Week 6 Storytelling: Not the Cows

     "Gentleman, I am pleased that all of you are here to discuss our grave situation," announced Prince Uttara to his audience of soldiers and commanding officers. The war room was buzzing with rumors about what could have possibly happened in the middle of the night to call for an emergency war meeting. Arjuna, disguised as Brihannala, was invited to attend the meeting as a special guest, but, just like the other officials, he was unaware of the problem at hand. Prince Uttara spots Arjuna in the crowd and calls him forth, "Brihannala! My loyal friend and ally! I have a very important mission for you, my friend." As Arjuna made his way through the crowd, he pondered what he could have done to be called upon by the prince himself! He knows my true identity. He knows I'm a Pandava! thought Arjuna. He stood by the prince with a collected composure, but in his mind he was terrified at the consequences that he could suffer.

     "Now,you must be wondering why I have called upon my best men at the darkest hour of the night. Well, let me tell you that a great injustice has occurred!" Prince Uttara's voice boomed across the hall which rallied his men with indignation towards the mysterious injustice.

"We are a proud kingdom! We fight as brothers against any enemy that has wronged us!" The prince's words encouraged louder rally cries among his soldiers. Arjuna's palms became sweaty, and his heart was pounding in his chest. He has to know. He's showing them that I am the enemy. I have to get out of here! Arjuna was looking for an escape route when Prince Uttara shouted, "I am infuriated with Duryodhana and his friends! They have kidnapped my father, your king, and are holding him prisoner!" Arjuna immediately let out a sigh of relief. Oh thank goodness it's just Duryodhana. The crowd roared with anger and cursed Duryodhana's name.

"My brothers, that's not the worst of it!" Arjuna gave Prince Uttara a puzzled look. What could be worse than your father, the king of this nation, being held prisoner? Prince Uttara stood at his podium in silence. His face showed mixed emotions of pain, hatred, and sorrow. The prince angrily pounded his fist against the podium and looked away from the crowd to hide the stream of tears running down his face. The soldiers were becoming uneasy... What has happened that made the prince, the bravest commanding officer, break down? With a quiver in his voice, Prince Uttara spoke, "Duryodhana's ally, Susharman.... He... He took our COWS!" Silence. The audience had a defeated look on their faces. It was as if someone had ripped their souls out of their bodies. Arjuna's jaw dropped in disbelief. COWS?! MY SLEEP WAS DISRUPTED FOR SOME STUPID FAT COWS!? Prince Uttara noticed Arjuna's reaction and embraced him, "It's ok brother! I see the pain in your eyes. I feel the anger that you feel in the depths of your heart! I knew you would understand the severity of our situation better than any soldier here, which is why I am appointing you as my chief charioteer! Side by side, we will destroy the heathens that have robbed our precious gems AND SAVE OUR COWS!" The crowd bellowed their deepest hatred and cries against the cow raiders!

"Kill kidnappers!"
"Slaughter the villains!"
"Save the cows!"

Arjuna could not fathom the insanity. The king was kidnapped and no one bats an eye. Someone raids the cows and everyone loses their minds! Prince Uttara then commands, "Men, secure the kingdom! Brihannala and I must confront the enemy and return the cows!" The prince and Arjuna then exit the thundering hall of riled up men. While Arjuna prepared the chariot, he asked, "My good prince, what about your father? Are we not rescuing him?"

"My father? OH YEAH! He is held prisoner isn't he... Ok hm well we can make a detour to rescue him but we MUST save the cows first.Cows first. Then my dad. But remember cows first." Arjuna gave the prince a cock-eyed look. This is absolutely ridiculous. With one quick crack of the whip, Prince Uttara and Arjuna trotted off to save the cows! And maybe the king.

A cow waiting to be rescued. Source.

Author's Note:
      In the original story, Arjuna, disguised as Brihannala in the king's court, accompanies Prince Uttara as the prince's charioteer to confront Susharman and save King Virata. Before saving the king, Susharman raided the king's cattle, leading to a battle to save the cattle. The prince was unable to confront the enemy so Arjuna takes over and defeats everyone, thus saving the king.
     In my story, I decided to make the main focus on the cows because cows are awesome. When I was reading the epic, it just cracked me up that someone would go through the trouble to steal some cows. I guess that's an ancient military tactic to cut off food sources perhaps? I imagined that the prince made a dramatic announcement to his army that the cows were being stolen, and at least one person had to question the validity of the meeting. I also used a line from the Dark Knight (as some of you may have noticed). The original quote can be found here. The story was supposed to be harmless, but I have realized that in some cultures cows are sacred. I'd just like to point out that I did not mean to offend anyone or any culture. I personally think cows the best farm animals. Just look at that image! It makes me want to keep a cow as a pet, but I'm also conflicted with my love for burgers...

Bibliography: The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayan (1978)

Reading Diary B: Narayan's Mahabharata Part 2

The Pandavas and Duryodhana prepare for war! Again! Except this time Duryodhana has one million soldiers from Krishna while the Pandavas have Krishna on their side. Yudhisththira tries to be a peacemaker, and he pleads for peace on multiple occasions. In an attempt to establish peace, Krishna travels to Dhritarashta's palace as a messenger for negotiation, but the king is set on war. With little hope, Krishna tries to convince Karna to leave Duryodhana, but fails. Karna tells the Pandava's mother, Kunti, that he only has beef with Arjuna so he'll just kill Arjuna and spare his brothers. What a kind enemy...

The war begins! Long story short:

Dhrishtadyumna (Draupadi's brother, and commander of troops) attacks Drona (Duryodhana's side).
Bhishma attacks Krishna. Arjuna becomes mad.
Krishna attempts to slay Bhishma, but Arjuna stops him.
Ghatotkacha (demon son) joins the battle.
Amba joins the battle as Skikhandin to attack Bhisma, but he doesn't attack her.
Arjuna kills Bhisma.
Karna joins the battles.
Abhimanyu (Arjuna's son) is killed by Jayadratha (Duryodhana's bro-in-law).
Arjuna kills Jayadratha before the sun sets.
Dhrishtadyumna kills Drona (they tricked Drona into believing that his son was dead by killing an elephant names Ashwatthaman. Drona was traumatized. Why an elephant?! They couldn't kill like a bug or something?)
Arjuna kills Karna.
Yudhishthira kills Shalya.

Tha pandanvas confront Duryodhana who decides to hide at the bottom of the lake. So many people died, so the Pandavas perform burying rituals out of respect. Yudhishthira is now king.

Bhishma's Death Ritual. Source.

