Indian Epics

For this weeks story lab I chose to take a look at the Writer's Write website. Below are some of the articles that I found interesting. Harry Potter and The Not Very Good Writing The author talks about how J.K. Rowling is getting worse as an author. For a children's book Harry Potter is very long. It also includes many characters that don't serve a real meaning. She also includes excessive description that can distract from the actual plot. How to Write The Tragic Love Story - A 10-Step Formula 1. Immediate attraction/ love at first sight 2. Forbidden love 3. Fight their feelings 4. Eventually give into feelings - short lived 5. always forces keeping them apart 6. Lovers kept apart but long for eachother 7. They get back togehter 8. Moment of truth 9. One/both die 10. Those left behind realize their mistake.

I decided to continue reading the graphic novel about Bhagavat for my reading this week. This second part is titled Krishna: The Subduer of Kaliya. It begins with the people of Gokul settling in Vrindavana. Balarama and Krishna take the cattle to the forest but while they are there they encounter two demons. One is a black calf and one looks like a crane. They defeat them both. Another demon in the form of a serpent tries to attack them but Krishna also defeats it. Krishna fights a water snake with 100 heads, named Kaliya. He allows him to live as long as he doesn't poison the water. Pralamba, an asura, tries to fly away with Balarama but he kills him. Krishna saves the cattle from a fire by sucking the flames in with his mouth. Bhagawat Comic Bibligraphy: Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar by Anar Chitra Katha Publication

This week I chose to read the graphic novel, Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar. Part A is titled The Darling of Gokul. This story starts with Arjuna's grandson Parikshit. Parikshit asks to hear the story of Krishna. This story begins when Devaki and Vasudeva are married. They receive a prophecy that their eighth child will kill Kamsa. Kamsa puts them in prison and kills their children as they are born. The 7th and 8th children, Balarama and Krishna, are secretly taken to Gokul to be raised. Kamsa sends Pootana to kill the children but Krishna defeats her. It turns out he is the reincarnation of Vishnu. Yashoda sees the universe in her sons mouth. He is a very mischievous child. Bhagawat Comic Bibligraphy: Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar by Anar Chitra Katha Publication

Gandhari listened on from the main hall as her father and Bhishma. She knew they were talking about her and from the sounds of it she had just received another marriage proposal. “But he’s a prince!” Bhishma insisted. “My daughter can’t marry a man like that.” Her father replied angrily. A man like what? Ghandari wondered as she continued to listen on for clues as to whom they were talking about. Suddenly she heard a loud band as the door to her father’s office flew open. She tried to act natural, pretending to be engrossed in a book that had been open in her lap. “Daughter, Bhishma has a proposal for you. The prince Dhiritarashtra, from Kuru. The only problem is he’s blind. I understand if you don’t want to have to live with this for the rest of your life. Say the word and I’ll send him away.” Ghandari was shocked that her father would think she was that shallow. She rolled her eyes as she thought about it. People in the kingdom were always calling her stuck up and selfish. If on

This part starts with the Pandava's exile in the forest. Arjuna goes away to find weapons.Duhshasana and Duryodhana plan to stage an attack to kill them. Hidimbi is sent to kill them but falls in love with Bhima, and makes herself beautiful. He falls in love with her too and kills her brother. They get married and have a son who's a magician. Her and her son leave to a different world. Vyasa tells the Pandava's to visit wise men. He intervenes when Duryodhana threatens them. Film Adaptation of Mahabharata Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENh1hxkD6E&t=0m5s Title:   The Mahabharata Director : Peter Brook Scriptwriters:   Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook Year:  1989

This week I continued to watch Brook's Mahabharata. This second part picks up before the game of dice. Krishna tells the Pandavas and Draupadi that Yudhishithira will be king. Dhiritarashtra gives the Pandavas a piece of his kingdom which angers Bhima. Duryodhana wants war. He visits the Pandavas palace and runs into invisible walls. The Pandavas mock him which makes him even more angry. The game of dice begins and Shakuni, a cheater, plays in Duryodhana's place. Yudhishthira gambles away his brothers, himself, and Draupadi. Duhshana tries to remove Draupadi's clothes but she prays and the Sari extends endlessly.Draupadi asks for her husbands freedom. Yudhisthira goes back for another round.They lose and are exiled for 12 years. Film Adaptation of Mahabharata Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENh1hxkD6E&t=0m5s Title:   The Mahabharata Director : Peter Brook Scriptwriters:   Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook Year:  1989

