Indian envoy pens historic love story

Published in the Deccan Herald on July 29, 2007

Two thousand years ago, an Indian princess from the Kosala kingdom (capital city of which was Ayodhya) travelled all the way to the Gaya kingdom in present day South Korea to get married to its founder king, and to this day this event is commemorated annually in the southeastern part of the country.This tale, popular in Korea but unknown in India, has been brought alive by Mysore-born Nagesha Parthasarathi, who is currently serving in Seoul as India’s Ambassador to South Korea, in a novel that is flying off the shelves of Korean bookstores.Princess “Suriratna” or “Sriratna” – known popularly as Hur Hwang Ok in Korea — travelled across seas to get married to King Kim Su Ro of Gaya Kingdom that existed between 57 BC and 668 AD , in what continues to be one of most enduring love stories of Korea.Mr Parthasarathi, who had written another novel, The Reluctant Assassin, had only four pages in a history book as his base material on the marriage and expanded it into a 276-page novel using his imagination. “When I came here, everybody would say Princess Suriratna, Ayodia. Beyond that, there was not much I could get. But after this book, I hope many people will go back in history and see their own history,” Mr Parthasarathi, who holds a BE degree from Mysore University and an MBA from Bangalore University, says.The day he took over as the Indian Ambassador to Korea in September, 2005, he received an invitation from the Mayor of Gimhae, requesting to attend the annual festivities celebrating the holy union of Queen Hur Hwang Ok and King Kim Su Ro, and that triggered off his quest to know more about the Indian princess which finally led to the novel. The tombs of King Kim Su Ro and Queen Hur Hwang Ok still exist in Gimhae as a testimony of a relationship that existed between the two even in ancient times. Mr Parthasarathi is happy to have recreated the story which recalls the ancient ties between India and South Korea at a time when the bilateral relations between the two countries is improving. As he says, “In 2005, bilateral trade stood at 6.7 billion dollars. In 2006, it was 9.7 billion dollars and it will exceed 10 billion this year. I hope my book will contribute to further improving the ties.”

Indian envoy offers historical mystery

Now that the rainy, hot and humid season is upon us, a good book in an air conditioned room is hard to beat.
That's exactly what Indian Ambassador N. Parthasarathi is offering lovers of history and fiction.
History and fiction? How do those two go together?
The answer is found in the ambassador's new book, titled "Silk and Empress," about an Indian princess, known to Koreans as Huh Hwang-ok, who visited the peninsula almost 2,000 years ago and married the king of the Gaya Kingdom, Kim Su-ro.
The story is amalgamated into a mystery - the kind of tale one finds when rummaging through the attic looking for a hidden family heirloom.
"It's not only a novel but it's a historical novel," he said while visiting the chairman and publisher of Herald Media Inc. Hong Jung-wook to offer him a copy. He added that the book has something for everybody.
"It's got Buddhism, Shamanism, the history of the Gaya kingdom," he said. "It is supposed to be a book like Harry Potter; it is a fast read and hopefully not a boring book."
Ambassadors in Korea generally contribute a lot to bilateral relationships. Some have worked on doctorates offering new insights on the peninsula while others have gained acclaim in the cultural sphere.