Reading Diary A: Narayan's Mahabharata Part 2

Dhritarashta developed an plan to humiliate the Pandavas on the battlefield, but his plan backfired when Duryodhana became captive to the gandharvas (heavenly beings). Because they have good hearts, the Pandavas freed Duryodhana from captivity. The Pandavas continued their adventure! While they were trying to help a brahim capture a mysterious deer, they came across a mysterious lake. To drink from the lake, they must answer a question, but the Pandavas ignored the question and drank the water. Nakula, Sahadeva, Arjuna, and Bhima died. Yudishthira actually answered the question and passed the test (made by their father Yama). So all the brothers are brought back to life but are cursed with unrecognizability. For their last year, the Pandavas hide in King Virata's court disguised as other people. Draupadi was violated by the Queen's brother, and asked Bhima to avenge her. So Bhima kills Kichaka (Queen's brother).

The part that stood out to me the most was the cattle raid. There was a huge battle to save the cows and that idea was pretty funny to me. I can just imagine flying arrows shooting in the sky while someone yells, "SAVE THE CATTLE!" The cattle raid was proposed by Susharman, an ally of Duryodhana, who took King Virata prisoner. Virata's son, Prince Uttara, took Arjuna (but he doesn't know he's Arjuna) on a mission to save the king. However, the prince was a wimp and couldn't confront the enemy, so Arjuna took the lead and fought Karna. It was then that Uttara learned Arjuna's real identity as a Pandava, but he promised to keep it a secret. They saved the king!

Bhima Avenging Draupadi from Kichaka. Source.

Reading Feedback: Narayan's Mahabharata

For this week I read the online version of Narayan's Mahabharata. I had more trouble reading this story because there were so many characters to remember. I do appreciate that there is an online version available because then I can access the readings anywhere I go as long as I have internet access. The reading guides helped tremendously to keep all the characters straight. I tried reading the comic books on Mahabharata but a lot of the comics didn't have reading guides, and I had to go to the library to access the comic books. This is a more challenging option because currently I'm at home (a long way from Norman). I know for sure that without reading guides, I'd be lost. For the next reading, I might check out some of the comic books available at the library to expand my reading.

Draupadi and the Pandavas. Source.

Tech Tip Quote Pixel

I enjoy reading quotes. I have a whole board on Pinterest dedicated to just quotes. It's a way to share wisdom about all the adventures in life such as love, family, change, heartbreak, and more. I used Quote Pixel for the first time to generate the quote below. This website is way simpler than Canva. You don't even have to create an account. There are three areas that ask for the quote, the theme, and an author which is optional. I just typed in what I wanted to write, the theme I chose was death, and I didn't list an author. The website created generated a quote poster in seconds. Although there is a set back. Quote Pixel is easy, but basic. I didn't find a way to upload personal photos or other images to make the poster. I prefer Canva because there is more creativity and customization. However, if you just want a quick quote maker, than Quote Pixel is your best bet.

For Milo. Personal Quote.

week 5 Growth Mindset

I have always enjoyed browsing through the growth mindset memes for fun, but I have never made a meme before. So for this week's growth mindset challenge I decided to make a meme! I'm more of a dog person, I made one with a Saint Bernard puppy. I tried using Cheezburger to generate a meme, but I couldn't figure out how to start one, and I didn't want to create a log in. So I made my meme through GroupMe which has an option to use meme captions on the photos that you upload. My friends and I have a blast using this feature. Sometimes it becomes too much fun and no studying gets done... My meme says "Big Dreams Start with Baby Steps." I chose this caption because people tend to forget that there was always a beginner before there was an expert. The hardest part of any challenge is actually starting it. My brother has always told me that once you get past the beginning, then the hardest part is over. I'm the type of person that is afraid of change, but I always need change. It's complicated. I believe that everyone should have a dream or something that excites you. Chase after that dream even if it seems impossible. All it takes is determination, passion, and some baby steps.

Puppy Saint Bernard Hoping to be a Rescue Dog. (Personal Meme, Photo Source).

Thoughts About Comments

I read through all of my story telling and introduction comments, and I feel like the most helpful comments were the ones that the reader actually wrote something that related to them. For my introduction posts, several readers posted a comment that talked about their family ties and their siblings which really touched me. It showed me that the reader could relate to my post and took interest in what I wrote instead of just skimming the paragraph and writing a few positive, yet blase comments. I believe comments acquired more depth when the reader tells me their opinion through their personal experience. Also, I appreciate the comments that provided feedback on my writing. Sometimes this could be a sticky situation because not a lot of people, including myself, can handle constructive criticism in a positive way. This class is teaching me to be open towards constructive criticism which will help me in the long run. I like seeing that the readers enjoyed a section of my story, but also suggested more character development or a better image to represent the story.

Comments are always appreciative. Source.

Storytelling: Arjuna the Last Pandava

Yudhishthira. Bhima. Nakula. Sahadeva. Long ago the four brothers lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when Yudhisthira played the dice game. Only a Pandava, master of all four weapons, could stop him. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.Thirteen years have passed and Shiva and Urvashi discovered a Pandava named Arjuna, and although his weapon skills are great, he was a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe the Pandavas can save the world.

Shiva and Urvashi have guided Arjuna in his journey to obtain powerful weapons for the future such as the pashupata. Arjuna's destiny was to reunite the Pandavas and stop Yudhishthira from gambling his life (and his brothers' lives.. and his wife's life...and his possessions..and his kingdom..) away to the evil Duryodhana. However, the brothers have been separated into different corners of the world. Arjuna, Shiva, and Urvashi traveled to several cities, fighting crime and discovering new talents, to find the rest of the Pandavas. Duryodhana realized that Arjuna was alive and well. In order to stop Arjuna from saving Yudhishthira from his gambling addiction, Duryodhana sent his brother Duhshasana to bring Arjuna alive. Duhshasana searched high and low for Arjuna and his allies, hoping to make his brother proud by bringing honor to the family. During their journey, Arjuna found Bhima by answering riddles to discover Bhima's name. During his time apart, Bhima learned how to mold earth with his bare hands. Nakula was found at the North pole where he mastered powerful water-healing abilities. Sahadeva was the last brother to be found in Durodhana's kingdom as an undercover sword-master. The Pandavas were almost united, except Yudhishthira was still gambling with Duryodhana. The Pandavas created an elaborate plan with all of their skills and weapons to save Yudhishthira and destroy Duryodhana. Bhima overthrew Duryodhana's army that guarded the city of Amaravati with his earthly forces. Nakula healed the wounded soldiers with his mystical water powers, and confronted Duhshasana in an epic battle. Sahadeva teamed with skilled swordsmen to attack the naval fleet in Duryodhana's kingdom. Ajura then confronts Duryodhana in his palace where he was holding Yudhishthira hostage. Using his pashupata, Ajura stabs the weapon through the evil king's heart, which officially ends the war. Yudhishthira was released from his gambling prison (but still had to go to rehab for his addiction). Bhima successfully relieved the city of Amaravati from Durodhana's army. The Pandavas were finally reunited, and brought balance to the world.

