It was a year and eight months ago that Anand Neelakantan’s book Ajaya: Rise of the Kaurava Clan was launched in Hyderabad by the celebrity couple Nagarjuna and Amala. Now, history repeats as Nagarjuna and Amala launched Anand Neelankantan’s new book Ajaya 2: Rise of Kali at Crossword book stores on Tuesday.
Hours before the launch, Anand talks about the Hyderabad being lucky for him. “I am quite excited. It is my third book, the conclusion to my second book. It came out in the market last week and is doing well. Hyderabad has been lucky for me. It is a lucky city and with lucky people, that’s why we come all the way from Mumbai and launch the book here,” he laughs.
Anand’s books revisit mythology with a different perspective and present a counter point. Ajaya 2: Rise of Kali looks at the epic Mahabharatha from Duryodhana’s perspective.
“ Ajaya 2 is the second and concluding part of my Ajaya book. From Panchali’s vastra haran to the Kurukshetra war… the entire story is written from Duryodhana’s view point, counter mythology,” he explains. Why this fascination for Duryodhana? “My first book Asura was on Ramayana from Ravana’s view point. The book got translated into Telugu too. Relating to Ram or Yudhisthir is difficult because of their high moral standards. Ravana and Duryodhana are grey characters. They are both good and bad and that’s why it makes them easy to relate,” he elaborates.
More and more writers today are looking at mythology from a angle. An interesting fallout is that all these books have been money spinners. However, Anand maintains that authors are not embracing this genre lured by monetary aspects.
“I don’t think it is only about money. I started writing Asura nine years ago and never thought of money. Even people were like, ‘Who will read Ramayana, why don’t you write love stories?’ So, when you start writing, nobody thinks of making money. Money happens in the end.”
He avers that books bank on different elements to be a bestseller. “It depends partly on luck and partly on quality and people should relate to what you write. It is not like some formula that you keep on writing and it will crack.”
An employee Indian Oil Corporation for 16 years now, Anand has been successful in his roles as an engineer and writer. “When I am not travelling, I write in the morning from 4 to 7 a.m. That is the time when there is no disturbance either from family or job. My writing has not affected my career and my job has not affected my writing. Both are unrelated,” he says. Recently Anand had tweeted how thrilled he was at seeing his book in his mother tongue, Malayalam. “I am more comfortable expressing in Malayalam but the market is small. Every author wants to be read, and it is easy to connect with the young in English.”
Anand is also working towards a television show that presents Ramayana from Sita’s point of view. “The generation which has grown up with television knows the mythological characters from TV and they are all flat narratives. The serial will explore different possibilities,” he points.
Have his books angered traditionalists? “People have argued and debated with me but there is no anger. There is no problem because I have not deviated from the original. I have not made it up,” he says. Anand’s next book is based on fantasy fiction. “ Devyani is a tribute to my daughter who is a fan of Harry Potter; it shows that our mythology is exciting and not boring,” he reveals.
On a concluding note, Anand says, “I want to say that the book is just an alternative viewpoint and not a criticism. It is a debate, an analysis and viewing from all angles.”
