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...