My take on the Pandavas. Source.

Author's Note: In the original story, Duryodhana challenges Yudhishthira to a dice game which results in Yudhishthira gambling everything he has ever owned away. The Pandavas consists of five brothers - Yudhishthira, Bhima, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Arjuna. The brothers are exiled because of Yudhishthira's gambling. During this time, Arjuna collects weapons from the gods and reunites the Pandavas to take revenge on Duryodhana.

I decided to write the story with a twist from the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The introduction was based off of the original introduction from the show, but I changed a few words. Instead of being four nations, I had the introduction changed to four brothers. If you're not familiar with the series, here is a link that gives a summary. In short, the avatar must defeat the evil firelord from taking over the world. In my story, Arjuna is Aang, Shiva is Sokka, and Urvashi is Katara. I had the brothers represent the characters from the Order of the White Lotus (a secret organization from the show). Bhima is Bhumi (Earthbending King), Nakula is Paku (Waterbending master), and Sahadeva is Piandao (master swordsmen). I had Duryodhana represent the firelord and his brother Duhshasana portray Prince Zuko. I had Arjuna reunite his brothers in order to save Yudhishthira from his gambling problem. When I was reading the original story, I couldn't believe that this brother kept gambling everything he owned! That's why I made his addiction the dilemma that brought imbalance to the world. It's not perfect, but it'll do.

Bibliography:  The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic by R. K. Narayan (1978).

Reading Diary B: Narayan's Mahabharata

Continuing the story, Arjuna and Yudhishthira (we'll call him Yud for short) share a wife name Draupadi. Why did they think that was a good idea? I'll never know. Arjuna gets exiled because he intruded on Yud and Draupadi. The good news is that he marries a naga princess named Ulupi and Krishna's sister Subhadra. Some beef happens between Dhritarashtra and Yud, so they decide to gamble. A LOT. They play a dice game where Yud gambles his brothers, his wife, and himself away. Draupadi gets wishes from Dhritarashta so she wishes for all of her husbands to be freed. They get all of their possessions back, and everything is back to normal... UNTIL a second game is declared! I though Yud would learn his lesson but instead he gambles himself into thirteen years of exile. So now all of the Pandavas are in exile but luckily the sun god Surya grants them an endless supply of food for survival. Then there is this huge war plot to get revenge on Duryodhana and his allies. Arjuna obtains specialized weapons from the gods and reunites the Pandavas. However during his journey, a female spirit named Urvashi falls in love with Arjuna. He rejects her which makes her really mad so she curses Arjuna by making him live as a eunuch with women. I've noticed this trend a lot. Guys tend to handle rejection well most of the time, but when girls are rejected, they bring hell onto the guy. I wonder why that is.

Arjuna with his new weapons. Source.

Reading Diary A: Narayan's Mahabharata

This story really started off with an intense introduction. Shantanu, ruler of Hastinapura, falls in love with a river goddess known as a river Ganga, who drowns her newborn babies because they are reincarnations of gods that must be punished (they stole some cows). However, she keeps the eighth baby who grows up to be Devavrata aka Bhishma. Shantanu finds another girl to marry, Satyavati (let's hope she's not crazy), but in order to marry her, Bhishma, his son, had to renounce his claim to the throne and the right to have sons. Bhishman then gets two new brothers from the marriage named Chitangada and Vichitravirya. The latter gets two wives, Ambika and Ambalika. I guess having children is really important to this family because once people start dying (like Vichitravirya did), people frantically start looking for bachelors to sleep with Ambika and Ambalika. Bhishma refuses to sleep with his dead brother's wives because he vowed to be celibate. Long story short, Ambika sleeps with Vyasa, son of Satyavati and Parashara, with her eyes closed so their son Dhritarashtra was born blind. Ambalika was so scared to sleep with Vyasa that she turns pale, so their son Pandu was born pale. Vyasa then sleeps with Ambalika's maid, who actually likes Vyasa. and their kid Vidura was born flawless. To keep things straight:

Dhritarashtra born blind (mother: Ambika).
Pandu born pale (mother: Ambalika).
Vidura born perfect (maid).

What is really sweet is that fact that Dhritarashtra's wife Gandhari covers her eyes so that she could be blind like her husband. On a funny note, Pandu is cursed to die having sex because he killed a deer while it was fornicating (lesson learned). Pandu has five sons - Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva - aka the Pandavas (he had some help form the gods since technically he can't reproduce or else he dies). The Pandavas reminds me of little crime-fighting pandas. Dhritarashtra has 100 sons called the Kauravas.
They train and fight together like a cool family of superheroes.

Pandu Hunting. Source.

Famous Last Words Week 4

What a weekend! Well not really.. I just worked the entire weekend, but let's focus on the positives! I'm definitely getting faster at work. There are several areas that need improvement, but I'm learning how to work under pressure one day at a time. I'm happy to say that I passed my pharmacy final! In other words, my pharmacy manager evaluated me and decided to keep me as a pharm tech. I spent some time with my older brother which is always a blessing. My brother and I have opposite schedules, so I barely have the time to see him anymore, except this weekend I was lucky to spend a couple of hours with him. He brought home a new pet snake! His work was giving away baby corn snakes, and he kept one! The snake is so tiny!

My brother holding the snake (size comparison). Personal photo.

In her cage. Personal Photo.

She'll grow to be a monster though. We discussed what to name the snake. I liked Medusa, but for some crazy reason my brother named her Shivakamini Somakenerkram... I have no idea how to even pronounce that... School has been tough. My lab professor gave a notebook last week, and my lab group did not do well at all. He was a really rough grader. There was some controversy about his teaching style and lack of office hours. I work really hard in that class, and it sucks when my grade doesn't show that. I guess I have to make more improvements in the lab to earn the grade I desire. So far this class has been going smoothly. I try to finish the readings and homework early. My favorite assignments for this class are the growth mindset posts. I like to explore more about growth mindset. Believe it or not, it has affected my life more than I can imagine.

