Indian Epics Blog

Writing a Letter. Source : Flickr Dear Mr Narayan, On behalf of my community, I would like you to stop writing us into your stories. Most of my kind are already tempted to be suing you, Dear Sir. Do you know how tired I am of being blamed in those tales? Over and over you write us as the devious character, the one that leads the protagonists astray, or the one that's always the source of some trouble. I am sick of it! We as a species are sick of it, Sir. First, it was the whole mess with Sita and Rama. Alright, I know we are  mesmerising and we do have a certain graceful, dare I be saying, divine , appearance but good sir, I implore you, do you really think a deer would lead the great Rama astray? Why couldn't you pick a slimy snake or a fearsome grizzly bear? Perhaps even a nasty hyena? Perfect little storytelling element right there, I might be adding. You could say he got his comeuppance from Rama and Lakshamana in the middle of his laughter! Or what about a golden ...

The Mahabharata, Pages 85-131 POV : Narayan's translated version of  The Mahabharata  Favourite Sentences/Phrases: "It is said that there could be nothing more gratifying than showing off one's superiority before an enemy reduced to beggary." - Sakuni to Duryodhana  "Only a commoner serving a king could realise that it is a knife-edged existence." - Daumya to Yud when they are deciding to live incognito whilst still in the company of the King of Vitara "Sacrifice, study, charity, truth, forgiveness, mercy, and contentment constitute the eight different paths of righteousness, they say, but which one is most important?" - Dhritarashtra to Vidura Section Summaries: Hundred Questions Duryodhana tries to put on a spectacle of strength to the Pandavas while they are in exile but is captured and must be saved by them (it is said he returns wiser but clearly not considering the next series of events?); after being led to a place by another deer...

The Mahabharata, Pages 40-83 POV : Narayan's translated version of  The Mahabharata  Section Summaries: Uncle's Gift Something must be done of course, for the Pandavas are actually alive! Duryodhana again whispers malice in his father's ears against the Pandavas and Dhritarashtra becomes worried about what the Pnadavas may do; however, even with his son's misgivings, Dhritarashtra instead invites them back to his city and divides the kingdom so that the Pandavas may also rule over a section called Khandavapasthra; it is barren but they make the most of it and come to build a vast beautiful city; Arjuna makes a mistake regarding the vow they all took when another brother was accompnaying Draupadi and is banished for twelve years (marries a princess of the serpent world, Ulupi , [a naga in some versions] and Krishna's sister Subadhra) City of Splendor Duryodhana visiis the Pandavas built kingdom and immediately becomes jealous, of course; he consults with Sakuni...

The Mahabharata, Pages 1-39 POV : Narayan's translated version of The Mahabharata  Favourite sentences/phrases: "...the 'whole mansion of the womb of Nature'." -Vyasa (interesting idea, as nature is mother)  "I will always be your friend; have no doubt about it." - Drona to Drupada Section Summaries: The Eighth Baby Story of Ganga and Santanu  (he could not question her); how she drowned the first seven of her children to release them from their mortal existence and the last had to stay on earth; the last was Devavratha/Bhisma ("one of firm vow"); Santanu takes back his promise to make Bhisma heir upon when he happens upon a woman (Satyavathi) he wants to marry and the condition is that her son is named heir apparent (what is it with deer and leading people astray?); lots of confusion over who will bear a son after Satyavathi's sons do not as yet; Vyasa becomes the father of the next generation to the kidnapped girls Ambika and Amb...

I used the " Automotivator " to create my first poster:

"Handcuffs". Source : Pixabay "Sir, we found her. We got the woman here who been drowning babies." Sergeant Talbot looked up from behind his news article. Other police reports and more important documents were strewn on his desk, but he'd been staring at that same article for hours. The news report had been about a cold case from earlier last year. His department had gotten all the flack for not wrapping the ends of that mystery. A witness had seen some deranged woman drowning her babies in the river and the article showed a very blurred picture of the scene; one which had haunted him for a long time. They hadn't been able to track this mad creature, that was before now. Talbot cracked his knuckles involuntary, and nodded. "I'll be in the interrogation room in a moment," he said and dismissed the arresting officer, Felix. Although he wouldn't show it, Talbot knew Felix was highly pleased with the arrest. Talbot himself was more so...

I really enjoyed making these! I used the meme generator " ImgFlip " to make them:

A warrior of the Earth. Source : Flickr Let me tell you the version of the story they never tell. I was not just the daughter of the Earth, I was her warrior. At the time of my birth, my parents believed I was only a gift from the goddess. Some called her Bhudevi, others called her Bhumi, but while growing up in the kingdom of Videha, she was only known to me as Mother Earth. There were times I thought I felt her presence with me, watching and guiding with a gentle care. When I was very young, I had a keen interest in weaponry and martial arts. I felt as though I was stitched together with fight in my bones, a quick wit and sharp tongue as my aid when physical strength failed me. Although my father forbade me from learning the art of war publicly, he allowed one of his trusted soldiers to train me privately. It was only so lucky that he had seen the incident with Shiva's bow.  My sister and I had been playing nearby when our ball flew under the resting place of the ...

Sita: Daughter of the Earth, Pages 46-91 Main Characters : Sita, Rama, Lakshamana, Ravana, Hanuman POV : The Ramayana from Sita's perspective After defeating the rakshasa, Rama and Lakshamana are blessed with gifts of godly weapons (arrows that never run out, swords that remain "unrusted" and bows that allow arrows to be shot with the speed of light) by Maharishi Agastya. They meet Jatayu, the king of vultures, on their way to Panchavati and he pledges his allegiance to them; Sita proclaims that Panchavati is even more beautiful that the other pages (the images are so beautiful as well, with flowers and peacocks; did a bit of research and the peacock ( Mayura ) is associated with Laskhmi for luck and prosperity) Peacock feathers, the Mayura . Source : Pixabay  A female stranger (dressed in a pretty pink sari) approaches and tries to tempt Rama to marriage; when her attempt fails she tries Lakshmana when Rama prompts her as joke (here the volatility of Lakshman...

