Echoes from Empires to Wilderness: Spatial Dynamics and Power Ethics in Anand Neelakantan’s Select Novels

Anand Neelakantan’s mythological retellings challenge dominant narratives by recasting the ‘vanquished’ as protagonists. He explores the socio-political, emotional, and ecological intricacies embedded in classical Indian myths. By juxtaposing empires and wilderness, the writer emphasizes the role of spatiality in shaping socio-political identities. Empires symbolize structured oppression, while wilderness embodies resistance, trauma, and transformation. In Asura, Ravana’s Lanka, despite being depicted as an advanced civilization, is marked by oppressive structures. In Valmiki’s Women, Tara, often relegated to the side-lines in classical retellings, emerges as a powerful voice challenging patriarchal norms. Through the deconstruction of hegemonic structures and moral binaries, his works pave the way for an ethical mythology that is both inclusive and transformative. This approach plays a vital role in highlighting the potential of Indian English literature to redefine mythology by fostering interdisciplinary dialogues between literature, ecology, and ethics. Breaking down complex ideas into more relatable examples, his work enhances readers’ perspectives of understanding in relevance to contemporary issues. His narratives not only retell ancient myths but also provide a wide-ranging tool through which readers are able to critically examine power subtleties, historical narratives, and their societal implications. He offers a vision of mythology as a living, evolving entity capable of transcending static retellings, addressing the pressing concerns of modern life.