Lakshmi Devnath chats about her new book...

How did the idea germinate?

A few years ago, I was appointed as the managing-editor of the English edition of a magazine on Vaishnavism called ‘Sri Nrisimhapriya’. In consultation with the editor-in-chief we introduced in it a children’s section.
Since the magazine dealt with Vaishnavism the stories had to deal with the subject of Vishnu.

Now there are many books on Vishnu but we were looking for something new, something for children. I realised that there were very few books on the 12 saint-poets, called Azhvars (The Azhvars were Tamil poets who immersed themselves in Vishnu). The only book in English which I found was a 25-page booklet called ‘Azhvar Tales’ by the late Srirama Bharathi. So I decided to write about the Azhvars and that is how Poorva’s magical journey began...

Are Poorva and Swami Thatha inspired by real people?

(Laughs) No, they are purely fictional. I used the name Poorva because it means ‘past’. And the character of Poorva is plunged into the pages of history so this name struck me as appropriate. Writing for children is not new to me. In an earlier series on Carnatic music my character was named Sargam which means ‘seven notes’; I like using names that are appropriate to the content.

There seems to be some similarity between Poorva and Swami thatha plunging into the past by chanting 'Om' and Dumbledore and Harry Potter plunging into the pensieve to view the past? Was this intentional?

To tell you the truth, I had not read the Harry Potter series. Recently however, because of comparisons being made between the Potter books and mine, I picked up ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ and read it. It is remarkable how Rowling’s imagination works. Quite fantastic. I haven’t read the other books though and the similarities, if any,  are coincidental.

Tell us about the primary elements in the book...

I think the way a story is told is as important as the story itself. It is the responsibility of the author to make the reader want to turn the pages of the book. So the element of ‘fantasy’ (Poorva’s mystical journey into the past by means of magic ) forms one strand in the book.

Of course the main purpose of the book is to tell the stories of the Azhvars and I have stayed absolutely true to tradition. The matter contained is completely factual according to the 16th Century text I have referred to. So this forms a ‘traditional’ strain in the book.

The third strand is ‘historical’. I collaborated with archaeologist and historian Dr Chithra Madhavan and she provided historical snippets that have all come alive through the eyes of Poorva. I also opted for the historian’s perspective as far as the dates of the Azhvars go and have depicted the context as per their inputs.

What has the response been in the North to this book?

The promotion, as far as I know, has not been intensive in the North but down South the response has been tremendous. Within 10 days of its release ‘Poorva’ has gone into a reprint. 

I asked because the book is based on Tamil literature...

I intend Poorva to cut across geographical and religious boundaries and experience the many stories from our vast and great heritage. Poorva, Part II, is set in the Vedic ages. In fact one saint I would like Poorva to meet with is Guru Nanak. 

What is the message you would like readers to take from this book?

I don’t want children to view these stories merely as religious but as part of our great Indian heritage. Each portion of India has much to offer and I would like to expose children to as much of it as possible.
In fact writing about Poorva has enthused me to delve into the poetic excellence of the spontaneous outpourings of the Azhvars. I hope she has the same effect on her readers!