Chapter- I

Introduction

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 Chapter- I

Introduction

Sir Walter Scott (1 771-1832) is a popular British historical novelist whose

impact still holds sway over the field of world literature. His Tamil counterpart

Kalki (1899-1954), a great literary figure in historical novel writing, remains

an everlasting influence and an unceasing inspiration to his successors in Tamil

literature. These two writers are really pioneers in the genre called historical
novel in English and Tamil literatures respectively. Like Colossus they stand

majestic without any parallel.

111 many respects Scott and Kalki are similar. First they are good
storytellers. Like Pied Piper they could lure their readers. But they are very

much unlike the man from Hamelin who punished the residents of his town

for not keeping their word. Each writer has authored several historical novels.
Scott has twenty seven historical novels to his credit whereas Kalki has written
a trilogy. Their novels run to several hundreds of pages. Most of the historical

novels of Scott consist of not less than four hundred pages. Kalki 's historical

novel PO!J'!iyilj Celva11 (The Glorious son ofPouui, The River Kaveri- 1954) ·

is written in five volumes. Civakamiyi'!. Capatam (The Vow of Civakami -

!946) consists of four volumes.

Another similarity between the two writers is the mystery that shrouded

)z their identity in the beginning of their career. Scott published his first historical

novel Waverley (1814) anonymously. He was 'The Great Unknown'

 2

(Midlothian 6). Scott preserved his anonymity because he felt that it was not

quite becoming in a clerk of session, which post he was holding at that time,

to write novels, then considered a rather frivolous form of literature. Only in

1827 did Scott formally reveal his authorship of the Waverley Novels, the
name given to all the historical novels written by Scott. By then the Londoners

regarded Scott as 'the greatest living Scotsman' (Britannica 20 : 82) .

. Kalki's real name was R. Krishnamurthy. One of the several pen~names

used by him as a writer was 'Kalki'. The word 'Kalki' refers to the tenth and
the last future incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology (Lexicon 2 :
770). It is believed that Lord Vishnu will assume the form of a horse to restore

righteousness in this world (Lexicon 2 : 818-19). 'Kalki' is one of

"tac'i'!vataram", meaning ten incarnations. The noun 'Kalki' is derived from

the Sanskrit word 'Karki' which means 'horse' (Lexicon 2 : 818-19).

Karkiyavataram is the last of the ten incarnations. "It is said that Tirumal
[Lord Vishnu], at the end ofKalki (last) yuga (age) will be born in Sambala
Village to a Brahmin named Vishnuyasas and his wife Sumati with the features

of Narayanan (Lord Vishnu). Then he would mount a high steed and, with a

long sword, hack to death all crooked people within three nights" (Sunda,

Ponniyin Putalvar 5). Kalki 's first Tamil essay which was published in Allanta

Vikata!J, a Tamil weekly, was entitled "Ettikkuppotti". It was in the year 1928.

Only in this essay R. Krishnamurthy adopted the pen-name 'Kalki' for the

first time. The origin of this pen-name was shrouded in mystery and provoked

a variety of conjectures, until the author himself unravelled it twenty two years
after first assuming it. In an interview on 23rd August 1950 he said,
 3

Those who have read my [Kalki 's] first essay ["Ettikkuppotti"]

written as Kalki could easily have guessed why I chose that pen-name.

In that article, I ridiculed some of our meaningless observances and

superstitions which I wished to eliminate from society. With the

reformatory zeal natural in a young writer, I assumed the role of destroyer

of ignorance and backwardness in order to create a new world, much in

the manner of Lord Vishnu in his tenth avatar of Kalki. (Sunda Writer

Kalki 13)

Fmiher R. Krishnamurthy explained thus:

