Epics of India

Giving Creative Feedback – A Guide for Those Who Aren’t Creative ~ Read here This article reminded me of a feedback process that I learned about in choreography class last spring. It was known as the Critical Response Process, and it delineated four clear steps that should be taken when we approach giving feedback. One of these steps is asking something called "neutral questions," which are questions framed in a non-judgemental way that are supposed to stimulate the creator of a work to think about the choices they have made and how these choices reflect their vision. A similar idea is presented in this article, and the concept is framed as "probing questions," which help to communicate how the designer of a piece thinks that it will accomplish their intended objectives. Asking questions allows the creator to think critically about aspects of their work that they may not have considered, and this allows them to become an active part of the feedback process. Rather...

Story #1: Absolving the Original Sin Yama and Yami represent the Lord of Death and the Lady of Life; in some myths, they are also said to be the first humans. There is a tributary of the sacred Ganges River known as the Yamuna, which is worshipped as the Goddess Yami. It is said that drinking and bathing in these waters removes sin. The fact that Yama and Yami are referred to as the first humans prompted me to think about Adam and Eve, and the Judeo-Christian story regarding the creation of the first man and woman. I think it would be interesting to write a story that combines these two religious traditions. What if Adam and Eve encountered the twins after their tragic fate with the fruit from the tree of knowledge, and Yami offers them the chance to absolve their sin by drinking her waters? There is a catch, however. In order to go to the River Yamuna, they must leave the Garden of Eden forever and promise to start news lives along the bank of the Ganges, building the foundations o...

Mother Earth was the guardian of the world and the protector of all its creatures, who lived in harmony on the majestic landscapes of her body. Where her hip curved the waves of the ocean cascaded; where her knee bent the canopies of the forest bowed. Humans had always held a special fascination for Mother Earth. Their capacity to feel was unlike any of the other species that roamed her lands, and their lives were colored by a broad spectrum of emotions. She watched their tears mingle with the rains and their joy brighten the rays of the sun. The other creatures of the earth each had their own domain; the lion roams the desert as the monkey swings between the trees of the rainforest, just as the crocodile slips among the reeds of the wetlands and the penguin glides over the icy arctic floor. But humans were found far and wide, living among all the other creatures. They roamed and they settled, and then once more they would be on the move. Mother Earth watched intently as they ...

Jatayu -Divine origin, has taken the form of a great eagle -Wise and spirited -Friend of Dasartha on the battlefield      -“You are the soul, I am the body. We are one.” (page 62) -Watches over Rama and his companions in the forest; a guardian figure -Fights Ravana when he kidnaps Sita and is ultimately slain by the demon -Keeps himself alive until Rama and Lakshmana arrive in order to tell them what has happened An underappreciated character in my opinion! I would love to know more about this wise elder and the roads he has traveled to get to the forest. Jatayu bravely engages Ravana in a fight to the death. Source: Wikimedia Commons Soorpanaka  -Sister of Ravana -An asura disguised as a beautiful woman -Falls in love with Rama in the forest -Disfigured by Lakshmana; he chops off her nose, ears, and breasts When Soorpanaka glimpses Sita, her heart plummets; the overwhelming beauty of Rama’s wife seems to render the possibil...

Formatting Observations The narrator of the text does not remain silent, but rather exists as a presence in the story; there are several instances where the narrator breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the reader, commenting on elements of the story and injecting their own observations. This introduces a new dimension to the text, framing it as a story within a story. This is a stylistic element that I would like to consider incorporating in my retellings. Important Figures of Ayodhya -King Dasartha -Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumithra: wives of the King -Rama, Lakshmana, and Bharatha: sons of the King      -Rama is actually Vishnu in human form! -Sita: Rama's wife -Sage Vasistha: guru of the kingdom Thataka -Born a demigod -Married chieftan Sunda -Two sons: Mareecha and Subahu -Sons and husband were destroyers; they killed animals and laid waste to the land -Agasthya cursed Sunda to his death -She and her sons cursed by Agasthya to live as dem...