CHENNAI: When most teenagers are thinking about board exams or college applications, 16-year-old Rounaak Shiv has been busy writing a historical novel on one of the greatest rulers of the Chola dynasty. His debut Tamil novel, ‘Aazhikondan – Part 1’, published by Vanathi Pathipagam, centres on the overseas conquests of Rajendra Chola. Written under the pen name Andhuvan, the novel combines historical events with fiction, drawing on inscriptions and years of research.
"My grandmother used to tell me stories and one of them was Ponniyin Selvan. Those stories stayed with me. During the Covid lockdown, I read the novels and was fascinated by the way Kalki had written every character. That's when I started reading more about the Cholas,” he says.
The Grade 12 student soon found himself reading books on Tamil history, listening to lectures by historians and searching for information on the Chola navy, architecture and administration. "I felt our history and heritage weren't reaching enough people. I wanted to give something back to my culture. This book is also my tribute to my grandmother and to Kalki Krishnamurthy,” adds the author.
His interest in history soon extended beyond books. Over the years, he travelled to several places linked to the Cholas, including Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram, Udayalur and Thiruppurambiyam. One visit remains etched in his memory. "When I visited Thiruppurambiyam, where one of the important battles took place, it didn't feel like I was going there for the first time. It felt familiar, as though the place was asking me why it had taken me so long to return. It was a strange feeling,” Rounaak says with a smile.
Those visits helped him picture the world he was writing about. Standing before the Brihadeeswarar Temple or walking through the remains of old Chola settlements gave him details that books alone could not. The result is ‘Aazhikondan – Part 1’, which is centred on Rajendra Chola’s overseas conquests and supported by epigraphical evidence. While the story is fictional, the larger historical events remain true to available evidence.
"It is not a strict historical record. It is a story built around real historical incidents. I wanted readers to enjoy the story first, but also become curious about history,” Rounaak explains.
Research became a major part of the writing process. For nearly two years, he spent his free time reading, watching lectures and checking historical references before putting together the manuscript. The hardest part was balancing imagination with history. "When you're writing fiction, you get so many ideas. The challenge is fitting those ideas into the historical timeline without changing the facts. That took a lot of work,” the youngster admits.
Outside writing, Rounaak enjoys playing cricket and reading widely. While Kalki remains his biggest influence, he also enjoys the works of Franz Kafka and Fyodor Dostoevsky. He hopes to study Liberal Studies at Ashoka University after school, but writing will continue to be part of his life. The second part of Aazhikondan is already underway. For him, history is more than a collection of dates and events. "I've always liked history because it has depth. It helps us understand who we were and where we came from. I hope more young people become interested in it,” concludes the young author.