Whatever our past kings did they did not do it without consulting

the astrologers. The kingdoms which they governed by looking into

astrology and in accordance with the dictates of the planets did not last

long. These kingdoms disappeared without any trace. Did Columbus,

Vasco da Gama and Robert Clive set out from their mother country after

looking into astrology? In my first article which I wrote with the pen-

name Kalki, I have pointed out that many meaningeless conventions

like studying astrology and observing omens should be eradicated. (Sunda

Ponniyin Putalvar 4)

Saints bury comments: "She [Jane Austen] is the mother of the English

. nineteenth - century novel, as Scott is the father of it" (Varshney 8). This

statement speaks volumes for the greatness of Sir Walter Scott. Shakespeare

was the creator of the 'historical play'. Scott was the founder of the 'historical

novel' (Britannica 20 : 80). Anderson remarks : "His contemporaries read

Scott avidly and compared him to Shakespeare;... Balzac, Tolstoy, Emily

 4

Bronte, and Hardy acknowledge a debt to Scott" (Dyson 128). Before Scott,

Horace Walpole, Mrs. Radcliffe and Clara Reeve also had romanticised the
past, particularly the Middle Ages. Miss Sophia Lee, Jane Porter and Joseph

Strut! also tried this genre. Writers like William Harrison Ainsworth, George

P.R. James, Frederick Marryat, Thomas Love Peacock, James Justinian Marier,

Mary Godwin Shelley, Bulwer Lytton, Charles Kingsley, Thackeray, Miss

Edgeworth, Miss Susan Ferrier, John Galt, Lord Beaconsfield, Dumas and
several others had written historical novels. But Sir Walter Scott remains, till

today, first and foremost among them. In Tamil literature also there were
many writers of historical novels vying for renown, but Kalki surpassed them

all and proved his excellence.

Novel form gained entry into India only 124 years after the first English
novel was published. Bankim Chandirar published the first Indian novel
Durkkesa Nandini in Bengali language in 1865 A.D. Fourteen years later, in
1879 A.D., the first Tamil novel was published. It was Piratapa Mutaliyar

Carittiran~ (The Hist01y of Piratapa Mutaliyiir ) written by Vethanayagam

Pillai. Later, in 1895, the first historical novel entitled Mohaljanki was

published in Tamil language. Its author was Saravanamuthu Pillai. It was the
work of a writer who came from Ceylon and worked in the library of Madras

Presidency College. Soon Kudalingam Pillai, Chinnappa Pillai and

Venkatachalam wrote historical novels. In 1941 Kalki produced his first

historical novel Parttipa!Jc Kanavu (The Dream of Piirttipa!J). His second

historical novel was Civakamiyin Capatam (The Vow ofCivakami). He started

writing it as a serial for Kalki, a weekly magazine. It was completed in 1948.

Civakamiyi!1 Capatam is regarded as his masterpiece among his historical

 )

'
novels. The most voluminous of his historical novel~ is Po~1JjiviJ! CelvaiJ.. It

was started clS a serial_ in 1950 and it took three and a half years for him to

complete it. The enti;·e novel, in five volumes, was publishicd in 1954. Many

' ''Titers of the history of Tamil literature regard Kalki as the inventor and

forerunner of the historical novel in Tamil language even though several others

had'' ttltcn historicctlno\cls before him. This is similar to 1·egarding Scott as

the father and pioneer of the historical novel in English though other writers

had attempted historical novels before him. Scott and Kalki had written

historical novels in an interesting way comprising factors like historical

background, historical characters, fictitious characters, past customs,

psychology of people, art, literat·y merit and rich imagination.

M. Ramalingam hails Kalki's emergence as "the rising sun in the Tamil

world of fiction" in his book Tamil Literature in the 20th centwy (Sunda,

Writer Kalki 103). Tamil writers like Chandilyan, Mi.Pa. Somu, Akilan, Aru.