What Parthasarathi has contributed is unique and interesting, and he has dedicated the book to the Korean people.
"Part of an ambassador's job is to represent his country but another part of his job is to learn about the country and to project what was learnt," he said. "I learnt quite a lot while here and that is something that I'm trying to give back."
Parthasarathi explained that the book is largely in line with historical fact.
"They say the princess came from the most sacred place, it is the kingdom of the god in India. Even today there are thousands of temples dedicated to King Rama, his descendent is this princess in this book," he said.
It is generally believed that Buddhism came to the peninsula in the 4th century, "but the thing is King Kim Su-ro had seven sons who became Buddhas in Chilbulsa (Seven Buddhas Temple) in the first century," said the ambassador.
"So if they became Buddhas there had to be a monk to teach them. The monk is the brother of the princess that came from India, which is also well known."
The biggest challenge of the book, Parthasarathi explained, was getting it translated. Many people tried but in the end the publisher, Kim Seong-bong from Yeobaek Media took the project upon himself and made sure not to release the book until it was ready.
The question of why present this story in fictional format came up, to which Parthasarathi explained that there are two problems presenting a story as pure history.
The first being that it's very difficult to find proper facts and prove them from a story that is about 2,000 years old; in the end it can be disproved.
"Secondly, if it's pure history, how many people will read it?
"So it's our responsibility to inform about history and the only way we can do that is use this format where we tell a story which is interesting and easily readable," he said.
The book is offered in Korean for now. Parthasarathi said that the release of the book in English depends on its success in Korea.
This is the ambassador's second book; his first, "The Reluctant Assassin," did quite well.
"Silk and Empress" can be found in every major bookstore in Korea.
By Yoav Cerralbo
(yoav@heraldm.com)

(Yonhap Interview) Indian ambassador builds bridge between two countries with novel

By Sohn Suk-joo SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- At Kyobo Book Centre, South Korea's largest bookstore in downtown Seoul, a little boy stands near a bookstand, oblivious to the bustle all around him as he intently reads a book, its jacket adorned with a portrait of an Indian princess.
The boy is engrossed in the ancient story of Princess Suriratna, who sailed across an ocean from India's Kosala Kingdom 2,000 years ago to marry the founding king of the Gaya Kingdom (57 B.C.-668 A.D.) in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula.

"Historical novels have an additional advantage. Particularly, younger generations should be made more attracted to history so that they can pay more attention," said Indian Ambassador N. Partharsarathi, who installed the picture of the reading boy on his computer screen as wallpaper.

Besides, literature brings out happiness in people, regardless of age, and creates goodwill, so that it spreads positive energy among people, he said. Taking his cue from only four pages of a thick history book on the marriage of Kim Su-ro and his Indian wife, who changed her name to Heo Hwang-ok, the ambassador stretched his imagination to weave the simple story into a 276-page novel.

The fictional work, entitled "Silk and Empress," is based on a mythical love story widely known here in Korea. But the author had to go to great lengths to infuse life into the characters, researching for about two years. "When I came here, everybody would say Princess Suriratna, Ayodia. Beyond that, there was not much I could get. But after this book, I hope many people will go back in history and see their own history in front of their eyes," the 53-year-old ambassador said. Dictated by an oracle, the Korean king awaited the princess from Ayodia, the capital of the Kosala Kingdom.

Despite the contrivances of a rival Korean king and other whimsical elements, the long-awaited union between the king and Princess Suriratna bore fruit with the help of a Buddhist pagoda built by Buddha himself.

Parthasarathi retraced the scintillating love story of the king and princess, whose fate was consummated by the will of the heaven. By so doing, he managed to shed new light on long-standing ties between Korea and India at a time when their relationship is burgeoning at a breakneck speed. "In 2005, bilateral trade stood at US$6.7 billion. But in 2006, it was $9.7 billion, and it will exceed $10 billion this year. I thought my responsibility was to fill a possible gap between the two sides, if any. I hope my book will contribute to that," he said.

The ambassador has been writing since his school days, and his debut novel, "The Reluctant Assassin," was published in India in 2003, a few years ago after he finished a stint in Pakistan. "Novels reflect the culture in which one lives. It is a comprehensive reflection of a way of life. After I finished my tenure in Pakistan, I thought there was something so interesting, as India and Pakistan are neighboring countries which used to be the same country," he said.

In fact, South Korea is a testing market for his second novel. If the Korean language translation becomes successful over a period of about two months, he plans to get his original English manuscript published in India. "It took almost one year for the Korean translation. My translator did a lot work. She revised her translation seven times. The whole idea was to make it poetic, but simple. I think she did a wonderful job," he said. ssj@yna.co.kr