Indian Epics Spring 2018

        I do not like that women like Draupadi were married off to whatever man was able to complete the task her father had set for them. I'd like rewrite the way Draupadi's swayamvara went. I've never watched The Bachelorette, but I imagine it being something like that. These royal and handsome men would complete tasks to show their physical abilities, but they would also have time to speak with the princess. She would be able to see their personalities and find out what kind of lives they're hoping for. At the end of some period of time, Draupadi would choose which man she felt would be her best match.         I love the way the Pandavas were able to clear away the unhealthy and infested lands of Khandavaprasth. This transformation was very satisfying for me. I wouldn't mind elaborating on how this was done and providing more detailed imagery for the city created as well as the wasteland which was present before. It would be really cool if...

        I have always felt sympathy for Karna. He was hit with several bad hands in life, but didn't seem to be all that bad of a person. If things had gone differently, he could've been very successful and happy. I might rewrite his story so that he gets a happy ending. If Kunti had never given him up and if his teacher had not rejected him, things would've been very different. He could have become an even more incredible fighter. He would've had a much more respectable reputation.         In the story of Drupad and Drona, a childhood promise is broken in the greed of adulthood. I think we make a lot of promises to other people and ourselves when we are children that are unrealistic to keep once we're older. I could write about two little girls, one a little wealthier than the other. The girl from the wealthier home would promise the other that, when she received a car from her parents for her 16th birthday, she would share it with the other gir...

        One way to take the ideas in these videos quite literally would be to write about a female character capable of altering the material realities of our world. This woman would be able to control things with her mind, both by moving objects and creating material items out of thin air. The opposing side of this would be a male character able to control the minds of those around him. As a couple, these beings would be unstoppable and very much in control of the world. They would use these powers for both good and bad things. She might produce money for the poor while he might manipulate someone's mind into doing favors for him.         A story that piqued my interest was the one of Brahma trying to be with his own daughter. This would've been horrible for her. I'd like to write about a girl becoming a woman and discovering that her father lusts after her and intends to marry her. He'd be some sort of highly respected figure in the community, ...

        I like the idea of Kali. On the Ramayana and Mahabharata, women are expected to be tame and obedient to their husbands no matter what. Kali is everything that an Indian woman from this time was not supposed to be. To focus on one aspect of Kali that goes against the societal norm, I might write about a female character displaying a greater interest in sexual activities. This character might enjoy sleeping with several different men. She would be viewed harshly by her community and shunned by other women. But, perhaps this woman would start a social revolution to change the way the people in her village view women and sex.         Another aspect of Kali is her violence and rage. I might write a story about a woman who is created to be a weapon for war. She would be a wild force to only be unleashed on one's greatest enemies. I've never written an in-depth battle scene so this would be a challenge for me. But, I think it would be intere...

        The concept that societies went from women and men being equals to men being superior is a really interesting one. It made me think about how I could write about a group of people who begin the story as equals. Women and men are able to do the same things and neither is viewed greater than the other. Then, some kind of catalyst causes the men to decide that women are not their equals. Women would be treated more as property as the video mentions happening in real life. This would condense thousands of years of gender evolution into a short time frame. The catalyst might be something/someone from outside society or a single individual from the group.         Another thing that struck me was the idea that the more isolated a woman is, the more valuable she is. I can't imagine having to spend most of my life alone. It would be fun to write about this sort of life from the perspective of the woman. Her whole life she'd be told that her seclus...

        The first video was very empowering for women. It suggests that one male is really all that is needed to keep a society going. It could be a lot of fun to write about such a society. Many men would be put through trials to find one to fertilize all of the women. The rest of the men would be workers. Obviously, I don’t think this is how our society should be and it would be horrible for everyone involved, but it’s definitely an interesting concept.         The video’s explanations of the older concept of the words whore and virgin were very intriguing to me. I’d love to work with these concepts and maybe write of a woman who was “free” to reproduce with many men without judgement. It makes one wonder if a monogamy is the way our species is supposed to go. So, maybe in my story, polygamy would be accepted. Or maybe, no marriage at all would be fine.          Another story about a woman with teeth linin...

        I'd like to write about the buffalo's patience. It reminds me of a mother's love. Her children run wild and loudly bother her, but she does not hate them for it or get angry. It's their nature and she doesn't fight it. But when they ask why she tolerates their shenanigans, she says it's because of her love for them. And once the children understand this, they appreciate her more and make an effort to be more peaceful.         In the next story, I liked that the deer was kind to his hunter despite everything he'd done. Taking pity on someone who has tried to kill you is difficult I imagine. I could write of a human equivalent for this. Or perhaps switch the roles here. Maybe the deer falls into the chasm and once the king sees him injured, he feels pity and nurses the deer back to health instead of killing him.         I've written a story about the Goblin City before, but I considered adding a twist. Maybe the wom...