Ramanathan, Naa. Parthasarathy, Jegasirpiyan, Hasan, Kovi Manisekaran,

Rajam Krishnan, K. Rajendiran (Kalki's son), Mu. Metha, Ku. Rajavelu,

·....;·
Sri Venugopalan, Vimala Ramani, Jyothirlatha Girija, Vishwaksena and

Vikraman also tried their hands at historical novels following the trend set by

Kalki. In spite of that, the popularity and fame ofKalki as the best historical

novelist in Tamil has not waned. Homage was paid to the genius of Kalki

when the Tamil literary world celebrated his bitih centenary in the year 1999.

Even today, forty six years after the death of Kalki, his Po!JIJ.iYi!J CclvaiJ. is

serialised in the Tamil weekly magazine Kalki. It has a wide readership. The

novel is serialised for the second time. This fact vouchsafes for the novel's
)•.,
thrilling and entertaining quality.
 6

.~···

h; writing historical novels the aims of Scott and Kalki were unique and
alike: In his general Preface to Waverley Scott gave a self explanation:

In graceful eulogy, Scott often repeated that the success of Miss

Edgeworth's Irish stories was the main incentive to the publication of

Waverley. What Miss Edgeworth had done for Ireland, he would do for

Scotland; he would bring before the public Scotch men and women

speaking the Scotch dialect amid Scotch scenes. (Varshney 37)

Scott was referring to her work Castle Rackrent. Kalki 's aim was similar

to that as pointed out by Vaiyapuri Pillai in his Introduction to Parttipa!J.

Kanavu, the first historical novel of Kalki. He is of the opinion that Kalki

wrote his first historical novel in order to infuse the. mind of the enslaved

Indians with patriotism. In this context it must be remembered that the

Britishers ruled over India till 14th August 1947. The view ofVaiyapuri Pillai

is echoed by N. V Veerasamy in Tamij Novel Vakaika{ ( Tamij Novel Varieties).

Both Scott and Kalki loved their mother countries. Apart from patriotism
Kalki had other motives which compelled him to write historical novels. He

wanted to make his people understand the past glories of Tamil Nadu, their

Mother land. "Kalki was a product ofindian Nationalism. It kindled in his

heart love for his Mother land, Tamil culture and past glories of Tamil Nadu
and India. Kalki reveals this love in his historical romances" (Sunda, Writer

Kalki 9). Hence Kalki writes in the Author's Introduction to CivakamiyiiJ_

Capatam,

One. thousand three hundred years ago in our prosperous Tamil

Nadu great sculptors who carved these wonderful sculptures [sculptures

 7

at Mahabalipuram) lived! Kings who patronised and encouraged these

sculptors and made their artistic talent shine brightly lived! If so, how

improved must have been the culture and social life of Tamil Nadu in

those days! For a society to attain such a kind ofbettennent since how

many centuries in the past art, educatiGn, good governance and good

conduct "must have flourished!. (Poovannan 26)

Scott also had a similar view. "If he [Scott] glamourized the past, it was

pa1ily because he saw in the past centuries the values in which modem life

was rapidly destroying. He loved the spirit of the Middle'A'ges which he

.~

thought bound men in the brotherhood ofChrist; ... "(Neill141). He had the

past in his blood. His concern for values and principles in life was in him till

the moment of death. Therefore his last words to Lockhart, his son-in-law,
when he was dying were: "Be a good man". (Britannica 20 : 83)

To Scott Scotch history was his meat and drink. But then he did not limit

himself to Scotch history alone. His range is quite amazing. It is wider than

Kalki's. Kalki confined himself to the history of the royal people who lived in
..
-;.!
and around Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka whereas Scott wrote novels with Scotch

history or English history or French history or Indian history or even the

Cmsades as the background. Scott's microscopic vision took him to the remote

past. In his twenty seven historical novels Scott has covered a span of eight

hundred years of history. On the basis of history they can be classified as

follows :. Eleventh century : Count Robert ofParis (1831); Twelfth century :

