Possible Storybook Topics

Possible Storybook Topics

1. Goddesses

I would love to know more about all (or at least more than one) of the Hindu Goddesses because females with power are awesome (not biased or anything). I would be particularly interested in comparing the deeds that each Goddess performs. Perhaps, there are some positive endeavors and some mischievous ones that I could compare in a hero versus villain sort of manner. I would need to find out if some of the Goddesses do have an evil side or at least perform evil acts.

Research:

         

          I read a storybook (Hindu Goddesses) that focused on more than one Goddess,

but I think I would try to portray each Goddess’s personality by having them interact with each other. I’m not really sure if this is possible, but I see a lot of opportunity for creativity by doing so.

2. Karma

I am interested in this topic mainly because I believe that karma does exist in everyday life. I find it easy to look back on things and say, I wonder if that was karma in action. Also, it is relieving to think that if a person chooses to do good or bad that they might have it paid forward in the future. I would be particularly interested in analyzing stories and characters to find specific instances of karma in action. Perhaps analyzing for karma would enable me to find some connections amongst the smaller stories that may be hard to discover otherwise.

Research:

I checked out the Wikipedia page on karma and delved a little deeper by checking out past storybooks about karma. 

3. Santanu and Ganga or one of the Love Stories

Who doesn’t like a good love story? Sometimes they can be mushy or too romanticized, but Ganga fascinated me in our first readings, so I picked her and Santanu as a couple. I would be interested to find out more about their life together and maybe dive into the symbolism of their stories. I thought it was interesting that Ganga drowns her children because of a curse and so I would like to read more on that story.

Research:

          I have read a small story on Ganga from Narayan’s Ramayana. Also, I used Wikipedia to learn more about Santanu and Ganga as a couple.

4. Weapons

I tend to associate bows and arrows to awesomeness, therefore I would be interested in learning more about weapons in general. There is Gandiva and Brahma’s arrow if I wanted to focus in on just bow and arrow themed weapons. When inanimate objects are given name, they are given personalities. I foresee a lot of creativity being had with telling the weapon’s stories.

Research:

I looked at the list of weapons on the The Chakra link and also looked at Wikipedia. 

Which topic is a hot one? Source: Wikimedia

Storytelling Week 2: How Oceans Were Created

How Oceans Were Created

Have you ever been on the beach and wondered how the vast blue water in front of you got there?

Ganga is responsible for the beauty of the oceans. Ganga, one of Shiva’s daughters, controls all of the water of the universe. One day, a couple of brothers were bored and seeing that they have quite competitive nature, they challenged each other to see who could dig to the other side of the earth first.

Bagiratha, Shiva’s daughter of soil, did not approve of her body being torn apart by two boys. As the boys dug, Bagiratha would harden the soil so that they could not dig any further. In response, the relentless boys would move to a new area and begin digging again. Unfortunately, the boys were quick and they had already created many deep holes among Bagiratha’s body. Bagiratha turned to her sister Ganga for help. She called her sister and pleaded that she come down from the skies to wash the boys away.

Ganga, being the sensitive, passionate, and caring soul that she is visited Bagiratha immediately and upon her arrival, grieved for the mutilation done to her sister’s body. These boys had turned her sister, who was once beautiful, into something ugly and damaged. She cried and cried and could not stop until all of the holes and crevices were filled. When Ganga wiped her last tears, she was able to see clearly the beauty that she had restored to her sister. Bagiratha graciously thanked Ganga and thus, oceans were created.

The Atlantic Ocean. Taken by me in March 2014

Author's Note

I wanted to write about Ganga in a creative way. I chose this story because I love how Narayan portrayed Mother Nature in his story. My story is quite different from his however. The reason for digging was due to Sakara’s horse being stolen by Indra and his two sons wanting to find the horse. Also, Bagiratha’s character was changed (he was a grandson of Indra). Ganga and Bagiratha became Shiva’s daughter in my story which is also different.

Bibliography 

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic.

Week 2 Reading Diary B: Mostly about Women

From Narayan's The Ramayana


Thoughts and Favorite episode:

• (Pages: 62-63) Jatayu
• I really like eagles, so I was drawn to Jatayu. I like how he displayed as the protector (of Rama and Sita) while they are in the forrest, I think of America when I hear eagle and I also think that America takes on a "protector" role in other countries (whether that is good or bad, I won't get political)
• So far, there have been a few women that have been displayed in a negative light (I know there have probably been males displayed negatively too, but the women stick out to me). Examples include pgs. 11-13 Thataka (a asuras and 'destroyer of life') is described as a monster and is not to be thought of as a woman; pg. 58 Kaikeyi (Rama's stepmother) is described as a snake, heartless, deceiving, and that she should die for her doings; and pg. 65: Kamavalli (Ravana's sister) is described as having a look of quality, but is 'really cheap and shameless.'
• On page 65 I think Rama should tell Kamavalli that he is already married (maybe there is a cultural difference here and they are allowed multiple wives), but that seems like a better reasoning than some of the reasons he gives her.

Rama rejecting Kamavalli. Source: Wikimedia

• My favorite part is when Sita gets angry and commands Kamavalli to leave. She seems so strong and independent here.

Favorite Quotes:

• Page 60: " In a world where we are accustomed to rivalries over possession, authority, and borders, and people clashing over the issue, 'Ours,' or 'Mine, not yours,' it is rather strange to find two people debating whose kingdom is not, and asserting: 'Yours, not mine.'"
• Page 63: "...'While I fly, follow me in the shadow of my wings.'"
• Page 63: "Again Rama was delighted by his brother's engineering and architectural genius, and entered his new home filled with a sense of wonder."
• Page 66-67: "This forest is full of such deceivers. She might well have been confessing this of herself-her own normal appearance being that of a demon with wild, matted hair, flame-coloured fang-like teeth, enormous stature, and a belly swollen with the meat and blood of animals she had gorged on..."

Week 2 Reading Diary A: The cleansing river, Ganga

From Narayan's The Ramayana


Thoughts and Favorite episode:

• There are a lot of names and sometimes the are hard to keep track of..Are some of the characters given different names? On page 13 it states "Although Rama was Vishnu, his human incarnation made him unaware of his identity at the moment." I think Vishnu is a God and has taken the form of human (Rama).
• (Pages: 16-19) Ganga's Story
• I love that the river (Ganga) 'cleanses and transforms' all that she touches and how Mother nature is represented in the beginning of this story. 
• When Sakara's horse is free to travel wherever it likes, the areas are kept at peace. This illustrates an image of wild horses galloping across a valley for me. Wild horses are so rare anymore; so many animals are domesticated now.
• The horse is rescued from the underground by Sakara's grandson. This grandson has a son named Bagiratha who brings down Ganga to Earth by praying a lot..about 30,000 years (depicted below). 

Ganga being sent to Earth. Source: Wikipedia

• Oceans are created when Ganga fills them after Sakara's sons dug holes to try to find the horse.

Favorite Quotes:

• Page 9: "A seed that sprouts at the foot of its parents tree remains stunted until it is transplanted."
  
• Page 18: "After further meditations, by Bhagiratha, Shiva again appeared and said to him, 'Let Ganga come down, I will help you. I will see that no drop of water is wasted or allowed to trouble anyone.'"