Indian Epics Blog

 These reading notes are over Part A of Tiny Tales of Ramayana which is written by Laura Gibbs. Style Notes:  The style of writing conveyed the essential parts of the epic without overwhelming readers with too many details. As the Ramayana is impressively long, this writing style makes the narrative accessible. However, in order to re-tell specific stories within the epic, it's important to go more in-depth and focus in on specific plot parallels. I want to avoid using the same style of the Ramayana when writing my own stories, but specific plot points can provide a strong enough bridge between both narratives. As a result, I'll probably also reference R.K. Narayan's The Ramayana to capture the whole plot before I begin writing my own story.  Since the Tiny Tales summarize a majority of the stories, most dialogue is left out. When re-telling the various stories, this provides the creative liberty to imagine the conversations and use a more modern, fluid style when writi...

 I began my Wikipedia Trail with the Wikipedia page on Maya , which I visited for this class when writing up my post on the Hindu idea that reality may be an illusion. While the Wikipedia page initially defined Maya as "illusion" or "magic," the page also provided a more nuanced look at the definition. One definition stood out to me, with Monier Williams defining maya as "wisdom and extraordinary power" initially but later meant unreality. I've never heard of this man, so I clicked a link to his Wikipedia page, where I learned more about Monier Monier-Williams . He was born in Bombay during British colonialism, and he was educated at Oxford as well as the East India Company College. He eventually became a professor of Sanskrit at Oxford, and he was knighted in 1876. He was made KCIE in 1887, but I had no clue what that meant, so I followed the Wikipedia link. KCIE stood for Knight Commander in the Indian Empire and was a ranking under the Order of the ...

 The article "6 Hidden Downsides of Perfectionism" really demonstrated how detrimental perfectionism can become if it's not properly controlled. While I never struggled with procrastination, I did relate to the issue of disregarding my health and having issues delegating work to others. Oftentimes, I would stay up and work late in order to get ahead of classes and perfect all my work. I'd spend hours taking notes for no other reason than for it to be perfect. I realized that this approach to learning and working is extremely dangerous and unhealthy; it's crucial to maintain and stick by a healthy work-life balance. Furthermore, I needed to accept the risk of making a mistake or falling behind in order to develop this balance. This read re-affirmed my beliefs on the potential dangerous of unchecked perfectionism. While I appreciate my focus for details, it can become unhealthy and obsessive. I've become better at delegating work in groups and sticking by a sch...

My first idea for a project would be to analyze each of the symbols in Hinduism and describe its deeper meaning. I was inspired by the video Symbols of Divinity as it briefly described some motifs in Hinduism, and I'll be sure to incorporate its information when researching for specific symbols. For my project, I'd be interested in taking a broader approach by analyzing the religious symbols associated with specific deities; I would want to connect these symbols to a story of the deity and highlight the meaning of each symbol as well as its potential applications and life-lessons. One symbol I would primarily analyze would be Om (or Aum) and the meaning behind each part of the religious icon. I'd also want to connect this symbol to the meditative practices of Hinduism as well as its role in prayers and religious ceremonies. I never realized how significant each aspect of the Om symbol is until I learned about the various meanings, and I'd love to learn more about the v...

In suburban America, there once was a boastful and arrogant father who prided himself of his strength. He lay claim to be the strongest in the neighborhood through his arm wrestling competition at their annual cookout. While many men tried, none could defeat him and therefore he claimed to be the Arm Wrestling King, a title he held with great pride.  Two men arm wrestling. Source: Pixabay As the man grew weaker over the years, he knew his son could seize the throne at the annual cookout. The mere thought filled him with fear, and he was well aware of his son’s impressive strength. To distract his son and preserve his ego, the father devised a plan to keep the adolescent away from threatening his title. On the day of the cookout, the father disguised his scheme by politely asking his son for a favor. “Hey bud, I’m going to need you to drive down to the Jerry Mart and bring 10 cases of their finest craft beer. Be quick, we’ve got guests coming in 20 minutes.” Without hesitation, his ...

  One of my favorite stories from the Jatakas was of "The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses" which was from Tayodhamma Jataka in The Jatakas: Volume 1 and was translated by Robert Chalmers. Plot Notes:   One of the major plot twists I wasn't expecting was of the ogre's helpfulness. I was expecting the ogre to try to hinder Brahmadatta and stop him from taking the lotuses, which would force the young monkey to prove his strength and kill the ogre. Instead, the monkey's virtuous traits persuaded the ogre to assist him. It's essential to the plot that the character's traits and virtues stay the same, as it highlights Brahmadatta's superiority over Devadata and the importance of valor, resourcefulness, and dexterity. A re-telling of the story could be done in a different environment with different characters but with the same central conflict. Devadata needs to be fearful of Brahmadatta's capabilities and should attempt to sabotage him. Th...