The Betrothed (1825), The Talisman (1825) and Ivanhoe (18.19); Fourteenth

century: Castle Dangerous (1831); Fifteenth century: The Fair Maid ofPerth

(1828), Quentin Dwward (1823) and Anne ofGeierstein (1829); Sixteenth

 8

century: The Monaste1y (1820), The Abbot (1820) and Kenilworth (1821);

Seventeenth century : The Fortunes ofNigel ( 1822), The Legend ofJo.1ontrose

( 1819), Woodstock (1826), Peveril of the Peak (1823), Old Mortality (1816),

The Bride ofLammermoor (1819) and The Pirate (1821); Eighteenth century

: The Black Dwmf(1816), Rob Roy (f817), The Heart of Midlothian (1818),

Waverley (1814), Redgauntlet (1824), Guy Mannering (1815), The Surgeon's

Daughter (1827) and The Antiqumy (1816); Nineteenth century: St. Ronan's

Well (1823). As he knew some of the European lauguages like Latin and

Greek, he could ~iden the scope of his historical novels. The plot of The

Heart of Midlothian (1818) is laid in Scotland and England. The novel

Kenilworth (1821) is about England. Quentin Durward (1823) speaks about

France. The story of Count Robert of Paris takes place in Constantinople.

The Surgeon's Daughter ( 1827) takes the readers to a far Eastern country like
India. Thus, to the admiration of the readers, there is a large variety oflocations.

In Kalki 's historical novels the scenes are laid either in India or in Ceylon (Sri

Lanka). Both were geniuses in reconstructing the past. Thus Diana Neille's

following observation about Scott that he pictured past life is applicable to

Kalki also. "What Richardson, Fielding and Smollett had done in holding a

minor up to the eighteenth century way oflife Scott did for the remote centuries

of which his contemporaries knew nothing" (Singh 424). Scott and Kalki

took names and dates from the proper history and transformed them into

literature with the help of imagination. They made dry bones live. Like an

enchanter or a magician they walked through the tombs oftime and gave life

to their ghostly inhabitants. Like Scott, the pioneer who explored into the

realms of ancient history, Kalki dealt with history of different centuries with

great ease. In Parttipa!J. Ka[!avu and Civak'iimiyi!l Capatam the story is based

-~- -
 9

on Pallava history. Both are set in seventh century A.D. The latter novel also

presents the Chalukya history. Po'!IJiYi!l Ce/vw1_revolves around Cola history

in the tenth century A.D. In the above mentioned novel Kalki shows us

glimpses of his knowledge about Sri Lankan history also.

Scott and Kalki had social awareness. Both admired the old standards

oflife like love, chivalry, piety, adventure, self-sacrifice, patriotism, integrity,

and royal grace. As pointed out by David Daiches in his admirable essay

"Scott's Achievement as a Novelist" there is a conflict in Scott's personality

between love of the past and belief in the present, a conflict from which emerges

all his greatest work (Dyson 133).

The Scotch writer and the Tamil writer under discussion were both multi-

faceted personalities. Scott was a lawyer, a poet, a dramatist, a novelist, a

historian, a children's writer, a critic, a contributor to numerous magazines

andjoumals, a professional writer and a businessman who secretly indulged

in printing and publishing. He took up writing driven by financial need. Kalki

was also a versatile genius. He was a freedom-fighter, an editor, a critic, a

-
social activist, an essayist, a novelist, a short story writer and a lyricist. He

was the editor of the Tamil weekly Kalki named after himself. Previously he

had written editorials, essays and short stories in the Tamil weekly A!J:anta

Vikafa!!:.. For some time he had worked for Navacakti, a daily newspaper.

Scott and Kalki resembled each other in their health conditions also. Just as
Scott suffered from poliomyelitis Kalki suffered from pleurisy and asthma.

Notwithstanding their ill-health they had produced monumental writings. Both

wrote themselves off to death. Kalki managed to write a short story even in

his sick bed and that too when his end was nearing.
 10

Of course, there were some .differences between the two personalities.