For my Story Lab I decided to read EmpoWord and the chapter on telling a story. It talks about how storytelling is often a part of our writing and thinking. It can be seen in things like music or science. When telling a story it is important to narrow your scope to include only the important details. Things like pacing are also relevant with it being important to give consideration to how much time each event is given. I also learned about the different POVs and the different techniques I can use. One thing that stood out to me was the part about dialogue. I've been trying to incorporate dialog into my story and sometimes it's difficult to make it flow. I feel like this chapter taught me skills that I can use as I continue to write my storybook. Writing Bibliography: https://content.library.pdx.edu/files/PDXScholar/empoword/96/#zoom=z

I decided to do my extra credit reading on Gandhari: A Mother Blinded by Love. In the comic she receives a blessing from Shiva that she will have 100 sons. She marries Dhritarashtra the blind. In order to share his burden she blindfolds herself. She gives birth to a lump and cuts it up into 101 pieces and puts each in a jar of ghee. They take shape in 2 years and form 100 sons and a daughter. The eldest brays like a donkey when he is born which symbolizes a bad omen. When he grows up he is jealous of his cousins the 5 Pandavas (Pandu and Kunti's sons). He tries to poison his cousin Bhima but fails. They play the dice game. Ghandari Comic Bibliography: Gandhari: A Mother Blinded by Love

For my reading notes this week I chose to watch the film adaptation of the Mahabharata. I enjoyed this version because it was interesting to see it in the form of a movie. The movie contains people from all different cultures. Vyasa tells the story of the three women who Bhima wins. One leaves because she is love with another king. Their husband dies and the two women have to sleep with Vyasa to have babies. One baby is blind and the other is pale. The pale one, Pandu, is cursed and if he sleeps with his wife he will die.His wife Kunti has a special mantra. She calls down the sun God and has a baby with him. I liked the way the movie is easy to understand and fun to watch. I'm looking forward to watching more of it. Film Adaptation of Mahabharata Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EENh1hxkD6E&t=0m5s Title:   The Mahabharata Director : Peter Brook Scriptwriters:   Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook Year:  1989

-The townspeople thought the Sun God had appeared to them but Krishna told them it was just Satrajit wearing the Sun God's jewel. -he gave it to his brother Pasena, who was an evil man. Because of this the gem would bring him death. He was killed by the lion. -Jambavat, King of the Bears, gave it to son as a toy. -People tried to blame Pasenas death on Krishna. -Krishna married Satyabhama and some of the men killed her father in jealousy. -Akrura found the gem in his garments and gave it to Krishna, but he kept it and renounced women. -Krishna and Rukmani's first son is Pradyumna, He is meant to kill the demon Sambara, Sambara took him and threw him in the sea but a fish caught him and swallowed him whole.A woman found him in the fish and kept him. She taught him how to fight. -Pradyumna and Rukmavati marry. -Balarama kills Rukmi by shattering his skull with dice after he is insulted. Krishna and Jambavati Bibliography: Kincaid. Shri Krishna of Dwarka http

-Krishna was born as a reincarnation of Vishnu. Out of a piece of his hair. -Kamsa puts his sister and brother in law in jail. -The eighth child is born and Krishna's father escaped the jail and switched him with a baby girl. -Krishna grows up to be a naughty boy. -He steals butter from the neighborhood women. -He saved his friends from the serpent. -Many demons are sent to kill him but he defeats them all -His mother catches him eating mud but when she looks she sees the universe in his mouth. -This is when she accepts that he is something special -He falls in love with Rhada Krishna  as a child Bibliography: Kincaid. Shri Krishna of Dwarka http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2015/12/reading-guide-kincaid-krishna-chapter-1.html

This week I chose to do the story lab. I chose to watch the two Ted talks on stories and friends.The first Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks  about her experience growing in the U.S. with her Nigerian roots. In her talk she stresses the importance of not judging a person or country on a single story we hear about them. Often we see picture and things in the news and make assumptions based on that. We need to understand that there is more to a culture than we see and there is not one specific stereotype that everyone fits into. The second stalk was about imaginary friends and their consequences. Jennifer Barnes, a ya author, talks about the emotions we feel for fiction and their characters. We spend so much time on books, movies, tv shows, that are fiction. One of the things that draws us to fiction is the relationships we form with characters. These relationships are called parasocial because we don't know them. Ted Talks logo Bibliography: two TED talks about stor

