Project Topics

1. Possible Topic: Ravana and Family.  I got this inspiration from the fact that in stories we've read so far, we have already met several of Ravana's family members including his uncles, Maricha and Subaru, and his sister, Surpanakha.  Their stories really got me interested in how the family dynamics play out for Ravana and his family, which the more I research the more extensive the family seems to become!

Research so far:  Well I read through the Wikipedia article for Ravana and he has a lot more family than I expected.  He has his two uncles, six brothers, two sisters, three wives, and seven sons! One of his wives was the daughter of an ancient king of the demons and his grandmother is Thataka!  Also apparently Ravana's advisor is actually his great-uncle Malyavan, who is the brother of Sumali: the father of Kaikesi, the mother of Ravana!  I had no idea he had such an extensive family!

(Ravana)  

2. Possible Topic: Lady Villains. I thought it would be very interesting to focus on all the women who seemed to be on the dark side of the Ramayana such as Thataka, Manthara, Surpanakha.  I found it interesting that the Indian culture seemed fairly one sided when it comes to gender and the demons in the Ramayana are no different.  There is very little mention of women even on the darker side of the celestial beings, and it seems that even when mentioned that get little notice.  There are three times as many men celestial beings and characters as there are women celestial characters.

Research so far:  Wikipedia doesn't seem to have a whole lot on any of these people but I hope that more will surface as I read more into the Ramayana, and continue to sift through web pages. However there is some information on why these people are the way they are such as Manthara, who became antagonistic to Rama after he broke her knee as a child.  Then in turn it seems Manthara poisoned Kaikeyi throughout her childhood with her scheming, making it easy to make Kaikeyi jealous and take her advice against Rama.

(Kaikeyi)

3. Possible Topic: Animals in the Epics.  I thought this was pretty interesting because when you start to think about it, animals have played a large role in the Ramayana.  My specific memory is that of Jatayu trying to save Sita from Ravana when she was being kidnapped.  I'm interested in seeing how else animals will tie into the stories the further that we read.

Research so far:  As it turns out, Jatayu has a bigger background story than I thought, there are some bits about his brother, and there is also the mention that Jatayu is old friends with King Dasharatha! How surprising! Upon further research I saw that the gods actually have a few animals that they like to inhabit especially including the eagle, the bull and the elephant.

(Jatayu)

4. Possible Topic: Celestial Weapons.  I find this topic very interesting because I have noticed that Indian weapons are similar yet not like anything usually found in western literature. These weapons go by the names of chakra, which is sort of like a Chinese throwing star in disk form. There are so many weapons that are given to heroes by the gods and wielded by the gods as well. I thought there were enough that they deserved their own topic.

Research so far:  I've spent some time looking through wikipedia articles and I think the best thing I have noticed so far is that every god has more than two arms and therefore are able to wield more than one weapon but in addition to weapons they also tend to wield other things in their extra hands as well, such as Vishnu who is seen wielding a chakra, a mace, a lotus, and a conch shell.

(Vishnu)

Storytelling Week 2

(Ravana)

Amidst the concrete jungle of New York City, a young, beautiful woman sat alone on a bench at the edge of Central Park. She had urged her brother-in-law to run after her husband when she heard him crying out for help. She knew it might not actually be her husband calling for help, but she couldn’t chance that he might be in danger. However what she didn’t know was that she was being watched. A man in the shadows of the park’s trees was waiting for the very moment when her family left this beautiful young woman. This was his chance.

He approached Sita, wearing a plain robe of a priest. Sita acknowledged him with a bow of her head and he spoke to her, “Young woman, why are you, such a pretty thing, sitting on this park bench alone? You seem more suited to be sitting upon a throne awaited on by an entire kingdom, than alone on this rough park bench!”

Trusting the priest she told him how she, her husband Rama, and her brother-in-law Lakshmana had taken refuge in Central Park after Rama’s father, Dasharatha, had kicked them out of his luxurious apartment, and now they had no shelter, no food, and scarce water. Then she asked, “Will you wait here with me until my family returns to me, father?”