The Scottish writer had his education in the University of Edinburgh whereas

the Tamil writer did not attend any institution of higher education. He did not

even complete his school studies. For, he had to fight for the freedom of his

mother country India. Otherwise, both were voracious readers from their

very early age. As boys, they were remarkable for their precocious intelligence,

vivid imagination and powerful retentive memory. Each evinced great interest

in the historical past. Sir H.J.C. Grierson remarks:

~ Apart from his [Scott's] professional studies [as a lawyer at the

Univeristy of Edinburgh], Scottish history, antiquity, and walking

expeditions into the Highlands and the Border country constituted his

most serious pursuits. Thus he acquired the immense knowledge of

histmy, local legends, people and conventions which went into the writing

of his [Scott's] ballads and novels. (Midlothian 5)

Reading fairy tales, eastern tales and romances expanded his mind.

Further, Scott derived his genius more from his mother Anne Rutherford than

from his father. Anne was a woman of imagination and inexhaustible memory.

She was full of stories and local legends and remained a source to Scott.

Moreover, his grandmother and some old shepherds told him exciting tales of

Border raids and expeditions of warlike heroes. Thomas Scott, his uncle, told

him many interesting stories. Scott also listened to the songs and ballads of

the old days of fighting between Scotts and Englishmen. The natural scenes

which he enjoyed in the rocky region at Sandy Knowe, a border county of

Scotland, made a deep impression on his mind. All these helped Scott to get

steeped in the history of his country and in the sense of the past. Similar is

Kalki 's case.

 11

Kalki was born at Puthamangalam, a tiny village in Thanjavur. the

most fertile district of Tamil Nadu in ' India, blessed by the Kaveri. or '

POJ_:JJ]i, the golden river... These sights and sounds ofhis [Kalki's] village

and their surrounding areas, which Krishnamurthy, loved and enjoyed

during the impressionable years of his childhood and boyhood were later
recollected and described in his [Kalki 's] literary creations. (Sunda, Wi·irer

Kalki 14-15)

Thanjavur had been the capital of the Co_la kingdom upto 1300 A.D.

Krishnamurthy listened to his father Ramaswamy Ayyar who delivered musical

discourses from the epics and puranas every evening. This was well received

and retained by him in his memory. Before Krishnamurthy was hardly nine

his father died. Ayyaswamy Ayyar, his neighbour, virtually adopted him as
his son. From Ayyaswamy Ayyar Krishnamurthy learnt tales of heroism and

selfless service for the welfare of humanity. Ayyar made him proud of his
glorious heritage. "By the age of twelve or thirteen, Krishnamurthy had read

and re-read all the fine books in Tamil and English" (Sunda, Wi·iter Kalki 21 ).

Thus he developed his general and bilingual skills. All the factors mentioned

above helped him to become a powerful writer, especially the most prolific

and popular author of historical novels in Tamil language. His visits to places

like Kanchipuram and Kotikkarai in Tamil Nadu, Ajanta and Ellora Caves in

Maharashtra state and cities like Anuradhapura, Pollannaruvu and Jaffna in

Sri Lanka gave him first hand information about places and the people with
which he was able to transport the readers to scenes of the past using his

magical pen.

Another remarkable identity between the two historical novelists lies in

 12

their humour. In his chapter on Scott in The Living Novel, V.S. Pritchett .

reminds us that Scott totally avoids tl-ie sentimentality of Dickens and is "one

of the great comic writers" (Dyson 135). Atihur Compton - Rickett finds in

Scott's work "a rich if not subtle humour" and writes: " ... his [Scott's] great

divergence fi·om the great humorists of the eighteenth century lies in his distaste

for satire" (325). Both the writers have successfully created certain comic

characters, situations and speeches. This technique is employed by them to

make their novels more lively. As in Shakespeare, minor characters provoke

~· humour through their behaviour and conversation. Characterization in their

\
:' '·
historical novels is supsrb. There is a realistic portrayal of human beings

according to their respective ranks in society. A clear demarcation is witnessed

between the royal class and the commonalty.