- Brahma sees Krishna sharing his food and he questions this. He decides to kidnap Krishna's friends but Krishna recreated them to trick Brahma. - Krishna plays his flute to calm the bull Hastin. He then rides it. -His family refuses to let him marry Rhada. He reveals his true identity as a God and savior of the people. -Kamsa sends Akrur to trick Krishna and invite him to a dinner but he tells him Kamsa's plan. -Kamsa attacks Krishna with elephant but Krishna is stronger. -Kamsa orders his army to attack and Krishna and his brother defeat them. Krishna kills Kamsa. Krishna and Rhada Bibliography:  Epified Krishna Videos

This week I decided to watch the Epified videos about Krishna's story. I like watching these videos because I feel like they give me a better understanding of the stories. Kamsa learns that Devaki (his cousin's) 8th child will hill him so he puts her and her husband in jail. He killed her first 6 but the 8th was a God so he couldn't touch him. This son was Krishna. Vasudev exchanged Krishna for Maya to protect him. Maya was actually Durga Krishna kills Putana  When his mother caught him eating mud, she made him open his mouth to see that the universe was inside him. He played the flute Krishna loved the dancer Rhada  Lord Krishna with his Flute  Bibliography: Epified: Krishna.  Web Source

For my second extra reading assignment I decided to continue watching the videos I started the other day. While I do think reading the original text I think that this can be very beneficial as well. I especially enjoyed the story about the Pandavas and how it was told here. A few things that I think could've made it better would have been if there was color. I preferred the film Sita Sings the Blues because of its more movie like qualities. It could have been more enjoyable if it used more of a storytelling technique. Karmic Revolution Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrWYQjLLbXcitH65DQccwo3hSnsA05JV4

For my extra Mahabharata reading I decided to watch the videos  Karmic Revolution by Epified TV. The thing I like about watching videos is it can give me a better understanding of what was going on in the story and when. It breaks the story down so I'm able to understand it more. Because the Mahabharata was so complex this was especially useful to me. I will probably continue to watch this for more of my extra reading. Karmic Revolution Bibliography: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrWYQjLLbXcitH65DQccwo3hSnsA05JV4

So far I'm happy with the progress I've maIde. I feel like my writing has improved and I've gotten better at understanding the stories we have to read. I'm most proud of my writing and I feel like I've become more creative. I've been using the extra credit comments option. In the future I would like to spend more time on my stories to avoid grammatical errors and add more attention to detail. The Golden Deer Source:  Wikimedia

I feel like throughout this class I've improved my writing skills. Being able to read about something and create a story from it has made me think more creatively. Receiving feedback from other students is very helpful to me because it helps me see ways I can improve my skills and I can see my story from different views. So far I am happy with the work I've done on my blog and storybook. I would like to go back and fix a few grammar errors or parts where the stories could flow better. I think I could include more detail in some parts too. I feel like my reading notes help me make a note of stories that have caught my eye that I would like to recreate. Rama and Sita. Source:  Flickr This image is one of my favorites because I feel like this class has focused so much on the story of Rama and Sita. I really like the colors in this picture and you can see their love for each other. 

Duryodhana plans to take Krishna captive but this backfires because Krishna transforms into his divine form. Karna tells Kunit that he will only attack Arjuna A battle takes place. Krishna shows Arjuna a sermon called the Song of the Lord to prepare him for battle. Arjuna fatally wounds Bhishma and Karna takes his place. Arjuna's son is killed in the battle.  Drona is killed. Duryodhana is killed by Bhima and Krishna says its Karma. Yudhishthira becomes king.  Everyone dies and Arjuna's grandson is king continuing the Pandavas legacy. Image source : Bhima and Duryodhana Bibliography:   The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic , R.K. Naraya

Duryodhana makes a plan to humiliate the Pandavas. The plan fails as he is captured by the gandharvas and the Pandavas have to save him. The Pandavas come across a lake and they drink from it and they die because they refuse to answer questions. Yudhishthira answers the test from his father Yama and his brothers are resurrected. They are awarded unrecognizability during their 13th year exile. They spend this 13th year in King Virata's court. Draupadi is raped by the queens brother. Bhima squeezes him to death.  Duryodhana gets suspicious when he hears what happens. His ally Susharman proposes a cattle raid. Prince Uttara learns about it and the Pandava's reveal their identity to him.  Uttara (king Vitra's daughter) and Abhimanyu (Arjunas son) are married. They start preparing for war with Duryodhana. Image source : Bhima and Kichaka Bibliography:   The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic , R.K. Narayan