Sita: Daughter of the Earth, Pages 1-45 Main Characters : Sita, Rama, Lakshamana, POV : The Ramayana from Sita's perspective Cover Image of Sita: Daughter of the Earth , by Saraswati Nagpal. Source : Printed Graphic Novel In the beginning, Sita tells her origin story as the daughter of the earth goddess, Bhudevi, blessed to the king and queen of Videha. **At a young age, Sita is able to move the bow of Shiva which is said to be heavier than any warrior could ever move as it was imbued with Shiva's magic (suggesting her divine origin; interesting enough in this version Sita also seeks a different life first to become a warrior, but her father turns her down "Sita you are as delicate as a flower"*). While her sister (Urmila) and cousins take part in the arts as princess, she grows up interested scholarly work and philosophy, loving stories of important female characters: Uma, daughter of Himavan, consort of Shiva and thus incarnation of Parvati the second rei...

Flowers on Vancouver Island, banner image for Storybook. Source: Personal Image Storybook Link

I decided to play around with the Twine software, because I really like the idea of following leads to create your own story. I enjoyed the Twines I saw on some of the other Storybooks. I would be interested in using it more, though maybe not for the Storybook if I choose the theme I'm currently looking at. I hope I can publish a couple of them to my blog site though because they are a lot of fun to create! I called my first attempt "The Collector". It had the assistant of a shop belonging to "The Collector" invite the person reading to inquire about different items in the shop. It was mainly based on/inspired by the weapons of the gods in the Indian Epics (especially those that Rama and Ravana use in their epic battle) and the idea was to follow along as the assistant gives information on each 'collectible'. I think Twine could be a nice thing to use to make an announcement (making it interactive and engaging), or a fun puzzle (kind of like a maze where...

The Ramayana, Pages 131-157 Characters : Rama, Vibishana, Lakshamana, Sugreeva, Hanuman, Ravana, Sita, Angada, Indrajit, Kumbakarna, Matali (charioteer of Indra's chariot), POV : Narayan translates the poet Kamban's version of  The Ramayana Setting(s) : Lanka (kingdom of Ravana), Adyodhya (now Rama's kingdom) Deities and demons : Shiva (referenced), Vishnu (referenced), Brahma, Ravana, unnamed sea god, Indra Favourite sentences/phrases: "As the fury of the battle grew, both sides lost sight of the distinction between night and day."  "Rama displayed the tribulations and the limitations of the human frame and it was necessary from time to time to remind him of his divinity."  Section Summaries : Chapter 10: Across the Ocean Vibishana beseeches Rama to let him join his company against Ravana; after deliberation and advice from Hanuman, Rama allows him to help; Vibishana advises Rama on Ravana's battle and army strategy; Rama requests that t...

The Ramayana, Pages 89-131 Characters : Rama, Lakshamana, Vali, Sugreeva, Hanuman, Tara and her son Angada, Sampathi, Ravana, Sita, Mandodari, Vibishana, Indrajit POV : Narayan translates the poet Kamban's version of  The Ramayana Setting(s) : the monkey kingdom of Kiskinda, Lanka (kingdom of Ravana), Deities and demons : Shiva (referenced), Vishnu (referenced), Ravana, Mandodari, Dundubu Favourite sentences/phrases: "You have the elegance of a peacock, and the voice of a nightingale..."- Vali to Tara "Women can lead one to death"- Rama about Vali (points to the reoccurring theme of women in cultures and traditional stories as the 'bringer of evil') "Great ones should forgive the lapses of small men."- Tara to Lakshamana  Section Summaries : Chapter 6: Vali Narayan begins by the introducing the characters of this part of the epic: Hanuman, Vali, Sugreeva and Rama; he calls this the most questioned part of the epics because it cast...

Especially after reading Narayan's Ramayana, I am even more interested in doing this topic. I still really like the 'Animal Characters' topic and using the different personalities that have popped up in our readings so far, but wanted to do more research on this one. *I also put all the potential sentences from the stories in quotation marks. Three Possible Tales of Motherhood (1) The Wives of King Dasharatha : I think Kaikeyi has more of a story in Narayan's Ramayana, but I wanted to give each one of these mothers a 'piece' of their own story. Firstly, in this version of the Ramayana, Kaikeyi is first described as very loving, without a seeming ounce of spite, but as soon as she believes Kooni's words on what King Dasharatha's crowning of Rama meant for her and her son, it is as if becomes cold and heartless. I was thinking to perhaps explore how she might have been feeling while she convinced the King to crown her son instead of Rama, and ultimately ...

Maybe we shouldn't praise giving praise... The first article I read was "The Trouble with “Amazing”: Giving Praise that Matters" by Jennifer Gonzalez. I didn't necessarily agree with everything in the article, and maybe at some points how it was worded, but I liked the takeaway message: just giving a one word vote of praise isn't substantial feedback and in fact, often produces the opposite effect. I thought her analogy of saying just "amazing!" was like "Paula Praise" was funny, but very true. Without meaningful feedback that offers the person not only an honest opinion but also ways to improve, you usually discredit your own opinion. I have experienced this with many people and seen it happen, where people are quick to say 'that was absolutely wonderful' even when everyone else knows it really wasn't. I don't think there's anything wrong with praising with 'amazing!', but only using that word is perhaps more of ...