A persual of the above mentioned facts will drive home the point that

Scott and Kalki were geniuses of the same brand in spite of their racial, cultural

and linguistic differences.

The historical novel is a 'literary hybrid'. It is a mixture of fact and

fiction through imagination. Facts, of course, are the underlying basis ofhistory.

The historical novel is one dealing with real events in history. Certain events

and characters are taken from history and the historical novelist weaves around

them a fictitious enchantment. The method of the historical novelist is different

from that of the historian because, basically, the fom1er is an 'artist'. This

artist's co11cem is to reconstruct the past in an imaginative way. Sir Walter

Scott was the inventor of the literary form historical novel in English. Kalki

f.-·. was one of the pioneers of historical novel in Tamil. ·He is perhaps the first
writer who has popularised the genre among the Tamil readers. In their
 13

historical novels Scott and Kalki blend into a unity fact and fancy, and history

and romance. Sometimes they alter the facts ofhistmy and change the sequence

of events in the interests of their 'art'. vVe do not find mere history in the

historical novel. It is rather magnetized history. Sometimes we find characters

who are not historically ttue. Through lively imagination both the writers

presented the past in the historical novels. Their knowledge of contemporary

life helped them. to humanize the characters of the past. In an age manners

may change and fashions alter, but human nature remains constant. It may

appear paradoxical that the great success of Scott and Kalki as historical

novelists lay in their sturdy realism. Both allowed their imagination a free

play with the costume cupboard and the make up box.

The historical novel is interpreted in an interesting manner by Avrom

Fleishman thus :

The historical novel is distinguished among novels by the presence

of a specific link to history, not merely a real building up of a real event,

but a real person among the fictitious ones. When life is seen in the

context of history, we have a novel. When the novel's characters live in

the same world with historical persons, we have a historical novel.

(Subramanian 562)

History deals with the particular whereas fiction deals with the universal.

It is not mandatory on the part of a historical novelist to retell the great historical

events. Sometimes the outwardly insignificant events and the smaller

relationships are better suited than the great monumental dramas of world

history. The historical novelist is primarily an artist and a literary man. He is

 14

concerned with the nuances of human feelings, emotions and sentiments. A

historical novelist is different from a historian. Ernest A. Baker rightly points

out: "To present and interpret facts was the historian's business; to summon

up past epoch, to show men and women alive in it and behaving as they must

have behaved in the circumstances, was the labour and joy of the genuine

historical novelist" (Baker 135). The historical novel should be a novel of

manners as a contemporary might have written. It should be in a language

intelligible today. In a historical novel we get an authentic picture oflife as it

.,..
·•.1 (. '· was instead of a mere romance draped in borrowed decorations. The primany

object of the historical novelist is to present the manners and customs of certain

past times and places. He is making an attempt to reconstruct the atmosphere,

the habits of thought, the prevailing psychology of a generation with which

the writer has had no intimate contact.

Actually the historical novel had its origin in the Gothic romance. Scott

gave a new orientation to it. He remade the historical novel in such a way that

it was different from those ofhis forerunners. With all his romantic predilection,
·-~·· Scott could not help being a realist. All the characteristics seen in the historical

novels of Scott could be found in those of Kalki also, of course, with certain

differences.

Historical novels can be called human epics in prose. Most of the epic

features like detailed descriptions, similes, metaphors, alliterations, magnitude,

noble minded heroes and heroines, and story beginning in the middle are seen

in historical novels.

)-'·
The main function of the historical novelist is to enliven the past with

maximum fidelity without making it dull and insipid. His mind should be a
 15

..,-
'
storehouse of all types of information regarding the past he is choosing as his

background. He bas to collect sound historical data based on scientific research.

