Topic Brainstorm

Weapons of the Gods
I figured that doing a project over different weapons would be really cool and interesting. There are so many gods and so many weapons that they used in various battles, the possibilities are endless. I don't know much, or really at all, about the weapons the gods used, so I would love to learn more about them. One blog I saw had the weapons introduce themselves and tell stories, so I liked that take on it.
Weapons of the Gods

Ramayana
I enjoyed reading the Ramayana, so I would love to do a project over it. There are so many stories in it that could be retold, and so many people in the story whose perspective I could tell from. I know a little about the Ramayana, I read it, but I feel like there's more to be told, and more in-depth stories to be found.
Rama

Music
I love music, I always have. So it would make sense that a music project interests me. I don't really know anything about Indian music, so I would love to listen to a wide variety of it and write about it. I'm sure there are stories as well that deal with music or have musical elements to them.
Rock on Hanuman

Epic Battles
If this class is called "Epics of India," I'm sure the battles are epic as well. I'm interested to learn more about the amazing battles that happened in Indian Epics. I haven't read or listened to any epic Indian battle stories, so this topic idea intrigues me. There are opportunities to write stories from both sides and to see different points of view on the battles.
Epic Battles

Kurukshetra War 

(30 Epic Battles of India)

Thoughts on Feedback

Overcoming the Fear of Feedback

It's always hard to ask for feedback. You want to get better, but you don't want to hear how. It feels like people are attacking you, when in reality, they typically just want to help you improve too. This article had a routine in it that helps you take feedback and turn it into goals. I found these steps really helpful because you ask questions about the criticism you receive, and then thank them and strategize ways to improve yourself.

Feedback (Sott)

6 Bad Mental Health Habits That Sabotage Your Success

I found myself guilty of one main thing on this list: Catastrophizing the future. I worry about the future a lot and ask "what ifs" all the time. It's not good and I know it's not good, but I can't help but do it. I feel like if I stop worrying about the future and focus on the present instead, everything usually works out better and I'm not anxious or nervous. 

Week 2 Story. The Crane: A Hunter

THE CRANE: A HUNTER

Father smacked me upside the head. It hurt. It usually hurts, but I'm used to it. I didn't bring enough food home and we were 3 fish shy of having the most in the village, which meant honor for our family. I wouldn't say my childhood was hard, it just had its ups and downs. Father was loving, in his own way, and mother was eaten by an alligator before I even hatched, so I never knew her. It's a thankless job, being a crane. Everyone blames us for depleting the lakes of fish, but how else are we supposed to survive. It's a crane-eat-fish world, and the only way to win is to play the game. Because I wasn't the fastest or biggest crane in the family, I resorted to different tactics in order to fill my stomach for the day and bring home enough food to honor my family. I began to talk to the fish, I gained their trust, and just when they think I'm not a threat, they're already in my mouth. I knew it wasn't the most "ethical" way to hunt, but it did its job and I don't go hungry. With this method of hunting, our village became the fattest and most powerful in the crane kingdom, and I was their star hunter. No matter how fast or big the other cranes were, they couldn't gain the fish' trust like I could. I was invincible. Until one fateful day... I was making my rounds around the local ponds and lakes and I came across a dried-up pool with many fish, barely submerged, dreaming of the nearby lake. I, like always, saw an easy way to satisfy my hunger without even making an effort. One by one I promised each fish a trip to the lake, only to devour them in my nearby eating tree. It was all going well until I got greedy and wanted something more: a crab. I had never eaten crab and was curious to see how the little shelled creature would taste. He seemed to be falling for my ruse, but held onto my neck as we traveled, rather than my mouth. I found it odd, but knew I'd get my meal soon. All of that changed when I felt a sharp pain in my neck and heard the words that chilled my spine: "If you try anything, I'll kill you, Crane." He knew. I had to choose my next moves very carefully or they could be my last. I gave him the waterworks. It was the last thing I had. He spared my life as I let him in the lake. I thought I was free, I thought I would go on to hunt and gather and live my life as I had been, but his claw to my neck cut all of it short...

Author note and bibliography: Story inspired by The Cunning Crane and Crab by W. H. D. Rouse

Crane eating a fish (Dina's Wildlife Adventures)

Reading Notes: Crane and Crab

Wow what a story. I knew that Indian folklore usually involves a moral lesson, but this story had a great payoff. The story involves a cunning, deceitful and particularly evil crane. This crane lives on the bank of a lake and spends his days hunting and eating fish. There is a pool nearby that has all but dried up and is filled with fish. The crane hatches a plan that involves tricking the fish into thinking they're being helped, only to eat them when he gains their trust. He tells each fish that he will take them to the lake so that they can live more comfortably and then takes them to his tree to eat them. Once he's eaten all the fish in the pool, he's so desperate for food that he resorts to trying to trick a crab into trusting him. However, this crab is smarter than the fish and is suspicious of the crane's motives. He makes a deal that the crane is to allow him to hold onto the crane's neck as he transports the crab to the lake. The crab makes it known to the crane that he can kill him at any moment and the crane spares his life. But at the last moment before the crab reaches the lake, he uses his claw to cut the crane's head off, stopping his trickery for good.

The Crane and the Crab (Mom Junction)

The Cunning Crane and Crab by W. H. D. Rouse

Reading Options

The first reading option that grabbed my attention was the animated film Sita Sings the Blues. This is the animated retelling of the Ramayana. I enjoy different methods of storytelling and I think that an animated version of this story is very creative.

The second reading I was interested in was the comic book version of the Mahabharata. An illustrated version of the epic battle seems very cool to read because I like to see what the writers visualize as they think of the story.

The last thing I was interested in was the opportunity to learn more about Indian music. I have a musical background and love finding and listening to new music, so I'm excited for the opportunity to listen to some Indian artists and learn more about their style of music.

Arjuna statue in Bali (Source)