My books are highly political in nature: Mythology author Anand Neelakantan

Yuksom: The onus of showing mirror to the society is on journalists and writers, said author Anand Neelakantan, adding that his books, even those for children, are "highly political" in nature.

Speaking at the maiden edition of Sikkim Arts and Literature Festival on Sunday, the "Asura" writer said he has been using satire and irony in his writing to talk about contemporary issues.

"It is the job of a journalist, a writer of fiction and non fiction, to show the mirror to the society... So even when I am writing 'Baahubali', 'Asura', or 'Ajaya' and all, the people who read deeply can read between the lines that I am not referring to the Hastinapur of those days, my Hastinapur is today's India. My Lanka is today's India. My Kishkindha and Mahishmati are today's India," the writer said, referring to his mythological books.

The 49-year-old added that his books are "political" whose characters, despite their mythological roots, are based on "people around us".

"So the books are political, but I won't say it on the face. It is for the people to find it. Art becomes deep when it is interactive. If I start spoon-feeding you, then it is not art, it's troll.

"Even the children's books I write, parents who read it second time know I am implying something else. The kids are reading them in a different context, but when they grow up they will realise there are layers under layers, which is highly political in nature," he said.

Known for mythological fiction, Neelakantan has written books based on characters from Hindu scriptures such as Ramayana and Mahabharata. His bestselling books include Bahubali trilogy -- "The Rise of Sivagami", "Chaturanga" and "Queen of Mahishmati" -- the official prequel to SS Rajamouli's blockbuster Baahubali films.

His latest, "Nala Damayanti", tells an epic tale of love from the Mahabharata, with an unlikely narrator, Hemanga, the golden swan of Manasarovar. Using the epic Mahabharata as the stage, this mythological fiction talks of the resilience and resolve of an unlikely hero and brings forth the plight of the underdog, the human race, and speaks of the only remedy that can save it, love.