Therefore Scott and Kalki had paid visits to the important places and countries

which they have dealt with in their novels. The histcrical novelist has to dig
out dry bones from the grave of history, but has to reanimate them by giving

flesh and spirit. Actual facts of history are mixed up with stories of love,

chivalry, adventure and battle in order to display knowledge of human nature

and the complexities of life.

Next, the historical novelist is concerned with the medium of his novel.

What should be the language and style? Should he use the obsolete and archaic

language or the contemporary or modem language? The use of modern

language may spoil the historical atmosphere. Besides archaic language can

make the fiction unreadable and boring. Therefore the histmical novelist has

to be careful. The language that he uses should be understood by the people

of his own times. Antiquarian realism and over-accuracy can be dispensed

with. He should adopt a language approximating to common speech. At the

same time it should be heightened with poetry and with enough of archaism to

create an illusion of the past.

A historical novel is different from a historical romance. Clara Reeves

opines that the historical novel deals with real life whereas the historical

romance deals with improbabilities (Iracakopalan 30). K.V Ranagsamy Iyengar

is of the opinion that the historical romance deals with incidents and scenes
far removed from daily life and speaks about strange and wonderful things
,l_...'.
(Iracakopalan 30). The historical romance is nothing but a fictitious story or
natTative, full of strange adventures, happening in remote and distant lands,
 16

having nothing of historical association with it. But, in a historical novel, the

historical background is real. It is a record of individual life, of individual

emotions in circumstances and lives of historical interest. In a historical

romance emphasis is laid on action, whereas the historical novel is the study
of character against a particular background. Ce>tainly the elements of romances

like love, battle or fighting, chivalry and adventure are treated in historical

novels also. In historical novels there is romantic colour and atmosphere.

Beautiful landscapes, picturesque settings, descriptions of historical places

and castles have a romantic air. Scott was for writing historical novels with a

greater thrust to the presentation of noble characters, whether they were from

the royal class or from the common masses. Sex was not the criterion for the
successful creation ofhigh-minded characters. Scott and Kalki were adepts in

creating characters of good and evil. In Tamil Novel Ilakkiyam (Tamil Novel
Literature) K. Kailasapathy calls Kalla's historical novels historical romances

as his historical fiction deals mainly with incidents more than with characters

(Subramanian 566). But, a close perusal of his novels proves that Kalki gives

equal imp01iance to incidents and characters. It is through various incidents

that the merits and demerits of characters are delineated.

The main motive of Scott and Kalki in writing historical novels was
their spirit of nationalism and patriotism. They desired to speak about the

glories of their birth places Scotland and Tamil Nadu respectively. Entertaining

the readers was also their aim. The genre historical novel became popular

among the Britishers first as it was a kind of escape mechanism from the
nineteenth century problems. The period in which Scott lived was the age of

Revolutions. The American War of Independence took place when he was a

small boy. Britain lost her American colonies in 1776. The Fall of the Bastille
 11

in 1789 marked the beginning of the ..French Revolution. All over the world,

in country after country, people sought to fulfil the ideals of the ReYolution by

challenging the old ways of government. France declared war against England

in February 1793. A long naval battle and military struggle started between

the two European countries. It lasted until the final defeat of France at the

Battle of Waterloo in 1815. No less significant than the French Revolution

were the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions, which affected Britain. The

nation was beginning to be industrialised. Factories sprang up. Hardware,

pottery and other goods were manufactured both for the Btitish market and

for expoti. Rapid industrialisation brought its own problems. It led to urban
squalor. People had to work long hours in factories. They lived in noisy, dark

and unhealthy places. One of the major problems was the unequal distribution

of wealth. Total neglect ofthe social needs of men, women and children who

toiled on behalf of factory owners was much more common. It seemed that
the government also ignored the requirements of industrial towns and cities.

