those days and how Kinnaras played a major role as workers of the court.
The preclimax brings the spy plot and adventure angle, keeping the reader engrossed. A perfect historical fiction that depicts a bygone era, this story is a must read for young kids.
My rating:
5/5.