Reading Feedback Week 4

I really like the fact that we have the choice between comic books, videos, and online PDFs. In previous weeks, I chose to read PDFs because it was more accessible than heading to the library to check one out. I prefer to have access to my stories at anytime than to be restricted at the library for a three hours. Each chapter had a reading guide which was extremely helpful. It was nice to have a short, sweet summary of the chapter. This week, I decided to watch Sita Sings the Blues on Youtube. I chose this option because I wanted to try something different. Reading PDFs all the time really bored me, and I was interested in how the animation made the story come to life. I was not disappointed! The video was really funny and entertaining. My only complaint would be that it was longer and took more time to watch than reading PDFs. However, the video clarified some major points that I didn't understand from the PDFs. I also appreciated the reading guide to the video. It was very necessary! I did not understand the beginning scenes with the different gods and goddesses until the reading guide clarified it. Overall, please continue making reading guides!

Goddess from Sita Sings the Blues. Source.

Tech Tip: Canva

For this week's tech tip, I decided to use one of the quotemakers called Canva. It was really easy to use and definitely user-friendly. They have a 20 second tutorial which explains everything from layout, photos, colors, themes, and more for a beginner. Since it was my first time, I did take an hour to create my first quote image. I didn't know what quote to use, so I explored my Pinterest board which had a list of my favorite quotes. I came across one that really reminded me of a very important person in my life. So below I made a quote poster, if you may, of my brother and me. I believe the quote is very applicable to him!

Because of You. Source: personal photos.

Growth Mindset Week 4

I decided to try the writing challenge for this week's Growth Mindset post. Over my college career, I have always been the type of person to do every assignment as early as I can. I cannot procrastinate. Leaving assignments or studying to the last minute is not part of my work ethic. Some people may see this as a positive attribute, but it also has its down side. For example, I stress over completing assignments early therefore I stay up late to finish them early. If I don't finish an assignment early, I feel like the world is crashing on me. So for my writing challenge, I decided to write my storytelling post an hour before the deadline. I wanted to experience the time pressure of submitting the post on time and see how it would affect my writing. It really did affect it. I was constantly looking at the clock which distracted me from actually writing a coherent story. The story that I wrote wasn't my best work at all. A reader could definitely tell that I rushed it. My story lacked creativity and a concrete plot. In all sincerity, my story looked like word vomit. So what I've learned is that I don't write well under pressure. Maybe that's why I start my writing early so I can brainstorm ideas while I type and edit. Lesson learned: do not write under pressure. It's just not for me.

Cats learn too! Source

Storytelling Week 4: Ravana and The Fates

Ravana tried convincing Sita to leave Rama and to marry him instead, but there was no hope. Sita remained loyal and faithful to Rama. Ravana offered her gifts, love, security, and a home, yet Sita refused. Frustrated and confused, Ravana asked his counselors for advise.

Counselor 1: "Ravana just take her against her will! You stole her, now make her yours!
 Ravana: "I don't want to force her. She must love me for who I am."
Counselor 2: "You don't want to force her yet you kidnapped her from her husband... I believe your logic is flawed my good sire."
Counselor 3: "He had no choice but to kidnap her. She was already married to Rama. He simply took the initiative and invited Sita to his house."
Counselor 2: "Why kidnap a married woman? And I believe there was no 'invitation.'"
Counselor 1: "Because Ravana deserves Sita! That's why he took her! Ravana deserves the best, and if he wants her then he can take her!"
Ravana: "She needs to realize that I am the better fit for her than Rama. If Rama really loved her, then he wouldn't have left her alone for me to kidnap. Therefore, my logic is on point."
Counselor 2: "Ravana, the deed is done. She's already here. But a path towards a woman's heart is complicated. You must be patient with her. You cannot expect her to fall in love with you when you took her against her will. In her eyes, you are the villain. You must show her your kind side."
Counselor 3: "That is a very good point. But don't you think that will be too time-consuming? Ravana has everything going for him. Money, power, good looks. Sita should be begging Ravana to make her his wife."
Counselor 1: "And she shall be his wife! Ravana just take her now! Rama was too kind to Sita. She will be attracted to your aggressiveness! Women love that."
Counselor 2: "You're an idiot. How did you get this job?"
Counselor 1: "I am primary counselor! I will have you sentenced to death!"
Ravana: "ENOUGH! Counselors, you have helped in my every time of need. There is still not a solution to make Sita love me. Please help me, or I shall replace all of you!"
Counselor 3: "I have an idea. Sita is in love with Rama. Why don't we just kill Rama? Then she will have no one to love except for Ravana. He will comfort her which will show kindness. One thing leads to another and BAM! Sita is your wife."
Counselor 2: "That's insanity."
Counselor 1: "That's genuis."
Ravana: "That's the solution! Tonight I will kill Rama and make Sita mine! Thank you good counselors. You have once again saved me with your advice."

Ravana then exits his palace to prepare for battle.

Counselor 2: "You know Sita will just hate Ravana even more."
Counselor 1: "Yeah but women love bad men."
Counselor 3: "It's kings like him who can't think for themselves is the reason why we're employed."

My take on Counselor 1, 2, and 3 (aka The Fates). Source.

Author's Note: In the original story, Ravana kidnapped Sita from Rama while Rama hunted for a golden deer for Sita. When Sita resided in Ravana's palace, Ravana attempted to persuade Sita in becoming his wife. According to the story, Ravana never wanted Sita as his wife unless she wanted to. He didn't believe that he should be forceful with her, which is ironic since he kidnapped her.
I decided to write about Ravana's dilemma of how to make Sita fall in love with him. In Sita sings the Blues, Ravana was described as a good person until he kidnapped Sita. I tried to portray his "kindness" with the fact that he refuses to force himself on Sita, but of course since he's the villain I made him believe that killing Rama was the only solution. The reason I wrote about three counselors was because several kings do have some sort of counseling staff or a group of advisers. I chose three counselors, each with a different attitude. Counselor 1 is the aggressive type while Counselor 2 is more reasonable. Counselor 3 is the middle ground between Counselor 1 and Counselor 2. I imagined the counselors to be like the Hades' counselors of Past, Present, and Future (which explains the image). Whether Ravana actually succeeds in killing Rama is up to the reader.

Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley

Reading Diary B: Sita Sings the Blues Part II

I finished the film! There were some weird scenes of a dancing lady and a dancing skeleton which reminded me of someone taking LSD with a bad trip. Something I don't quite understand is the backstory with the girlfriend and boyfriend. He moves to India, and he's being weird towards her which leads to their break-up. I guess it can relate to Rama and Sita since Rama rejected Sita after rescuing her. One thing that really made me laugh was when the narrators commented on Sita's pregnancy with "They joined the mile high club!" That was priceless! In the online version of Ramayan, I don't remember reading that Sita was pregnant. This film also shows that Rama banished Sita from the kingdom while she was pregnant because he was afraid that her reputation would discredit him as being a respectable king. I find that really ridiculous. Another scene that makes me chuckle was when the narrators were arguing about how Sita's unconditional love towards Rama. The male narrators did not understand why she kept praising Rama, but then the female narrator explains unconditional love to them. The film was quite entertaining! I did enjoy watching it.