I chose to watch the crash course videos on Mythology because I thought it would give me more insight into myths and how they are created. One of the things I learned is that myths and religion are often confused. I also learned that although we view the word myth as something that is false, that doesn't mean it is. Myths are significant and have staying power. This is because of the deeper meaning and significance to them. I thought it was really interesting to see how some people use myths as primitive science to explain the creation of the world. There are so many different views and theories about myths and this series helped me understand more about it. I also learned about new stories that I had never heard before. Myth vs. Fact Bibliography:    Overview of Mythology

This part starts with the Pandavas at Indraprashta. Arjuna goes into exile for intruding on the marriage to Draupadi. Yudhishthira is crowned as a king at Indraprastha. The pandavas play a trick using optical illusions on  Duryodhana who is out to get them. He seeks revenge and goes to play a game of dice with them.  Yudhishthira gamblers away his brothers , himself, and Draupadi. Duryodhana Orders her to undress but Krishna replaces her safari with another. Arjuna returns after exile. Bibliography:   The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic , R.K. Narayan

Narayan's Mahabarata is a lot more complex than the Ramayana he wrote. I think this is because there are so many more stories going on in it that it's hard to keep track of all of the characters.  -Shantanu King of Hastinapura, marries a woman who is actually Ganga and she drowns her children to return them to heaven as Gods. He then marries another women, Satyavati. Bishma becomes king after his death. Ambika and Ambalika are supposed to sleep with Vyasa and the are repelled by him. Ambika makes her servant insteadm and her servant likes him Draupai marries the Pandavas, 5 men: I thought this was an interesting story as in this time it was usually then men who had multiple wives. ( Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana ) Bibliography:   The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic , R.K. Narayan

Sita waited by the window every night, looking out at the stars above. She wondered how long it would take Rama to get there. She knew he was coming for her and she just had to be patient. Every night she would get down on her knees and cry and pray to her husband. She was loyal to him and only him. If she could not be reunited with him she prayed that she would die. Life was not worth living without him. Ravana watched Sita from the other room, anger rising up at the sight of her yet again weeping for Rama. What did she see in that blue guy anyways? There was nothing special about him! He was always going on about ethics and doing the right thing. Didn't it get boring? Besides, Rama would never love Sita the way he could. If only she gave him a chance. Angrily, he stormed into her room. "Why are you praying to that man again? Is he a God? Can't you see that he's not coming for you? Even if he was, he's not going to take you back! He cares more about what his p

Today I finished watching the film Sita Sings the Blues. I liked how the commentators discussed whether or not Rama was in the right for banishing Sita. I also thought it was unfair that even when she passed the test he still sent her away. He should have been more forgiving because she was taken against her will. I like the creativity in showing their relationship in parallel to the couple in present time. We can see how their relationship, like any other, wasn't perfect. Everyone has faults and we could see both Sita's and Rama's. Sita was sometimes too devoted to Rama to the point where she was suffering for him while he didn't seem to care. Rama was too blinded by his responsibilities as King to take his wife back. Rama Banishes Sita  Bibliography: Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzTg7YXuy34&t=2171s

Sita Sings the Blues Poster For this week I decided to watch the film Sita Sings the Blues.  I really enjoyed this version of the story because of the colorful animations and representation of the story. When reading the Ramayana I got the idea that everything was very vibrant and extravagant and this retelling was what I imagined the stories to look like. I really liked the humor in the story and felt like it made it more interesting to watch. It was also easier to understand so parts where I was confused in the book were made more clear. I think by watching this film I have a more creative perspective on the book going into making my story. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the Ramayana because its a fun and easy way to get the general idea of it. Bibliography: Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzTg7YXuy34&t=2171s

Life of Mandodari

This part begins with Hanuman on his journey to find Sita. He mistakes Ravana's wife Mandodari to be Sita because of her great beauty. Hanuman is captured and taken to Ravana. In an attempt to kill him Ravana sets his tail on fire but this burns Lanka to the ground. It's rebuilt by Maya. Ravana refuses to release Sita Rama builds a bridge to cross the street A huge battle takes place Ravana is warned against it as he is not protected against humans. Ravana and Rama fight and finally Rama is able to kill him with a special arrow - Brahma-astra. Sita jumps in the fire to prove her purity. Shiva sends Dasharatha to earth to grant Rama a wish and he asks that he forgive Kaikeyi and Bharata Finally Rama is able to return to Ayodhya after his exile and he becomes King. Sita's test by fire Bibliography: Vālmīki, & Narayan, R. K. (1972).  The Ramayana; a shortened modern prose version of the Indian epic by R.K. Narayan. Suggested by the Tamil version of Kamban

