Reading Notes; Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues, Part B

Everything after the intermission was really interesting and weird for me, just because I've always seen Ram in a positive light and always imagined a "happily ever after" once Sita is rescued. However, it is way different than I had expected!

I thought it was cruel of Ram to banish Sita to the forest after finding out she was pregnant, just to gain the approval of his subjects! I had never seen this side of Ram before, so it was all new and weird. He suddenly turns into this selfish king, but Sita, being the pure-hearted woman she is, still prayed to Ram everyday. That was also one of the things the narrators talked about; how and why she still prayed to him when he didn't let her come back to the palace. However, I really liked the depiction of Ram and Sita's sons and the song they sang in praise of Ram (I thought it was very amusing... and it's still stuck in my head so there's that). If I were to rewrite this part, I would make it more of a modern-day break up story maybe, kind of like the animated versions of Nina and Dave. 

I could also have Lav and Kush go find Ram once they're older and bring some sense into him, luring Ram and Sita back together once again. There are lots of movies, TV shows, and other story plots where the kid grows up without a parent (or both) and eventually pieces together who they were born to, then goes and finds them. I think that's where I got this idea - it is just so common these days! We'll see how my story turns out after I brainstorm some more :)

Bibliography: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues.

Source: The appraisal song sang by Lav and Kush in Sita Sings the Blues.

Reading Notes; Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues, Part A

I thought this version of the Ramayana was HILARIOUS. I couldn't stop laughing; the different animations were funny, the narrators were funny, the dialogues were funny, I could go on and on. I feel like everyone should watch this short film just to watch it because while it tells the story well, it also adds many little side twists to it.

I really liked how Nina Paley put some of her own life story in the film as well, with little tweaks here and there. And many of her life's story correlated with what was going on in the Ramayana as well. I also thought the songs were interesting and were sung with a beautiful voice. 

I thought it was great that the film added in a little background of how Ravana was so devoted to Shiva and how his lust for Sita all began. It depicted the events of the Ramayana really well, and I thought it was amusing that the narrators argued over things a lot. If I were to re-write some of this, I could put it in the point of view of Brahma, the creator of all things, or even in Ravana's point of view. I could have something happen between Rama and Ravana in their childhood that made Ravana despise Rama. 

I thought it was super interesting that one of the narrators didn't like how Sita didn't go back to Rama with Hanuman. Is it because she didn't trust him or is it because she wants Rama to come himself? There are many possibilities, and I could write about one of them. I could write a story in which Sita goes back with Hanuman, which would be interesting because that is the only reason Ram was even going to Lanka in the first place. 

In this film, Lakshman is not shown very often; he is not seen guarding Sita when Ram goes after the golden deer (Maricha) or even accompanying Rama to see Sugriva and such. This got me thinking - what if I wrote a part of the Ramayana without Lakshman? Or without Hanuman? Or any other huge character in the Ramayana? There are many different ways I could take this story, we'll just have to see what I go with!

Bibliography: Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues.

Source: A narrator of Sita Sings the Blues describing the scene where Sita is praying for Rama while captured by Ravana. 

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Week 4 Story: The One Who Betrayed His Brother

Ram, Lakshman, Hanuman, and the rest of Sugriva's army set out to rescue Sita from Ravana. As they're journeying across the lands and through the numerous villages surrounding Lanka, they see many beautiful lakes, at which they take rest once a day. One day at one of these lakes, Lakshman suddenly hears a woman singing. It is the most beautiful singing he has ever heard in his life, and without even thinking of telling the others, he goes in search for this voice. He drifts far away from Ram and the army following him, and finally reaches an ashram adorned with flowers, just how he constructs his. He can still hear the beautiful voice, as if it is calling to him and drawing him closer. Finally, when he reaches a pond behind the little house, he is awestruck. Before him is a woman so beautiful and so welcoming that he can't find the will to move. He is in love. Or at least, he thinks he is. Little does he know, he stepped into a large trap for him. The woman's voice and appearance was a disguise for her true self - Soorpanaka. Ever since he mutilated her for trying to strike Sita, she felt the need to get revenge. And she was almost done. 

As Soorpanaka got closer, Lakshman felt a drift of happiness come over him and immediately bowed down to her. Soorpanaka told him that she accidentally trespassed Ravana's land in Lanka while trying to get to her own home, and he banished her to this spot; the only way she can pass through Lanka is if she finds a man who can take her across without actually stepping on land (she knew Ram and Lakshman had a chariot that could fly). Lakshman, still in her spell, reassured her that he would always take care of her and invited her to come with his army to Lanka. Soorpanaka, still in her disguise, agreed. When they got back, Ram was extremely suspicious of Lakshman's situation, but he knew his brother had great judgment, so in the end he gave him the benefit of the doubt and allowed the woman to stay.

