Indian Epics: Indra
I really liked this storybook because I do not know much about Indra, although I am Hindu myself. I know the basics, but not much else. So while the title is not exactly a super exciting sentence, I was still drawn to the story. The introduction definitely made me want to read the rest of the storybook, especially because it was written in first person and it allowed Indra to have the point of view and finally tell his side of the story. The most interesting part of this storybook was the fact that Vishnu and Shiva were portrayed as the villains, which is such a different way from how I have grown up to see them. You would think that such highly respected and worshiped Gods like these would not be evil, but this storybook has taken a different approach. I found the storybook very interesting to read and nicely written.
As for the page display, I found the simple design to be very easy to navigate. I especially liked having the sidebars containing different sections of the storybook. I also liked the Author's Notes because it mentioned what parts were different from the original story and clarified any confusions.
Rama vs. Sita
This storybook, just like the Indra one, depicted Rama, a God highly valued in my culture, as malicious, selfish, and cruel. The title was indeed eye-catching because I have never seen Rama and Sita against each other, so seeing "Rama vs. Sita" was different. The first page of the storybook was also nicely done and made me want to keep reading and find out what happens. This scenario was also interesting to read because I have never thought of Rama, or any other God for that matter, as evil. I was surprised to see how many of the villagers were against Sita for their own selfish reasons, when Sita is such a kind and loyal being. But more than that, I was getting riled up when I saw Rama being so cruel to Sita! Their names are always mentioned together so I was upset that they did not have the perfect life I imagined for them. However, I am glad that the author decided to give Sita the last word and allowed her to make her own decision. This story reminded me a lot of the Radha/Krishna myths. It is said that Lord Krishna and Radha were in love, although they were never married. Lord Krishna had a lot of wives, just like Lord Rama had other girls adoring him, but neither got married, or stayed married, to their true love. However, their love was so strong that their names are always mentioned together.
The page navigation here was pretty useful, since it was simple, had a clear font, and had the sidebar as well. I think I will use the sidebar feature in my own project as well because it is a good way to navigate and everyone is used to it because that is how most applications on our smartphones are set up.
Tales of Kailasa
This story was very new to me, because I don't think I remember reading or hearing much about Kailasa before. The introduction was definitely catchy and I am glad I read this story because it offered so much insight and background history along with it. I loved reading Kailasa's story because there was so much detail that I could picture it myself. As for the story of Lord Shiva and Sati, I had heard the story before but it was very interesting to read it through someone else's words again.
The page display was very descriptive and I enjoyed the pictures very much; I will probably put a lot of good pictures in my own project as well. The buttons for different sections were at the top of the page in this story; although it was not hard to navigate, I think I like the sidebars more.
I really liked this storybook because I do not know much about Indra, although I am Hindu myself. I know the basics, but not much else. So while the title is not exactly a super exciting sentence, I was still drawn to the story. The introduction definitely made me want to read the rest of the storybook, especially because it was written in first person and it allowed Indra to have the point of view and finally tell his side of the story. The most interesting part of this storybook was the fact that Vishnu and Shiva were portrayed as the villains, which is such a different way from how I have grown up to see them. You would think that such highly respected and worshiped Gods like these would not be evil, but this storybook has taken a different approach. I found the storybook very interesting to read and nicely written.
As for the page display, I found the simple design to be very easy to navigate. I especially liked having the sidebars containing different sections of the storybook. I also liked the Author's Notes because it mentioned what parts were different from the original story and clarified any confusions.
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| Source: Vishnu as the new ruler after him and Shiva decided to put Indra to sleep for years. |
Rama vs. Sita
This storybook, just like the Indra one, depicted Rama, a God highly valued in my culture, as malicious, selfish, and cruel. The title was indeed eye-catching because I have never seen Rama and Sita against each other, so seeing "Rama vs. Sita" was different. The first page of the storybook was also nicely done and made me want to keep reading and find out what happens. This scenario was also interesting to read because I have never thought of Rama, or any other God for that matter, as evil. I was surprised to see how many of the villagers were against Sita for their own selfish reasons, when Sita is such a kind and loyal being. But more than that, I was getting riled up when I saw Rama being so cruel to Sita! Their names are always mentioned together so I was upset that they did not have the perfect life I imagined for them. However, I am glad that the author decided to give Sita the last word and allowed her to make her own decision. This story reminded me a lot of the Radha/Krishna myths. It is said that Lord Krishna and Radha were in love, although they were never married. Lord Krishna had a lot of wives, just like Lord Rama had other girls adoring him, but neither got married, or stayed married, to their true love. However, their love was so strong that their names are always mentioned together.
The page navigation here was pretty useful, since it was simple, had a clear font, and had the sidebar as well. I think I will use the sidebar feature in my own project as well because it is a good way to navigate and everyone is used to it because that is how most applications on our smartphones are set up.
Source: A very lonesome Sita as she is being put on trial.
Tales of Kailasa
This story was very new to me, because I don't think I remember reading or hearing much about Kailasa before. The introduction was definitely catchy and I am glad I read this story because it offered so much insight and background history along with it. I loved reading Kailasa's story because there was so much detail that I could picture it myself. As for the story of Lord Shiva and Sati, I had heard the story before but it was very interesting to read it through someone else's words again.
The page display was very descriptive and I enjoyed the pictures very much; I will probably put a lot of good pictures in my own project as well. The buttons for different sections were at the top of the page in this story; although it was not hard to navigate, I think I like the sidebars more.
Source: Sati's sacrifice
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