Scene from Sita Sings the Blues. Source

Reading Diary A: Sita sings the Blues

I began watching the first half of Sita sings the Blues, and my first impression of it was that it was very trippy. The introduction shows Lakshmi rising from the ocean with a peacock-shaped phonograph. Then the scene shifts to outer space where where see a several gods such as Surya, Shesha, and Chandra. Moving along, three Indian narrators begin to tell the story of Rama. It's pretty entertaining because the narrators argue with one another about characters. They summarize how Dasharatha has three wives and four sons, and how Kaikeyi demanded the king to banish Rama from the kingdom. Then there is a skit of Sita singing an old song, describing her devotion to Rama. The narrators then describe Ravana. I didn't know that Ravana was a loyal king to his country. As the narrators described him, Ravana was so devoted to Vishnu that he played a musical instrument with his intestines. Honestly, what made him evil was when he kidnapped Sita from Rama. Hanuman, the reincarnation of Shiva, joins Rama to help on his journey to find Sita. With his great leaping powers, Hanuman jumps to Lanka. I was surprised to see how bloody the battle scene was between the monkey army and the demons that guarded Lanka. It reminded me of Happy Tree Friends because of all the bloody animation and dark humor. Then came the scene where Sita and Rama finally reunite. The video depicted the scene exactly how I wrote my storytelling post! Rama fought a war to rescue his wife then just rejected her because he questioned her purity. Overall, I enjoyed the humor and the sound effects of the video. I laughed out loud a few times in the library which was quite embarrassing. Also, the animation in the movie was really neat. Everything had a bold and simple shape to it. I cant wait to finish the rest!

Sita sings the Blues poster. Source.

Reading Feedback

I read through my feedback comments on my storytelling. One of the things that I need to work on is structuring my stories to fit a certain theme. I feel like I have a theme in mind when I begin to write the story, but then I become side-tracked as soon as new ideas pop up. I should really reread my posts before publishing to see if I achieved my original theme. I can then eliminate random and extraneous plots in my storytelling. I also need to work on dialogue with my characters. Whenever I write a story, I also tend to write in first-person or in third-person without any dialogue. It's odd that I find including dialogue to be unnatural because I'm writing instead of listening. Another thing that bothers my about using dialogue is that I tend to overuse the word "said." He said. She said. I said. Said is dead. To improve, I need to find other ways to say "said." For instance, I can say she exclaimed, he shouted, I muttered, he whispered, she cried, and all sort of synonyms. When I used other verbs, it also gives a better visual of how a person is saying their comment. He cried gives a dramatic, depressing tone while she shrieked gives an intense and suspicious tone. I really appreciate the feedback my peers have given me.

Just a funny twist on my dialogue problem. Source.

Famous Last Words Week 3

So many things are running through my mind right now. I'm so sleepy. I need to study. My exam is on Monday. I have work in the morning. I have to finish my molecular lab report. I need to read for colloquium. I forget to deposit my check. I need to finish that scholarship. Med school interviews are approaching. Did I remember to put air in my tires? The list just goes on and on. One of the things I am currently struggling with is handling the pressure at work. I just finished training as a pharm tech and the job comes with a steep learning curve. Learning how to work a completely new system is one thing, but learning how to adapt to patients' cranky moods and accusations are another. Yesterday was one of the roughest days at work. My coworkers and I were trying our best to please every patient, but there was only so much that we could do. We had patients yell profanities at us at the top of their lungs. It was quite the scene. I left work feeling defeated. I dreaded coming into work this morning, and my senior tech noticed my melancholic mood. He heard about last night's catastrophe... Well everyone did. I never thought that I would get out of my blue funk, but he really did make me feel better. He told me that the greatest challenge in life is to maintain happiness when the world around me exposes its ugly side. I still remember what he said to me to brighten my day, "Have you ever heard sharpen by fire? That's what you did last night. You were thrown in the fire and came out stronger and smarter." It made me realize that challenges are what mold me into the person that I am today. I will never learn unless I challenge myself. This experience reminds me of the growth mindset concept. I didn't fail that night. I just wasn't quite there yet.

Quote by Ferdinand Foch

Tech Tip Pinterest

So I always have been the type of person just to pin things that caught my attention, but I never knew how to edit the pins. Now I do! I just to write my thoughts on each pin and give a small description so other pinners know what they're looking at. My largest board is called Imagination which includes mostly art. I edited some pins that reflected my own thoughts. I started using Pinterest because my cousin used it to look up nail ideas in the summer. My friend also used Pinterest to search art and crafts ideas, so I decided to finally make a Pinterest (I was really tired of just looking at pins without a log in) and began exploring. Man... Did I explore! I became really addicted... I search for a lot of canvas ideas which I used to decorate my room or give to my friends as gifts. It's actually a really great sight for other things too. They have everything from craft to cars to celebrities to workouts and nutrition! I highly recommend it!

One of my edited pins. Paper sculpture by Cheong-ah Hwan

Growth Mindset Week 3

I recently read a storytelling post that was based of Hanuman's leap. It was my favorite storytelling post because it was about a boy who chased his passion for science which later helped him find a cure for his mother's sickness. The author was inspired by a line in Hanuman's leap which read, ""when he was still a child he had thought the sun to be a fruit growing in the sky, and sprang easily three thousand leagues toward it." I believe that Hanuman really demonstrates a growth mindset because he saw a challenge and pursued it until he was successful. Although other characters bashed on Hanuman and ridiculed him, Hanuman pushed himself until he made his leap. Stories about inspiration really encourage me to continue pursuing my own dreams even though I feel like it would be easier to give up. Class, homework, work, commuting, and other obligations make me want to rip my hair out. Characters like Hanuman are great reminder to never give up on a challenge just because it is difficult. Just like Hanuman and the boy in the story, I can reach my goals too.

Cat running towards its goal! Source

Storybook Styles: Love Stories

Topic: I decided that I will write my storybook on love stories/epic couples. The couples that I have in mind so far are Dasharatha and Kaikeyi, Rama and Sita, and Shakuntala and Dushyanta. I'm still deciding on my fourth couple. I am trying to construct a storybook that teaches a different lesson on relationships. For Dasharatha and Kaikeyi, I imagine the lesson to be something along the lines of betrayal within a relationship. Rama and Sita's story can teach a lesson in fidelity. I'm still brainstorming what Shakuntala and Dushyanta can teach.

