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- Between the Lines with Anand Neelakantan
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When Mahi, a young elephant, decides to fulfil his dream of flying over the blue mountains, little does he know that he’s setting in motion a chain of events that will endanger him, his mother and the whole of Anastan. He has only one goal-to find and rescue Varana, his father, former chief of the herd, who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Trumpo, their vice president, is convinced that the wicked tigers of Pulistan have killed Varana. But can Mahi trust Trumpo? Who is his friend, and who is his foe?
Allegorical and satirical, but also hilarious and delightful, this story will entertain both children and older readers as they join Mahi on his exciting journey and discover whether he does, one day, really soar over the blue mountains.
In conversation with Kartik Chauhan, Anand Neelakantan talks about the book and writing children’s literature in India.
Q. In the introductory note to Mahi, you talk about the dearth of stories for children in India in modern times, as compared to the cult classics like The Lion King in the West. Tell us a little bit about how you decided to write Mahi to fill the gaps in Indian storytelling.
Anand Neelakantan: I am a fan of children’s books. I am also a great fan of animation films, especially those of Disney films and Pixar films. Writing for children is a tough task, and I hadn’t thought of writing children’s books, until I gained the confidence. It took me ten novels and many screenplays even to dare to attempt writing for children. I felt that, though there are many classics like Panchatantra and Jataka Tales which can appeal to children and adults alike, the stories that have appeared for children in Indian English have been preachy in nature with very less entertainment value. I wanted to create something entertaining and cinematic, which could one day be made into an animation film. Mahi is an attempt to do that. The writing is cinematic and highly visual and the thrust is to entertain and educate. On one level it is a funny story, on another it has a message for children to never give up hope and dream big and at a deeper level, it is a satire for adults about a country descending to dictatorship from democracy.
Q. From the eclectic cast of characters in the story, who are some of your favourites—or which of them did you enjoy writing about the most?
AN: Kapiguru Vapi is my favourite character. He is modelled on many such characters we encounter in our real life. Another favourite character is Grandpa Changuttu elephant who is indifferent to the world and is happy sleeping most of the day. People like him who are insular to propoganda would be the nightmare of dictatorial political leaders like Tamo. Champa is another character I love.
Q, Do you think Children’s Literature should only be read by children? What are some lessons that readers across ages can learn from Mahi? In so far as the story reads as a fable about dreaming big in life, it also uses various tropes and devices like allegories to refer to the ‘real’ world.
AN: Children’s literature is for everyone. What is great about Children’s literature is that the memory of reading it will be carried along for a long time as the child grows up. When I read again the books I had read as a child, I am often surprised to find a different understanding of the story. I had thought animal farm was a story of some funny animals in a farm when I read the book as a child. I hope the child who reads and enjoys Mahi would read this as an adult after many years and find what the real story was all about. She may look back and think that the writer was showing a mirror to the society she was growing up.
Q. How do you think fiction allows you to critically examine the many challenges and biases that our society faces?
AN: Fiction is the best tool to address such biases. Mahi is a work of contemporary world. It is not just about a few funny animals in a jungle. It is about us and our insecurities, our leaders, our politics, our society, our faith. It is about us and our times and it is true for most countries across the world. The prototype of the antagonist in the book, Trumpo, is a character who has appeared many times in history in every country. So are his propoganda chiefs, Duranto and Gherundo, taken from world history.
Q. The book is also richly illustrated, tell us about these stunning pictures!
AN: Doodlenerve has been my illustrators for all my children’s books so far. I love working with them as they give colour and shape to my dreams with the magic of their brush. The illustrators Shiladitya and Shubhadeep and my editorial team of Harper Collins have helped this book to look so lively. The pictures look straight out of an animation movie. I am sure, one day, we will answer the Disneys and Pixars of the world with our own Animation films with Indian stories.
About the Book - Mahi
Mahi started running towards the cliff ... The wind whistled in his ears as he gathered speed ... He could even hear Gherundo and Duranto laughing. Were they screaming 'fly, fly, fly'-or was it 'die, die, die'?When Mahi, a young…
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