This section begins with Sita being captured by Ravana who is disguised as a hermit. He takes her to Lanka. When looking for her Rama and Lakshmana meet Hanuman in the monkey kingdom Kiskinda.  They go to help defeat Valli who put his brother Sugriva in exile and took his wife. Sugriva gives Rama Sita's jewelry and agrees to help him. Rama helps defeat his brother and get his wife back. Sugriva puts together an army to help Rama. Hanuman goes looking for Sita. He is trapped in a deserted underground kingdom in the process. He meets Jatayu's brother Sampathi who tells him that Ravana took Sita to Lanka. Hanuman grows so that he may cross the ocean with one footstep. Hanuman Meets Rama. Source: Wiki Bibliography: Vālmīki, & Narayan, R. K. (1972).  The Ramayana; a shortened modern prose version of the Indian epic by R.K. Narayan. Suggested by the Tamil version of Kamban . New York: Viking Press

When doing more research on Lanka and Ravana's family, one character that caught my eye was Ravana's wife, Mandodari. She was said to be very beautiful and extremely loyal to her husband despite his flaws. She didn't give up on him and always tried to help him be a better person. I felt like she would be an interesting character to focus on given her strength and all the circumstances she had to endure.  Story 1: This will be an introduction to Mandodari and her background story. This will also be the story where she meets Ravana and is married to him. Story 2: This will talk about her marriage to Ravana and how she dealt with his faults. This is the part of the story where Ravana falls in love with Sita and abducts her. I would like to go into more detail on Mandodari's thoughts during the whole thing. It will probably go up until the death of her husband. Story 3: This will be her life post Ravana's death. Many sources online didn't go very in depth

One of the articles I read was How to Give Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk. Something I always struggle with is giving someone constructive criticism without offending them. Because of this I end up sugar coating things and not giving useful feedback. An important step is to explain to the receiver you're reasons for feedback. Make it clear that it is for their benefit. You should also make the person feel as if you're equals and both have something to learn. It's better to be transparent and direct rather to risk someone misunderstanding or feeling manipulated. The other article I read spoke of the problems with giving praise and how to properly give praise. The author used American Idol as an example of this. Contestants always awaited Simon's vote, considering it to carry the most weight. Despite his harsh criticism, his thoughts were the ones that mattered the most. We must focus on praising an effort not the person. If we use vague terms like "amazing&

Mithala was a lively and cheerful city. People crowded the streets, dancing and singing.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying their lives without a care. The buildings were covered in gold and the streets in jewels. Everything seemed to glitter as the light reflected off of it. That's why Sita loved this city. It always felt like there was something to celebrate. This morning she was up in her balcony playing cards with her friends as she looked upon the people of her father's kingdom. She was proud to be the princess of a place like this, but she wondered if she would ever stop feeling so alone. As she looked out over the balcony, something caught her eye. Two young, handsome men were walking through the streets. Sita was sure she has never seen them before. At that moment, one of the boys looked up at her and his eyes met her. Sita had never believed in love at first sight but as soon as she made eye contact with that boy, the breath was knocked out of her lungs. She felt like

This next part starts with Rama going to exile. When Dashartha is informed that Rama has left, he dies. This can be a form of karma he received for denying Rama his rightful throne.Even Bharata is upset that Rama is not king. Rama meets Ravana's sister Shurpanakha in the forest. She falls in love with him and decides to attack Sita but Lakshmana is able to stop her. Shurpanakha returns to her brother in Lanka to to show him what happened to her. He is angry but falls in love with Sita after hearing about her. He uses his uncle Maricha, disguised as a golden deer, to trick Sita. Sita is left unattended when Rama goes out to chase the deer and she is captured. The Golden Deer Source: Wikimedia Bibliography: Vālmīki, & Narayan, R. K. (1972).  The Ramayana; a shortened modern prose version of the Indian epic by R.K. Narayan. Suggested by the Tamil version of Kamban . New York: Viking Press