Bibliography:
1). Dasharatha and Kaikeyi from Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)
2).  Sita Tested from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914).
3). Shakuntala: The Forgotten Wife by Dolat H. Doongaji & A. K. Doongaji (1970).

Possible Styles

In general, I'm leaning towards a first-person style with a frametale. The connection between the couples will be simple, such as relationship lessons found in a book.

Thoughts of each Individual. I read a storybook where a girl reads through a diary and discovers the love story between Sita and Rama. I'd like to adapt to her style except I want to present each individual's point of view on the relationship. What I had in mind is that I would draft an internal monologue for each character that reflects the dilemma in their marriage. For instance, I would write Kaikeyi's thoughts on her marriage which she may think is failing compared to Dasharatha's thoughts on the marriage which he may think there is no problem. I'm excited to play with this idea with Shakuntala and Dushyanta since Dushyanta's memory of his wife is erased.

Counseling the couples. Narrating a couple's therapy storybook would be challenging which is why I'm not too excited about this style. It would definitely be interesting to give each couple advice. I was thinking that a counselor would identify the problem and provide a healthy solution that requires commitment and communication. In this way, it would easier to convey a lesson or moral about relationships.

Self Realization. Based on other people's experiences, there is always a self realization or an epiphany that gives insight into oneself after a relationship terminates. I thought it would be a neat idea to show how each individual reaches a "self-realization" moment during their hardships in their relationship. In that way, I can write a lesson such as "Love yourself first" or "Become independent." I like this storybook style more than others because it allows me to brainstorm conflicts within individuals such as low self-esteem, jealousy issues, body image, or arrogance.

Mutual Growth. This style might be considered the opposite of the self realization theme. With this style, can show how each individual grows with their significant other as one couple. This can convey the meaning that one partner can learn from the other to strengthen the relationship. For example, a husband may teach his short-tempered wife how to be patient.

The theme of epic couples. Source.

 

Storytelling Week 3: Sita - The Girl on Fire

Rama was the man of the hour! The gods rejoiced in the heavens because Rama fulfilled his destiny of defeating Ravana with his powerful Brahma-blessed weapon. The mighty hero searched for his lost love, the beautiful Sita, in Lanka where she was held hostage. After searching high and low, Hanuman guided Rama to the tree where he last saw Sita. Sita recognized Rama from a distance and ran to her husband. She felt an overwhelming amount of mixed emotions: happiness, comfort, and most of all love. She had dreamed of her rescue every night. Finally my husband returns to me! Once I'm in his arms, the pain and despair that Ravana brought upon me will melt away, thought Sita. She sprinted across the field with open arms to feel her husband's warmth and security that she longed for. Just as she was about to hug her true love, Rama stretch his hand in front of to stop Sita.

Rama: "Whoaa now.. Easy there, Missy."
Sita: "Rama what's wrong? Why won't you embrace me? It's been so long, and I have been through the worst pain without you."
Rama: "Yeah ok ya see I'd like to believe that, but you've had company."
Sita: "Company? Rama, the city of Lanka was no friend to me. I have been alone."
Rama: "Well there was always your best friend Ravana..."
Sita: "...Are you serious..?"
Rama: "Listen I know you have needs, and Ravana is a good-looking guy. You were alone with him for awhile. Things could have happened."
Sita: "IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK OF ME?! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"
Rama: "Calm down, woman! He tried to make you leave me! Am I wrong for assuming? I'm just trying to protect my honor."
Sita: "What have I ever done to you to make you question my loyalty! I have loved you and cared for you since the first day I saw you! I have been the most faithful wife to you, but here you are denying me? This in unbelievable."
Rama: "I still love you, Sita. I just want you to prove yourself to me. All I'm asking is for you to walk through fire so I know that you're pure. It's not so bad."
Sita: "........."
Rama: "You're making this a bigger deal than it has to be. Just walk through the fire."
Sita: "What if I die Rama? You're going to let me burn to death because your jealous mind is clouding your reasoning?"
Rama: "If you have been faithful then you won't die. If you have been unfaithful, then you deserve to die. It makes sense to me."
Sita: "You're incredibly despicable. What if I accused you for infidelity and made you walk through fire!"
Rama: "That's different. I'm a good person so I would never cheat on you."
Sita: "If this fire doesn't kill me, I'm going to kill you."
Rama: "Uh huh love you too. Now walk!"

Sita felt the heat of the flames from a few feet away. She looked at her husband who kept urging her to walk through the inferno. Sita was infuriated with her husband's accusations, but mostly, she was depressed with the revelation that Rama may not be the same person she fell in love with. My Rama would never do this to me... Before she took her first step towards the fire, the gods saved her from burning and proved her fidelity to Rama.

Rama: "Sita you're pure! My dear Sita I never doubted you for a second!"

Rama opened his arms to embrace Sita, but she stepped away.

Rama: "Eh.. Why aren't you hugging me..?"
Sita: "I think we should see other people."
Rama: "What do you mean? It's us. It has always been us."
Sita: "Not anymore. Bye Felicia."

Then Sita walks off into the sunset, towards her kingdom.

Sita Walking in the Flame. Source

Author's Note: I decided to write about Rama's confrontation with Sita about her infidelity.In the original story, Rama was guided to Sita by Hanuman. He rejects Sita because he questions her purity. In order to prove herself to her husband, Sita walks through fire but is saved by the fire god Agni. At this point, Rama acknowledges Sita's purity and accepts her as his wife.
       In my story, I gave Sita some attitude and sass. Instead of being submissive, Sita was had more fire in her soul and actually talked back to Rama with a fierce tone. For once, Sita stood up for herself. I was shocked at Sita's reaction when I read this chapter because I believed Sita would defend herself because she was always a faithful wife. My goal of this story was to have Sita gain control of her life. I wanted to protray her as an independent woman who has zero tolerance for controlling husbands. I'm pretty biased on the topic because I have experienced the consequences of a jealous, controlling boyfriend. Also, I took the story to the extreme and added more modern dialogue. In my story, I had Sita leave Rama which reveals her strength and independence.

Bibliography: Public Domain Edition of Ramayan  Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists by Sister Nivedita (1914) Testing Sita.