When they went to sleep, Soorpanaka transformed into her true self, and carried Lakshman to Ravana's palace. She had enchanted him so that he would follow her orders; slowly by slowly, he revealed Ram's location and his plan for attacking Ravana and rescuing Sita. No sooner had Ram and his army woken up from the sun's rays, did Ravana and his army attack their ground. The next few moments were ones of confusion, hurry, and realization of betrayal once they saw Lakshman driving Ravana's chariot. Ram could not believe his eyes, and his heart suddenly filled with anger. Soorpanaka and Ravana did not realize what would happen if Ram was in a rage. He slayed most of Ravana's army with only three arrows, jumped around from horse to horse, chariot to chariot, just swinging his bow, trying to kill Ravana and successfully dodging all the objects and people flying at him. The only people left to kill were Soorpanaka and Ravana. When Ram finally hit Soorpanaka with one of his arrows, Lakshman became free of her spell. He immediately jumped into action and stabbed her, while Ram focused on Ravana. His anger was still at a unusually high level, and he decapitated Ravana's heads one by one. The heads kept growing back, but his army around him suggested going for Ravana's heart, since that could not be replaced. Finally with a plan in mind, the entire army of Sugriva ran at Ravana and focused on tearing his heads from his body, while Ram shot arrows at his enemy. Finally, enough arrows hit Ravana to where he could not move and his heads began growing back slowly. Ram finally got off his chariot and walked over to Ravana, and with one swift move, he killed Ravana once and for all. The battlefield was quiet for a few moments, while everyone realized what just occurred; then, cries of victory all over sprang about. They had won! They had finally defeated Ravana, who had been terrorizing the lands for years!

Ram finally was able to cross the lake between him and Lanka, where Sita was being held. As soon as he saw her, he picked her up and immediately swore to her that he would never let her out of his sight again. Sita knew in her heart that Ram would always protect her, and they graciously welcomed each other. Finally, when Lakshman arrived, Ram stared at him coldly. Lakshman tried explaining what had happened to him, but Ram was not responding to him as a brother. He was looking at him through a different lens, as if he was the enemy now. Lakshman lamented for hours, but when Ram was clearly not satisfied with his explanation and continued to say his soul had been poisoned, he began to gather some wood and make a fire for himself. Lakshman cried out, "O Agni, great god of fire, be my witness." He threw himself into the fire, and less than a minute later, Agni rose from the flames and presented Lakshman to Ram with his blessing. Ram was finally convinced that his brother still had a pure heart, and welcomed him gracefully.

Source: A depiction of the battle between Ram and Ravana.

Bibliography: R. K. Narayan's Ramayana, The Battle.

Author's Note: 
I made this story pretty long, just as the battle between Ram and Ravana was. I kind of thought of Narnia and how Edmund betrayed his family for the Witch, but then realized his mistake and came back to his family. So in this story, I chose Lakshman to betray Ram's side, because I felt like that would have the biggest impact on Ram since he trusted his brother more than anything. I made Soorpanaka lure Lakshman to his side because of the earlier plot story about Lakshman mutilating Soorpanaka; this part was kind of a revenge story. At the end of the Ramayana, Ram tests Sita because he thinks she is impure after spending so much time at the enemy's lair. She jumps in the fire until the god of fire presents her to Ram with his blessings. Since Lakshman was the one that Ram thought was at fault here, I changed it to where Lakshman jumped into the fire until Ram accepted him. The one quote I had in there, when Lakshman jumped in, came straight from R. K. Narayan's story. 

Reading Notes; R. K. Narayan's Ramayana, Part D

Hanuman in Lanka
I love that Hanuman can figure out exactly who Sita is just by Ram's description. The love between the two is clearly seen in that context. Also, when Hanuman's tail is lit on fire and he goes around the city and sets fire to everything with his tail is one of the things I remember the most from when I used to read the children's version of the Ramayan. R. K. Narayan didn't talk about it much in this version, but I was glad to see it in there.

Vibhishana
I grew to like Vibhishana's character because he was wise and warned Ravana of the dangers of fighting Ram and his army, and when Ravana kicked him out, he went straight to Ram to help him. He was very helpful in gaining Sita back; I'm not sure if it was out of revenge for Ravana or because he knew it was the right thing to do, but I think it was because he knew what was right and wrong. When I read this I was thinking of re-writing it with a Narnia theme to it, because of the boy Edmund who betrays his friends, but then betrays the Witch later. Vibhishana betrays Ravana, the bad guy, at the end, which helps the good team win in the end. I could write about Lakshman, Hanuman, Sugreeva, or any other character who helps Ram, and make them betray him at first and join the "dark side." I could even make that character betray the good side and then later betray the bad side exactly as it is in Narnia. We'll see soon enough!

Sita's Return
I was confused when Ram wasn't accepting Sita, but it made sense after she jumped into the fire and declared her purity. Still though, it seemed kind of rude that he would question her purity even after Hanuman had clearly seen her in simple clothes and surrounded by demons all the time. But I'm glad the two got together in the end and Bharata was still a pure and loyal guy.