Thus, early nineteenth century Britain was a country of great prosperity for a

few landowners and industrialists. The period was marked by social tensions

and conh·asts. All this was acutely felt by the middle class society. To this

middle class Scott and a large number of his readers belonged. Therefore,

Scott's writings about the historical past made a special appeal to his

contemporaries. When he wrote about the past history, men and women of the

age of Revolutions felt glad to leave behind them the urgent concerns and

worries of their own time and enter a vividly recreated past. The main source
of Scott's popularity was the deep wish of the British people to escape from

the nineteenth century and its problems. Scott himself had admitted that he
wrote to give pleasure and entertainment. He did not want to produce serious
 18

or profound literature . "When he [Scott] dedicated the Waverley Novels to

King George lV in 1829, he explained how he had hoped for many years that

by amusing hours of relaxation, or relieving those oflanguor, pain; or anxiety,

they had contributed to the happiness of your people'· (Low 10). In his age,

Scott was popular like Dickens in the later years.

Kalki (1899-1954) also wrote his historical novels in a similar situation.

The people ofindia, during his period, had launched a freedom struggle against

the Britishers as they were languishing under the British rule. They wanted to

be freed from bondage and slavery. The freedom struggle was led by Mahatma

Gandhi. Gandhi was a magnetic personality who attracted huge crowds from

the North to the South and from the East to the West of India. People,

irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, sex and age, joined hands with him

in the independence struggle. Several youths, in particular, sacrificed either

their studies or jobs to join the struggle. R. Krishnamurthy, later known as

Kalki, was one of them. He was a true follower of Rajagopalachariar who

was affectionately and respectfully called Rajaji by the Indians. Rajaji was

one of the leaders of the Indian Independence Movement in Tamil Nadu.

Attracted by the teachings of Gandhi and Rajaji, K.alki discontinued his studies

at school. It was in the year 1921 when he was only twenty one years of age.

He was in the fifth fom1 at school. Several times he was put in prison by the

British government. During his prison te1111 only he discovered his talent for

writing. In person he had witnessed the horrible havoc caused by the communal

riots that rocked the city of Calcutta. Hindus and Muslims indulged in killing
~.
/ each other in large numbers before India became independent. Drinking liquor

was a social evil which affected the life of the poor in Tamil Nadu. Kalki

participated in joint propaganda with Rajaji against this menace. Therefore

 19

Kala K. Tawker opines: "The reasons why Kalki wrote historical novels can

be classified as follows :- I. The thought that our ancestors [Tamils] had a

glorious life which was not brought out to the public. 2'. The freedom struggle.

3. Escapism" (Subramanian 569).

A perusal of the above argument will ascertain the fact that, as historical

novelists, both Scott and Kalki have many identical features. There are many

similarities in the historical novels of these two writers. They are identical in

their treatment of themes, characterization and techniques. To establish this

finding a detailed discussion of three historical novels of Sir Walter Scott The

Heart of Midlothian (1818), Kenilworth (1821) and Count Robert of Paris

( 1831) and two historical novels ofKalki entitled Civakamiyin Capatam (The

Vow ofCivakami -1946) and Po'!:IJiYiiJ Celva11 (The Glorious son of PorpJJ,
The River Kaveri -1954) have been taken up. The Heart of Midlothian is the
masterpiece of Scott in the realm of historical fiction. It has Scotch history as

its background. In Kenilworth Scott deals with English history. The story of

Count Robert of Paris takes place at the time of the Crusades in the eleventh
century. Thus a careful selection· of novels has been made to ensure that these

novels represent different histories. In Kalki also the same selection process

has been observed. CivakamiyiiJ Capatam deals with Pallava history of the

Seventh century A.D. whereas PO!J1Jiyi1J Celva!l is about Cola history in the

tenth century A.D. These two novels typify two -different histories. Both are

stupendous novels by Kalki. Civakamiyi!J. Capatam is glorified as the

masterpiece ofKalki. PO!J!JiYiiJ Celva11 is the magnum opus ofKalki. It consists

of five volumes with a total of 2300 pages. In order to make the research

intense the study is restricted to these five historical novels.