Brainstorming for Indian Epics Topics

1). Possible Topic: Love stories and Epic couples. One topic that really stood four to me was the love stories/epic couples. Since the central theme in Ramayan in about Rama and Sita's love, I really think I could develop a story about them. I thought about doing a comparison of Rama and Sita to Dasaratha and Kaikeyi. Both couples are key players in the development of the story from Rama falling in love with Sita to Rama's banishment.
Research so far: I looked at the Wikipedia sites for Sita and for Kaikeyi which gave me more background information on both characters. I thought that it was interesting that Sita's name means furrow in Sanskrit. What really attracts me towards Kaikeyi is the fact that she is the cause of Rama's banishment. I would like to make a story of her thought process before she confronted Dasaratha to banish Rama.

2). Possible Topic: Animal Characters. Because I love animals, I started exploring the storybooks that included animal characters. I really thought about writing a storybook over the elephant or monkey characters. Then I looked into the reincarnations of Vishnu and that appealed to me because Vishnu was reincarnated into several different animal characters such as the tortoise and the boar.
Research so far: I looked further into the Wikipedia articles of Vishnu's reincarnations. Narasimha, the reincarnation that is half-man and half-lion, is known as the Great Protector. He is known to protect those in need and for defeating the demon Hiranyakashipu.

3). Possible Topic: Brothers and Sisters/Mothers and Fathers. The theme of brotherhood really stands out to me because I'm close to my younger brother. One of my favorite characters in Ramayan is Lakshmana because of his loyalty to Rama. Lakshmana left his kingdom to follow Rama is his banishment which really showed nobility and devotion. I'd like to compare the brotherhood between Rama and Lakshmana to the bond between Ravana and his younger brother Vibhishana. I found it shocking that Vibhishana left Ravana to support Rama who was considered as the enemy. There is an opposite parallel between Lakshmana, who sacrificed his kingdom for exile with Rama, and Vibhishana, who betrayed his brother by joining the foe.
Research so far: I read the Wikipedia articles for Ravana and Rama. Ravana is described as a monster with nine or ten heads that kidnaps Rama's wife. Rama serves as the reincarnation of Vishnu who is destined to defeat Ravana in battle. The two characters remind me of a balance between good and evil. It's not surprising that the brother of the evil character leaves him to join the good side.

Rama with his bow. Source: Wikipedia

 

 

4). Possible Topic: Karma. I have heard of karma in every day life, but I don't quite understand what it means. Because it is so unfamiliar, I think this would be a great time to explore the origin and meaning of karma. From my understanding, karma is a concept where if one does good deeds then one shall receive good actions and vice versa. If an individual has good karma, then he must be involved in good deeds. However, if an individual has bad karma, it is because he was involved in deeds.
Research so far: According to the Wikipedia page, karma literally means action. This means that for every action there is a consequence or a re-action. There are different laws and theories that involve karma such as the ethics, consequences of good and bad actions, and rebirth. In Hinduism, many believe that there is a link between karma and rebirth. For example, good karma in the current life will guarantee a better future life.

Reading Diary B: New Face of Rama

Hanuman returns to the kingdom to report to Rama and King Sugriva about what he saw in Lanka. The monkey armies advance to Lanka to rescue Sita. Meanwhile back in Lanka, Ravana's royal court discusses whether they should return Sita to Rama or to go to war with Rama. Ravana's younger brother, Vibhishana, urges Ravana to return Sita to Rama, but Ravana refuses to heed his brother's lecture. Vibhishana abandons his brother and becomes allies with Rama. This action caught my attention because Vibhishana cuts his brotherly ties with Ravana. Family who turns on other family may appear as the ultimate betrayal, but Vibhishana can be justified because Ravana is committing an awful deed by holding Sita hostage.

Rama and the armies attack Lanka. The scenes depicted in the story reminded me of a battle scene from Lord of the Rings, especially when Garuda heals the soldiers in battle.

It was a cruel trick that Ravana and Indrajit played on Rama and Sita, making an illusion that they were both dead in order to feel despair and lose hope. A major event occurred when Lakshmana slayed Ravana's son Indrajit. Even though villains are portrayed as heartless monsters, Ravana mourned for his son: "He was the mightiest of my heroes and the dearest to my heart." Ravana was shattered. He attempted to slay Sita for revenge, but rakshasas stopped him from tainting his reputation. Infuriated, Ravana almost kills Lakshmana. As he was destined to do, Rama kills Ravana using the weapon created by Brahma.

What shocked me the most was the reunion between Rama and Sita. I was expecting a very romantic embrace when they saw each other, but instead Rama denies her! He's suspicious of Sita because she stayed in Ravana's house. Rama had the audacity to say, "...but thou art stained by dwelling with another than myself.." I thought their love was so powerful and loyal that Rama would always trust Sita. How could he let Sita walk in fire to prove herself? After reading the chapters for this diary, I lost so much respect for Rama.

Sita walking in the flames. Source: Mewar Ramayana

Reading Diary A: Rescuing Sita

Hanuman, a monkey that serves as the chief counselor of Sugriva, joins Rama and Lakshmana in their search for Sita. Hanuman becomes a loyal member of the trio. The monkey explains that Sugriva also lost his wife. Vali left to go fight a demon in a cave and left Sugriva in charge in guarding the mouth of the cave. After hearing shouts and cries, Sugriva assumed that his brother died and left the cave to rule the kingdom. However, Vali never died. He climbed out of the cave and saw that Sugriva took responsibility of the kingdom. Not only that, but the cave had been filled in which made Vali's escape from the cave more difficult. Infuriated with his brother, Vali accused Sugriva of trapping him in a cave in order to take over the kingdom. Vali then kidnapped Sugriva's wife. Rama then promises Sugriva that he will battle Vali. How can Rama trust Sugriva? What if Sugriva really did trap his brother in the cave?

Rama battles Vali, but not in the most honorable way. Actually, Rama hides from Vali in a bush and shoots an arrow that kills Vali. I wonder if Rama felt that his actions were justified, or if he felt guilty that he didn't battle Vali in a fair match. Although Vali did kidnap Sugriva's wife, Sugriva still wept for his brother's death. Sugriva becomes king and promises Rama to find Sita. After the end of the rainy season (which made Rama really impatient), Sugriva sent four armies of monkeys in four directions to find Sita. They found a lead to Sita in the southern direction when Sampati, the bird brother of Jatayu, confirms that Ravan took Sita towards Lanka.

