Indian Epics Spring 2018

        For thirteen years, Kings Amari and Khalil waged war. The fighting had begun when King Amari’s sister, the princess, was mysteriously killed by thieves while traveling in Khalil’s kingdom. Amari made the assumption that the other king must have organized this assassination. Khalil was offended by the theory and the two began to inflict their wrath on the other.         Thousands of soldiers died in the battles they waged. Citizens were taxed and forced to join the fighting. At first, most of the residents didn’t mind this. The princess who died had been kind and very giving to the people while she was alive. They wanted to see her avenged. King Khalil’s people were outraged at the accusations and taunts from the other kingdom. But over time, both sides grew tired. Most had forgotten why the war was even started. Only the kings remained determined in their rage.          King Amari had a single son wh...

        It blows my mind when the men in these Indian stories send their sons into battle and they get really upset when their kid dies. People die in battles, so why would you send someone you love dearly to die for your cause? I'd like to change this to a story of a man who dies at the hands of someone else. Maybe he dies in a mugging gone wrong or he's a police officer who's killed on the job. His father would have a lot of grief and anger he'd channel into tracking down and eliminating his son's killers.         There is a lot about this battle that reminds me of the civil war. Families and friends fighting against one another. It might be interesting to retell this in the setting of the civil war or try to combine elements from both into something new.         Bhima's drinking of the blood was a really interesting piece of the story to me. It showed that he was literally a bloodthirsty warrior on a path of destructio...

        I thought it was interesting that Draupadi complained about being stuck in the woods after knowing the luxury of wealthy living. I considered writing about a girl who is raised in wealth and married to a rich man. Her husband would make a bad business deal and lose everything. She would be the one to bring them out of squalor. She would work hard to achieve what she wanted instead of depending on another. I know this might not have been possible for Draupadi, but I think it would make a good story.         I also liked that Bhima held Prince Kichaka accountable for his actions. I'd love to write of a single man staying at a kingdom and hearing of a cruel prince raping the maids there. He'd take on the prince no matter the consequences to clear the honor of the maids. It would be even better, in my opinion, if he fell in love with one of the maids.         Arjuna and Karna's situation is very unique. I thought about wr...

        My sister, Adeline, and I were born into a very wealthy family. Our father was often gone for work and when he was home, he was not always a kind man. He often made our mother cry. But, because of him, we lived very cushioned lives and wanted for nothing. We had servants and maids and nannies. Our closets were filled with clothes and shiny shoes. The playroom was always stocked full of sparkling new toys and dolls.         With this wealth came certain expectations for our family. Us girls were to always look our best and could only play with the children of other well-off families. This never bothered me much, but Addie fought it hard. She liked to play with the poor boys in town. I can't remember how many times our nanny would drag her home by the ear with Adeline's clothes and shoes ruined with mud.         As we got older, my sister got in trouble less often. But this was not because she did only as she was t...

        I thought it was really wrong the way the Pandavas let the low-caste woman and her sons die in the fire. I considered writing a story where this was planned. A couple running from bad people stage a fire and place two corpses in their place to burn and fool others into thinking they died in the flames.         I also really liked how the rakshasa fell in love and tried to save Bhima. I'd love to write about a skilled woman assassin falling in love with her target and deciding to save him instead of following out her orders.         The rakshasa woman marrying Bhima was also interesting. I thought rakshasas were all evil, but she does not seem this way. Perhaps I could write a story of a female creature whose species is known for evil and cruelty. She would fall in love with a human or some other kind of being. The man would be hesitant at first, but he would later see her kindness and love. Though he accepted her,...

        I like the idea of Ganga telling her husband not to go against her or she'd leave him. I don't think it's fair that she didn't explain why she was doing what she was doing to the babies. I could write a story about a man who does not understand that the things his wife does are all for him. He might try to question her or make her stop because he doesn't see. In my version, however, the wife would explain instead of leaving.         I really enjoyed Karna's birth story. I'd like to write about a woman who's impregnated by an other worldly being. I'm not sure if I'd have her keep the child and slowly see the power he possesses from his father, or if she'd be forced to give up the babe like Kunti was. I like that a young woman who is unable to care for her son gives her child to a family who desperately wants a baby and is able to take care of it.         I found it interesting that Dhritarashtra's wife chose to b...

Edit: This story has been transferred to my  Portfolio . Click  here  to view the most up to date version.         In the Kingdom of Thallos, the streets were flooded with its residents and guests from all around. People of all ages crowded about, swathed in the finest of cloths and covered with jewels. The prince of the kingdom had recently come of age, and he had proposed a trial to determine who might be worthy of his marrying. The prince was very moral and kind. He knew many women might be deceitful so that they might share his power and wealth. He decided that his future wife needed to be put to the test before he chose her for his partner.         The kingdom was well known for something special. A great fire burned in a pit in the courtyard of the palace. But this flame was special, for it burned continuously. A strike of lightning had erupted the pit, and the inferno continued to burn there for years despite snow or rain...