 I'd be most interested in reading Narayan's Ramayana due to its modern language and historical connections. Narayan is both an author and historical figure in Indian history, and I look forward to reading his own rendition of the Sanskrit epic in order to appreciate his work. I also like the book's historical context with the work being based on the medieval Tamil poet, Kamban. Finally, since the length of Narayan's novel is 200 pages, I feel as if it would be thorough but not a struggle to complete.   A few comic books also interested me in learning more about the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The comic book Rama: Retold From Ramayana had an appealing artistic style, and it would be a great way to retell the epic. The summary of the comic book highlights how detailed the narrative is, and the short length makes the comic a great way to review over all the details. In order to learn more about the Mahabharata, I'd also be interested in reading the comic book Krishna ...

 Time management is an important aspect in keeping up with asynchronous online classes. Without meetings or a defined structure, it's easy to procrastinate and push off work until the last minute, but this approach causes unnecessary stress and hinders the learning process. Rather than meaningfully engaging with the material and confronting challenges, students who lack time management will produce work that isn't as thoughtful as it could be. For this class, it's important to develop a schedule and stick by it; the consistent workload of readings, projects, and blog posts all require pacing to complete the material and effectively learn. Procrastination can creep in at any time, but it's important to just get started . Rather than delaying our goals or watching one more show, the act of beginning provides that initial momentum to prevent procrastination and unnecessary delays. This article reminded me that starting is half the battle, and it's important to gain tha...

 I feel familiar with tuning up my browser, as I've already had extensions and figured out how to organize bookmarks. However, I didn't realize the extensive resources that are available for this class. The Class Wiki has everything centralized, making all the material, assignments, and expectations really clear. The support sites seem really useful, and I'll be sure to take advantage of those throughout this semester. I especially appreciate Freebookapolooza as it makes all the readings easily accessible. Technology allows the class's workload to be done anywhere, as this website can allow me to complete the readings on the go. I look forward to using the technology tools and course websites throughout this semester. The interconnectedness of technology. Source: Pixabay

 I like the structure and consistency with the core assignments, and the flexibility offered with extra credit can allow me to manage for stressful weeks. The natural progression from reading to writing to developing a project and gaining feedback allows for a more in-depth engagement with the material. I'd probably try to start readings earlier than the due date in order to try and take advantage of extra reading for extra credit. I also look forward to commenting on blog posts and receiving feedback, since online classes feel isolating and comments always help to improve the work. I like that the structure of the course includes consistently working on the project over the semester, as it'll allow us to develop and revise over time. Oftentimes, projects that are due at the end of the semester feel rushed, but by incorporating it into the weekly workload, I'm more excited to develop it throughout the class. I'll be sure to take up some extra credit opportunities to pre...

 The growth mindset provides an important framework in re-evaluating what it means to learn. Dr. Dweck is right when she asserts the the current education system drives students to chase grades and achievements rather than challenges. Learning has become a sort of performance to show that students are competent with the material, but it fails to challenge the students in a meaningful way. When students become fixated on grades and face failure, they see themselves as the problem. A growth mindset focuses on confronting challenges with growth and development, rather than viewing these challenges as a metric to determine their competency. For example, some difficult math problems can be viewed as an unnecessary punishment for students who view homework as the end itself, or it can be seen as a challenge to try and develop their skills through the growth mindset. By engaging with the material, students with a growth mindset are more capable of tackling challenges and addressing dispar...

  Hey everybody! My name’s Ishan, but I go by Ish, like fish without the f. I’m a sophomore and I’m majoring in both Biology and Letters with a Pre-Med track. I hope to practice medicine, but I’m still unsure of the specialty I want to work in. I’ve been fascinated with neurosurgery, but the extensive schooling and long, risky procedures made the field less appealing. I recently read Do No Harm by Dr. Henry Marsh, one of the world’s best neurosurgeons, and the various stories demonstrated the difficult lifestyle of a neurosurgeon. As a result, I’d be more interested in a neurosurgical specialization of a field I found appealing, such as a neuro-ophthalmology, but I’m open to all options.   I was born in Frankfort, Indiana; it’s an extremely small town relatively close to Indianapolis. My family and I moved to St. Joseph, Missouri when I began preschool, before moving to Terre Haute, Indiana when I began 3 rd grade. We then moved to Edmond, Oklahoma when...

The first storybook that caught my eye was titled “ Ganesha:How It All Began .” I've heard of Ganesha and seen the deity's iconography, but I never knew of his origin. As a result, I decided to check out the storybook. The introduction was concise and accessible while providing in-depth information about Ganesha. Growing up, I learned about the deity and his characteristics, but I never knew of the symbolic aspects of Ganesha. The diagram in the introduction demonstrated how Ganesha’s portrayal reflects Hinduism’s spiritual beliefs. For example, Ganesha’s axe symbolizes the act of cutting off all bonds of attachment, which parallels the lifestyle of Hindu ascetics. After reading through the introduction, I navigated through the storybook; the design choice avoided distractions and allowed the content to be the main focus.       A diagram detailing the symbolism of Ganesha. Source: Wikipedia   The second storybook I was interested in was t...

 My favorite place is Dharamshala, a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. My mother was born and raised there, and I was able to visit the city in December 2019.    This is a photo I took of the Himalayan mountainside and one part of the city.  I found this image on Wikipedia that shows the Dhauladhar mountain range overlooking the city.

 Hello! This is the first blog post test, and I wanted to test all the features. This is really interesting.