It was then the man cast off his robe to reveal a very sharp, black suit with a silk red tie, which he adjusted smartly. “I am no priest! I am Ravana, I command the Rakshasa gang, I rule over the Lanka underground, even the CIA fears my power! However, you my dear have captured my cold heart, I will make you my queen, I will give you all that you have ever wanted!

Sita, shocked, replied angrily leaping up from the bench, “Don’t you know who my husband is? I am a married woman! Don’t you know what Rama will do to you? How dare you think that you can steal me from him? What lets you think so highly of yourself? You’re more likely to take the sun from the sky than to win me!”

Ravana drew himself up and put his chest forward, “You do not know of the power I hold! I have the technology beyond your wildest dreams; I can do more than you have ever dreamed!” With that final word two Rakshasa members came out from behind Sita and took hold of her and despite her struggling, Ravana and his two Rakshasas forced her into a nearby sleek black BMW and sped away Sita towards the Lanka underground.

Authors Note: For my inspiration I chose the scene called "Ravana and Sita" where Ravana catches Sita alone and steals her from Rama and Lakshmana.  I chose this style of storytelling because when I envisioned Ravana, I see him as the stereotypical mob boss, Kingpin of the Rakshasa gang, everyone fears him, and he possesses way more power than he should. So the mob boss in the snazzy suit and fedora hat, was how I truly saw Ravana. In order to achieve this I merely changed the time period and setting from ancient India to modern day New York City and Central park as the Jungle.  I updated the language so that it was more modern as well.

Bibliography

"Havana and Sita", by Donald A. Mackenzie, from Indian Myth and Legend (1913). Web Source: PDE Ramayana

Reading Diary B

I believe what continues to astound me is not necessarily the familial turmoil that Kaikeyi had caused, but more about the love between the sons and their father Dasharatha. When Rama was exiled, not only did his wife, a privileged princess, follow him, but also his brother Lakshmana followed him as well.  Then when his other brother Bharata returned home from visiting his mothers lands he is extremely angry with his mother for having put his brother, Rama, into exile.  Then the fourth brother, Shatrughna, also came forward with Manthara.  The brothers condemn these women but refuse to kill them on the basis that Rama would not agree with it.  Then the heartbrokenness of all the sons and wives when Dasharatha died after Rama's exile.

Even after Rama refused to return to become the rajah, Bharata returns to him with sandals that he would wear briefly, which would sit upon the throne in his stead for fourteen years with Bharata as governor.  Throughout the entire exile neither Sita nor Lakshmana complained, and many people were kind to them.  Except the rickshas demons, the siblings of Ravana, who then came to steal Sita from Rama to become his bride instead.  However, apparently Ravana cannot hold a candle to Rama's character and looks.

(Jatayu)

Reading Diary A

So far the story of Ramayana is so far a very divine story, very much connecting those on earth to the gods of India. There are so many characters that its crazy! King Dasharatha has three wives, four sons, and god knows how many daughters he might of had before finally having his sons!

Bhagiratha and Ganga
In this Sagara was granted by a brahmin to have sixty thousand and one sons, sixty thousand of which are turned to ash by the sage Kapila. After which all of Sagara's descendants beg and pray that the water of the Ganga will descend to the underworld in order to send the sixty thousand sons of Sagara to heaven. After thousands of years, Shiva allowed the Ganga to precipitate on his head and allowed her to wander down to the underworld, thus sending the sixty thousand men to heaven.

Ahalya
I feel almost as though Ahalya was the one who was wronged in this story as Indra disquised himself as her husband in order to sleep with her and then her husband came home angry that she slept with someone else and basically banished her from him until Rama came. At which time they would be reconciled and she would be purified. Honestly though Indra is a god, who disguised himself as her husband, is it really her fault?

Rama the Heir Apparent

So not only did Rama help defeat the Rakshasa, but he then fell in love with Sita at first sight.  Then he drew the bow of Shiva to win her hand, and then was married at the same time as three others.  Then not soon after Dasharatha decides that his son Rama will become his heir and rule the government, to which his councilors all rejoice and talk about how righteous and virtuous Rama is.  

(Rama)