I love the idea of a woman riding into battle to back up her husband. This reminds me a little bit of Mulan. I could write about a woman whose husband is called into battle and she follows him. She might feel that her life would be over if something happened to him so she might as well be there to fall with him. He, of course, would try to stop her. She would insist on standing beside him no matter what. I wish that Mandodari had not given Indrajit her blessing, and had instead convinced him to not fight. Surely, they both could see the ridiculousness of this war. Maybe Promila could have told her husband and mother-in-law how reasonable Rama was and they could return Sita to him instead of fighting Ravana's battles for him. It really irritates me that Ravana sat back and let his sons go fight and die for him because of some petty and selfish need for Sita. I feel that Sakuntala's story could've been much different if Dushmanta hadn't been such a kind man. I woul...

I've written about Sita's birth before, but I still find this a very interesting subject. This story says that Sita didn't know how she was born. I could write a story of a girl who was adopted and unaware of this. She'd be the favorite of her parents and siblings. I'd write that she found out about her parentage, and maybe they are poor or cruel so the king and queen took her in. I love the "love at first sight" idea with Rama and Sita. Rama wasn't even supposed to be there so it was a beautiful accident/coincidence. I might write my own version of this, though I'm not sure how I'll change it up. Maybe Rama's character will not be a prince, but some peasant. Or perhaps Rama will be the one testing women to be his wife. Another concept that caught my attention was how Sita's siblings and Rama's siblings were all married off as well. Rama and Sita were the only ones caught in love at first sight. I thought about writing this from...

Here is the link to my  Portfolio Project . This post is to serve as the comment wall for that project. Thanks for reading and know that I appreciate your feedback! (Image Information: Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana Source: Wikimedia Commons )

Edit: This story has been transferred to my Portfolio . Click here to view the most up to date version.         When Ravana and Mandodari were young, they fell in love at first sight. She was beautiful and he was strong. As time went on, Mandodari noticed her husband’s weakness for other women. Though she was lovely and good, he wanted to be with more than one woman. So he married a second wife. But this was not enough. He married a third and a fourth. Ravana could never have enough wives and lovers despite the fact that his queen was the most beautiful, kind, and intelligent of them all. She stood by him and loved him despite all of this.         Then, he set his eyes upon a married woman–Sita. He kidnapped her from her husband, Rama, and brought her to his domain to rape and defile her. This was too much for Mandodari. She begged Ravana to let the girl go and return her to Rama. He refused to listen to her. When Sita consistently refused to ...

The part where Ravana uses magic to make Sita see things that aren't real is crazy. It's such an interesting and fun idea/topic. Ravana makes me think of a stalker/bad relationship. I could write about a woman being manipulated by her boyfriend to see things that are fake. Maybe his goal would be to drive her crazy or make her be with him even though she wants out of the relationship. The scene is quite moving where Rama and Lakshmana are lying there near dead and the army is terrified and ready to go home. And then in sails this legendary king of the birds who revives Rama and his brother. I enjoyed the energy and emotion of this part and would like to try to recreate this feeling in my own work somehow. The idea of a sleepy and tired giant interested me. Although I think if I wrote on this, my giant would be friendly. Maybe this would be the protector of a forest and only awakens when needed. I felt bad for Mandodari. Her husband died fighting the guy whose wife he s...

        Sugriva's story about how he and his brother became estranged might be interesting to work with. I like the idea of a misunderstanding between brothers leading to their becoming enemies. In my version, I think I'd have the brothers communicate and come to an agreement/truce instead of trying to kill each other. Maybe they even talk it out when one brother can't bring himself to truly hurt the other.         I also thought it was cool that, though Vali was blinded by rage and determination, his wife sensed that this was a trap and begged him not to go. That might be another story I could write. In mine, however, the man would be smart enough to listen to his wife and escape his death.         Hanuman's going to save Sita was very nice but it would've been much more romantic if Rama had gone to find his love. I thought he had a hard time sitting still and not doing anything to help Sita. Also, it was silly that Hanuman ...

I think the topic I would most enjoy for my storybook would be supernatural characters of the Ramayana. I had mentioned writing of rakshasas/rakshasis, and have already read Goblin City  and written my own story involving rakshasis. I found The Wise and the Foolish Merchant  and thought this might be fun to rewrite. It involves rakshasas as well, but I like that here the man outsmarts the demons instead of being rescued. The Terrible Bell  is another rakshasa story I'd be interested in. It reads more like a false ghost story, reminding me a bit of Scooby Doo. Another supernatural character would be the mermaid Suvannamaccha, who I mentioned writing about for the love stories topic. I really enjoyed the story of Hanuman and Suvannamaccha  and would love to work with it later for my project. Mermaids have always been of interest to me and I enjoy love stories.  I would also like to write of yakshas.  The Princes and the Water-Sprite (Devadhamma) ...

        I have a hard time shifting my views and behavior when it comes to praise. I've lived with praise my whole life, and I like it. It feels good to be told that you're smart or good at something. In fact, when I was very young and first learning to speak, my aunt pointed to a picture of me and asked who it was. My response was, "that's a good girl." The article I read called The Difference Between Praise and Feedback  suggests telling them they're good is one of the worst things you can do to your children. It's hard for me to decide to just stop doing this. I think I'll try to adopt Carol Dweck's approach of praising processes.         I find that it's also important to praise specific things. Instead of saying someone is a good writer, I might praise them for their word choice or how they ended a story. This is kind of what the article Specific Feedback that Helps Learning  is talking about. It's necessary to point out s...