        I really liked that the monkey king thought the best way to rule was to love. I think that there are conflicting ideas about whether fear or love is the best way for a king/queen to control. I could write a story of two kingdoms showing these opposite methods of rule. They would clash, and I'd show how one is superior to the other.         The second story had a somewhat similar theme. It impressed me that the king actually listened to a commoner that he would not normally respect. I thought that the king should have asked the dog chief to stay with him and be his advisor. The dog seemed smarter than the king. I could write an extension to this story where the dog remains in the palace and helps the king as an equal instead of a pet.         I think the lesson of talking too much is one that many people need to learn. I think I'd like to write about a king who is cursed with being mute. He would see how much more ...

        The idea that Krishna was able to create people and cows from himself is very interesting. These were not just bodies either, they had personalities and fooled others into thinking they were real. This would be a scary thing to happen in real life or in another context. I could write about a town where people slowly disappear but return slightly different than before. Some being would be stealing the original people away and replacing them with beings made from his body.         Instead of Krishna taming a bull, I could write of a man befriending and earning the trust of a highly aggressive child. Maybe the child once suffered abuse or has social issues. The man would use similar techniques of friendliness and patience to win over the hesitant child.         Krishna's inability to marry Radha made me very sad. I'd love to rework this into a piece of my own. A similar concept would be a man having a job which would...

        The king killing his sister's children to protect himself reminded me of the story of Ganga drowning her children, but not explaining why to her husband. I could combine ideas from both of these stories to create a new one. Maybe a woman kills her children because of a prophesy that the children will kill their father.         I love that Durga calls the king out on his sexism. I've written a story before based on Amba's life where a female protagonist is underestimated and gets revenge from a cruel man. I would definitely be fine with writing another story of women giving a proud and hateful man what he deserves. I could also flip the gender on this as well. After all, any person can be evil, not just men.         The idea of a demoness infiltrating a family and trying to kill one of the children residing there sounds like a great plot for a movie. I would love to write this in a modern, horror style story. From the ...

        Kunti's story saddens me greatly. I've already written about a woman with a forbidden child in Star-Crossed Lovers , but I'm not opposed to putting a new spin on this story. I could write about a woman finding a man she loves and becoming pregnant with his child. His death, disappearance, or rejection could leave her vulnerable to criticism. She'd be forced, like Kunti, to give up the child. If she were rejected, I might also call upon themes from Amba's story. I had considered writing about her anyways, so it could be really interesting to combine these women's stories together into a new one.          I'm further impressed by Kunti's strength following the deaths of Pandu and Madri. I could work this into my idea before. Maybe my character is rejected by her lover, gives up her child, vows to get revenge on her ex-lover, takes over her kingdom, and starts an orphanage in honor of her lost son. This would continue the pious car...

        First off, I really like the video format for these stories. It was sometimes hard for me to picture the stories as I was reading them. The reading was often overwhelming and I sometimes got confused about which characters were which.         I liked the concept of a son being reunited with his father. I'm imagining a story of a woman who runs with her child from an unhappy marriage. She dies years later and her husband would be reunited with their child. Or perhaps a man is sent to war, and when he returns his wife is gone, but he is left with their child and finds joy in this.         Bhishma had such loyalty for his father. I feel that our society is flipped. A parent would do anything for their child, but those roles are not always reversible. It might be interesting to write of a boy who works incredibly hard for his family. He would sacrifice everything, including his happiness, to ensure the safety of his f...

        I have noticed that the readings for Indian Epics seem to be a lot longer than the ones for Myth and Folklore. They take me a lot longer, and it's harder to focus on individual story sections. My reading notes seem pretty efficient. I write up possible ideas for stories as I read and on Wednesday, I pick my favorite to write about. It's funny, because every week I tell myself, "Okay I have other things I need to do, so let's do the 300 word bare minimum." And every week it ends up being 700-900 words because I get so carried away with an idea.         So far, I'm pretty satisfied with my portfolio. If anything, I wish I could add more stories. I'm liking a lot of the things I write and feeling like the two weeks of revisions are not super necessary. This is definitely not a big deal, though.         I remember being frustrated when I found this picture. I was looking for a picture of a king, a man, not a chess p...

        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...

        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...

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...

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...