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Chronicles of Ancient Glory
The Life & Times of Rajaraja & the Cholas
Speakers
There are rare moments in history when an amalgam of factors comes together to forge greatness. Rajaraja and the Cholas were, for several hundred years, the shining light of India, and the legacy they left behind, both tangible and not, lingers to this day. During the reign of Rajaraja, the beating heart of Indian history was situated firmly in the Chola lands in south India. His achievements spanned the gamut – the battlefield victories, the administrative organisation, the grand temple with its rich life and far-reaching impact, the stunning bronze idols, the daring and far-sighted maritime expeditions – and are hard to match.
Kamini Dandapani, in her new book Rajaraja Chola: King of Kings, explores the man behind the larger-than-life image of Rajaraja and the milieu in which he reigned. It goes into every aspect of Chola society—the place of women, the flowering of culture, including the making of exquisite Chola bronzes, the spread of religion, and the lives of ordinary people.
She will be in conversation with Devi Yesodharan.
Speakers
Kamini Dandapani
Kamini Dandapani was born and raised in (once) sleepy Madras. She now lives in the city that never sleeps, New York. She has had extensive training in Carnatic music, Bharata Natyam and Western Classical music (Pianoforte). A longer-than-desired stint in the corporate world that included Chase Manhattan Bank and McKinsey & Co. was followed by a complete change in direction back to her true loves, top among which are music and writing. Her book, Rajaraja Chola: King of Kings was published very recently by Aleph Book Company.
Devi Yesodharan
Devi Yesodharan was a speechwriter for Infosys chairman N.R. Narayana Murthy. Empire, a historical fiction novel on the Tamil king Rajendra Chola, published by Juggernaut, is her first novel. Her book was nominated for the Tata Lit Live First Book Prize and the JCB Literature Prize. She is a Chevening Gurukul fellow and the co-founder of Trendlyne, a financial investing platform.