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Part D. 

Source: Sita in the fire, showing Rama that she is still pure.

Reading Notes; R. K. Narayan's Ramayana, Part C

I feel like this section of the reading was extremely suspenseful because we know that Ram is being led in the wrong direction and that Lakshman should stay with Sita, but they don't know Ravana's plan. It was also really saddening to see Jatayu being killed. There are a few possible stories I thought I could write off the top of my head for this part, but I couldn't think of nearly as many as I did for readings A and B. However, maybe if I spent time brainstorming like I did for the topic research, I bet I could figure it out.

Kiskinda

I really liked the part where Ram and Lakshman met Hanuman and Sugreeva. It was a heartwarming sort of moment, where Hanuman could immediately sense that Ram is an avatar of Vishnu. His utmost loyalty and service to Ram is so powerful and amazing to read about. There is a lot of uncertainty that prevails in this part of the story, since neither party is sure whether they should trust the other. I liked the challenge that Sugreeva and Hanuman asked Ram to complete, just because it showed his inner greatness.

Vali vs. Sugreeva

I find it interesting that many times, a God will give someone powers, and many times, those powers end up causing terrible things. I felt bad for Sugreeva here because he lost pretty much everything, even though he had good intentions and much love for his brother. However, the battle between the two was interesting, and when Vali finally dies with Ram's arrow, I liked how they conversed in a civil manner and Vali understood the reason for everything. I might write a story about this, because Vali's own hastiness and foolishness is what got him killed. There are many ways I could write about trying to do things fast and getting caught up in the moment and in your own overconfidence without thinking.

Search for Sita

It was interesting to read about Hanuman's adventure in trying to find Sita and the creatures he meets along the way. Sampathi's story is also very saddening, but I'm glad he got his majestic feathers back and he is back in his normal state. I feel like the story is finally moving in a positive direction since they now know that Sita has been taken to Lanka. 

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Part C. 

Source: Picture of after Ram has killed Vali with one of his arrows, as well as a depiction of the fight between Sugreeva and Vali in the top left corner.

Topic Research: the Lion King

I think my favorite theme out of all my brainstorm ideas was the Lion King one. I have several stories in mind, some of which I mentioned last time. I really like the idea of combining a few themes into one, but my favorite one is the Lion King for now. 

#1) I was thinking about replacing Scar with Ravana, Simba with Rama, Mufasa with Dasharatha, and Nala with Sita in this story. It would work out so well, because obviously Ravana wants something that Rama has, just like in the Lion King, Scar wants the kingdom that Simba will get once he's older. Dasharatha dies and Rama goes into exile all at once it seems, just like in the Lion King, Mufasa dies and Simba leaves his home for years. I could write about the story in a different perspective, maybe of Nala's, since it would be different than how the Ramayana is written (Sita's perspective is not shared as much as Rama's or Ravana's). Or I could write it in the perspective of all of the characters, switching off every paragraph. A resource I could use is A Kingdom of Love in a Lion Pride, which is a storybook done by a previous student, who replaced all the characters in the Ramayana with lions. This is essentially what I intend to do, so maybe I can look at what this student did and decide whether I want to have lots of dialogues between the lions or just do a third person view of the story.

#2) Another idea I had was talking about other animal characters in the Ramayana, such as the bird Jatayu, but having him appear to Rama in the form of Timon or Pumbaa. There are many sages and animals that Ram, Sita, and Lakshman encounter in the forest in the 14 years they are there, so I could have them appear to the characters and help them along their journey. One resource I could use for this is Narasimha. This article talks about the Man-Lion reincarnation of Vishnu, who maybe could come help the trio save Sita from Ravana. I know Hanuman comes and helps Sita, but I wasn't sure if I should take him out of the picture or just have him come into the story as Timon or Pumbaa. Narasimha could be Pumbaa and Hanuman can be Timon, or vice versa. I haven't figured that out yet but I think it would be cool for Ram, Sita, and Lakshman to have characters and friends such as Timon and Pumbaa by their side. 

#3) Lastly, I would like to integrate two or three themes. For example, I could have Nagini from Harry Potter appear in the story as Soorpanaka; it would fit nicely if we had an evil female character just like in the Ramayana. On the other hand, I could make Nagini, or Soorpanaka a good character and have her switch sides in the story, helping everyone take Ravana down. Another idea I had was maybe having the Doctor from Doctor Who come into their world; the reason being he was chasing rakshasas around the world and ended up in the forest where Ram, Sita, and Lakshman are. I'm not sure if this could potentially be my storybook / portfolio, but I'll figure it out soon! I could do three "chapters" sort of, where each time a new theme blends with the Lion King one, or I could start with all three, not sure yet! A resource I could use for this is Rakshasa; this article describes rakshasas as "powerful warriors, expert magicians, and illusionists" which fits into the supernatural theme of things, if I was to go through with that.

Source: Photo of Narasimha, which I would love to use if I were to write him into my story.