This story first begins with King Dasharatha. Dasharata was a great king and had many riches. The only thing he lacked was a child. Through a year long sacrifice, his wives were finally able to give birth. Before Rama was born he was called by the gods to defeat the rakshasa Ravana. Rama becomes the avatar of Vishnu in order to do so. The sage Vishvamitra comes to the court to ask that he may have Rama for battle with the demons. Though reluctant, Dasharatha finally agrees. Rama is able to defeat many demons on his journey. Rama falls in love with Sita, the avatar of Lakshimi and daughter of King Janaka. He is able to receive her hand in marriage by bending Shiva's bow. We see here that Rama (Vishnu) and Sita (Lakshmi) have an eternal connection due to the love both divine powers have for each other. When Kaikeyi's son is chosen as the heir over Rama, the King banishes him to exile for 14 years. he is followed by Lakshamana and his wife Sita. The Ramayana by Narayan.

Rama and Sita I feel like this is a timeless story with lots of different twists and turns. I've been able to get a basic understanding of the story through some of the readings we've done in the class. This story is a classic and I think it would be fun to retell it in a new way. Maybe with a modern twist or a new perspective. The love story of the couple and the obstacles that they face set the stage for a very interesting story which I would like to dive deeper into. Village Folktales of Ceylon . Because this is the country my parents are from, I believe this would be a good topic to do a project on. I also feel like it's a topic that other students may not have used in the past. I think it would be a good way for me to learn more about my culture and the folktales that originated from the country. A few of the stories I've read in this class have mentioned Ceylon and I even wrote a story inspired by Goblin City. I would like to dig deeper into the subject and

One of the articles about feedback that stood out to me was the one about Neil Gaiman's advice on the creative life. He spoke about how it is okay to make mistakes and actually beneficial in a way. If we're making mistakes this means that we're taking risks and growing. By putting ourselves out there and doing things that might make us uncomfortable we're opening ourselves up to new possibilities. I'm always fear the possibility of making mistakes, both in school and in work, so reading this article opened me up to the idea that mistakes are part of the learning process. In the article Why It's So Hard to Hear Negative Feedback  by Tim Herrera, the author speaks of how negative feedback can lead to opportunity and how we can become better at receiving it. I struggle with taking negative feedback in a job and one of my biggest fears working at my internship this summer was being criticized on something I did wrong. I'm also bad at giving negative feedback b

It had been days since we'd seen any sign of land. About a week earlier a storm had come in from the East, knocking us off our course for home. We were beginning to lose hope. Food supplies became scarce and dehydration was starting to get the better of us. That's why when I saw a strip of sand peak over the horizon I couldn't help but cry out in joy. The gods had heard our prayers! I motioned for the others to look and together we all rejoiced. We began to row towards it and as we got closer we scanned the beach for any signs of life. Massive palm trees rose up into the blue sky and I could see that a vibrant jungle stretched as far as the eye could see. Small huts dotted the shoreline and upon further inspection we could see men working outside, gathering crops and fishing. We finally reached the shore and as we were docking our boat a group of women caught our eye. A woman broke away from the group and approached us. Her eyes locked onto mine and I saw that they were

Goblin City   This story takes place in Ceylon, in a city full of she-goblins. These goblins would trick men who were traveling through the area into marrying them. After they got bored of them they would eat them. A new wave of travelers are passing through the land. After tricking these new men into marrying them, the goblins went to the jail to eat their old husbands. One man overhears his wife talking about eating men and he discovers that she is a goblin. The next day he warns the others and with the help of a fairy and her magic horse they are able to escape.  A big moment in this story is when the man discovers his wife is a she-goblin. It seems like this is the first time someone has tried to escape.  this story is told from a third person point of view. It might be interesting to see it from the point of view of one of the men or even a goblin. I'm imagining the setting is in a very green, jungle like area. Maybe a tropical setting. Story Source :  The Giant Crab

The Ramayana I chose to read is Narayana's version. One of the main reasons I chose this one is the novel format of the story. I feel like it will be more organized and easy to follow. Vasantasena, A Dancer This comic was interesting to me because from the description it seemed to be more female led. The twists and turns and comparisons to Shakespeare caught my attention and I feel like the comic will be very engaging. Tales of Shiva I've heard a lot about Shiva but I don't know many of his stories. I would like to read more about him and see what makes him the popular figure that he is. The Mahabharata - An Introduction This video provides a basic overview as to what the Mahabharata is and how it came into existence. It also includes links to different videos with a modern twist on ancient Indian epics. This is a good video to watch when you're wondering where to begin and what the Mahabharata is actually about. Rama and the Ramayana: Crash Course Crash cou