I thought it was interesting that Ravana tried to convince Sita to leave Rama. To me it's pretty funny that Ravana actually thinks that he could persuade Sita to leave her soul mate. He threatened Sita that after two months if she didn't give in to his requests to become his wife, then she would be tortured

Ravana attempting to persuade Sita. Source: Mewar Ramayana

Famous Last Words Week 2

This week has been a bit hectic. I am still trying to find a balance between school and work. I was a bit behind in this class, so I spent the majority of my time trying to catch up on my assignments. The storybook project really took a lot of my time. That is one thing that I will never do at the last minute. Lesson learned. I tried a new writing technique in my storybook. The introduction to it was mostly dialogue. I have always written stories in a first-person perspective or as a third-person narrative. I was never much of a writer that included dialogue. Therefore, I tried changing it up a bit and did only dialogue for my introduction. At first it was odd because there was no description of the characters or the setting. Then I realized that dialogue helps with character development based on word choice. It was an interesting writing strategy that I might use again.
On another note, my science classes are catching up to me. Molecular lab drains me every Tuesday and Thursday. I don't really have a passion for counting cells, yet my professor expects me to write a whole lab report about it. Pathogenic micro is one of my favorite classes this semester. It's exciting to learn about how parasites and different microorganisms can cause fatal diseases. My professor returned from China finally so now he's teaching the course instead of his TA. No offense to the TA, but I prefer Dr. Lawson to teach. The first exam is coming up! I better start studying soon...
My goals for this week are to get ahead in this class with extra credit and starting my readings early. I would also like to start studying for my pathogenic exam by Tuesday the latest. I need to finish my molecular lab and also finish the reading assignment by Monday. Hopefully, I will be able to finish reading and taking notes of the protest book assigned in my colloquium class. It seems like a lot, but I'm sure I can do it...hopefully.

How college feels right now... Source

Tech Tip Google Site

I was really nervous at the idea of making my own website, but the Google site really made it easy. My dad told me that back in the day there were people who were hired to create websites, but now even I can create my own website! I created a website for my storybook project. Because I am not super tech savvy, it took me a few tries to get the hang of it. Within a few minutes, I was able to choose my own theme and design a template that would match my storybook. For my storybook, I have a homepage which is like the cover of a book, an introduction page, and four more web pages which are like the chapters in a book. I was able to add pictures to every page and customize the template. It was really neat! Creating my own website reminded me of painting a canvas except it's in a technological world. Maybe in the future I will create more websites for other classes. For now, it's a good skill to learn and play with during my free time.

Week 2 Growth Mindset

The challenge that I decided to do this week was the writing challenge. I wrote my storytelling week 2 post with different writing style, and I really enjoyed it! I read another peer's writing style, and it was from a first-person perspective. I also read another person's post that incorporated the villain's point of view so I though that was interesting too! I decided to try a bit of both. For my storytelling, I wrote a narrative from the hero's side and from the villain's side. I'm not sure if it is my best writing technique, but it definitely allowed me to be more creative in my writing since I was presenting a plot from two point of views. What I learned from the new writing style was mainly character development. I had to be cautious with my word choice in order for the hero to be perceived as heroic and for the villain to appear malicious. Brainstorming dialogue was the most enjoyable part because it really gave my character life. I realized that adjectives were crucial for portraying my character's thoughts. Overall, I'm glad that I decided to write differently, and I can't wait to explore other writing styles!

Look for opportunity. Source

Storytelling Week 2: Divorce Court (Kaikeyi and Dasharatha)

Dasharatha

I despise her. I despise her with an undying passion that burns to the core of my woeful soul. How dare she ask me to exile my beloved son... Our beloved son! My dear Rama will be banished from his kingdom. Bharata will take his place as crown prince. How could she do this to me! Is this a dream? A terrifying dream? Please someone awake me from this nightmare! Is this the work of a rakshasa? Am I mad? I can still remember her poisonous words slipping from her forked tongue, "Banish Rama and crown Bharata! Deny my wishes and I shall drink poison tonight!" What evil has transformed my beautiful wife into a heartless wench? I cannot live with this shame. I feel my heavy heart drowning in the black ink of my guilt. Tonight, the world will hear my sobs echo into the darkness. Although a full moon greets me tonight with such beauty, I must hide my sin from the world. I refuse to be seen in my mournful state. No light shall fall upon my undeserving being. There was no arguing with her. I had to grant my wife her wishes. No.. she is no longer my wife. She is a malicious woman. My hatred for her grows darker with every passing day. I will forever reject Kaikeyi. I despise her.

Kaikeyi

What a stunning night! The moon greets me with its silver light to celebrate the granting of my wishes! Tomorrow my Bharata will be the heir to the kingdom, and Rama will be exiled into the wilderness! It is only fair that Dasharatha grants me my wishes. He vowed to grant me two wishes, therefore he must. He cannot deny me. Oh but how pitiful he is tonight... He sobs in the darkest corner of the palace, asking the gods for forgiveness. He has always been a dramatic king. He refuses to see the ingenuity of my plan. Bharata was living in the shadow of Rama. The healthiest solution was to make Bharata heir to the throne, and banish Rama. If anything Dasharatha should be appreciative that I did not ask for Rama's death! 'Tis true, I am the most kind and loving wife that he has. It is not personal with Rama. I just believe that it is time for the kingdom to recognize Bharata for his noble deeds. Did I force the king? Of course not! I gave him a choice: Me or Rama. I may have threatened that I would poison myself, but I was just being ridiculous of course. He knows that I am always teasing. That's why he married me. Well, my work here is done. Tomorrow, Rama leaves and Bharata is heir! Ah... I love happy endings.

Kaikeyi and Dasharatha arguing.

Author's Note: The epic I chose for this week's storytelling came from Donald A. Mackenzie's Indian Myth and Legend (1913). and is called Kaikeyi and Dasaratha. In the original story, Kaikeyi demands that Dasaratha grants her two boons by banishing Rama and making Bharata his heir. Dasaratha was devastated. He refused to grant Kaikeyi her boons, but she threatened to poison herself if he did not keep his word. Consequently, Dasaratha had to keep his promises, but he told his wife that he would forever reject her and Bharata. I approached the story with a different writing style. I wrote it in a way that resembled diary entries to present each character's point of view of the situation. I deviated from the story by changing Kaikeyi's motive. She was persuaded by Manthara, a rakshasa, to demand the banishment of Rama. In my story, the wife demanded Bharata as the heir to be recognized by the kingdom. The goal of my story was to give insight into each character's thoughts and feelings about their current situation. I wanted to my audience to feel Dasaratha's hatred for his wife and compare it to Kaikeyi's immature gloating. The image that I chose shows Kaikeyi and Dasaratha fighting about her boons. I liked this image because it gives a visual of the characters and their conflict.

Bibliography:  Donald A. Mackenzie's Indian Myth and Legend (1913).