Story: The Jealous Sita

“Where is he?” Sita thought as she sat in their new home.  It was a beautifully crafted cottage made just for Rama and herself.  It was Lakshmana’s wedding gift to his brother and her; its beauty blew the newlyweds away.  While Sita was getting ready for bed, Rama stepped out to get some fresh air and explore the property, but he hadn’t returned yet and it had nearly been half an hour.  Knowing she had joined the brothers on a dangerous journey, her mind began to wonder and she worried of his safety so she slipped into her jeweled robe and sandals and cautiously, but hurriedly, ran to the back door.  But then she stopped sharply at the window. 

            In the yellow haze of the setting sun, she saw Rama, but he was not alone.  Standing in front of him was the most beautiful woman Sita had ever laid eyes on.  Her hair glittered like silk under the sun’s parting rays.  Her eyes shown bright, blinding Sita with their splendor.   Her cheeks were flushed red with lust.  Every curve on her body screamed to be caressed.  This woman was otherworldly as if a spell of desire was placed on every human, man or woman, who placed eyes on her.  But being a true beauty herself, Sita was able to shake off the compulsion.  She narrowed in on her husband Rama.

            Rama stood there comfortable, not resisting this woman’s company, but to be fair, he wasn’t welcoming it either.  The woman inched forward, claiming Sita’s husband with her body language and the craving in her eyes was enough to cripple Sita with jealousy.  Sita flung open the door loud enough to grab the attention of the unwelcomed visitor but stood there confidently as to not seem threatened by the woman.  “Rama darling, who is this guest of ours?”

            Sita watched as the woman’s mouth gaped open.  The beautiful visitor momentarily appeared threatened.  Sita, content with the woman’s noticeable vulnerability, walked up to her husband and placed a protective hand on his arm.  The woman began to stutter, trying to regain her composure.  Sita looked at her contemptibly and stood strong next to her husband.

(Sita standing next to Rama as he condemn's the woman (Shurpanakha) mage from India Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie. Illustration by Warwick Goble. Found on Wikipedia)

            The woman turned to Rama and began sputtering nonsense.  Sita stood there amused at the insults hurled her way.  Apparently she was a sorceress who was tricking her own husband with a mirage of beauty.  It was truly laughable.  Rama caught on to the humor of the situation and sarcastically retorted to the woman, “Oh my! She is a sorceress?  How could I have been so blind?  You must be telling the truth because you yourself would know what it means to be truthful and show our true selves.  You, of course, are naturally this beautiful; no use of magic or power is used to portray your beauty.  But my wife, she must be a demon in disguise.  Am I right?”  Rama smirked at the visitor.  He finally put together who the stranger was and knew how to spite her.

            The woman became so angry that her beauty started to melt away.  Her silk hair fell out, leaving behind only ashy scalp.  The glow in her eyes burned red with fire.  Her cheeks lost their blush and became sunken and hollow.  The demon Soorpanaka finally revealed her true self.  She screamed in anger at Sita.  “Go away! Leave me with my beloved! Get out you fool!” 

( Shurpanakha transitioning into her demon form.  Found on Pixabay)

            Sita’s confidence was replaced with fear and she cowered in her husband’s arms, turning her face away from the heat of the demon into the protective chest of Rama.  This angered Soorpanaka even further and pure fire radiated from her body.   With dignity and quiet confidence, Rama held Sita close and turned his back to Soorpanaka.  He calmly walked back to the cottage getting his wife to safety.  At the door her turned and softly, yet powerfully, spoke to Soorpanaka.  “Leave us or my brother will destroy you.  We are done with you.  Save yourself before it is too late and be gone.”  He then shut the door and turned back to Sita, embracing her with his protection and enduring love. 

            Sita apologized for her initial doubt of her husband and cried in his arms as the adrenaline drained from her body.  The realization of what had just occurred crushed her body and she rested her whole soul in Rama’s arms.  He held her close and kissed the top of her head.  He wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb and led her to the bedroom.  “You are more beautiful than the strongest mirage.  I will protect you forever, my love.”  And with a smile on her face and sweetness in her heart, Sita fell asleep in Rama’s arms. 

Author's Note:

I read the story of Rama's encounter with the demon Soorpanaka in chapter 4 of Narayan's Ramayana and instantly knew I wanted to retell the story.  This story is mostly told from Rama and Soorpanaka's perspective with Sita being a minor character.  Her thoughts are not expressed, she is merely there to cause Soorpanaka's jealousy.  I decided to tell the story through Sita's eyes.  How was she feeling while Rama was "flirting with demons"?  Was she jealous or was she always confident in he relationship with Rama?  These questions are what I expanded upon to retell the encounter.

Bibliography:

Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana, Part B

Bibliography:
Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.

p.67 
I love the story of Shurpanakha and Rama.  The storyline has so many different ways it can go but I love that Rama stays loyal and messes with Shurpanakha even when he doesn't know she is a demon. I also love part when Shurpanakha is so in love with Rama and hopeless that everything, even the moon annoys her.  The story is very relatable and I feel that I can make some creative changes.  It would also be interesting to write this story from Sita's perspective.  Rama remained loyal from the start even though he saw Shurpanakha to be very beautiful.  From Sita's point of view, she did not know what Rama was thinking so it would be fun to play around with her jealousy and to focus on the conversation she has with Rama after they shit Shurpanakha out of their home.  There are many possibilities with this story.

(Rama rejects Shurpanakha with Sita by his side.  Image from India Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie.  Illustration by Warwick Goble.  Found on Wikipedia.)

Reading Notes: Narayan's Ramayana Part A

Bibliography:
R. K. Narayan's Ramayana, link to Reading Guide A.

p.7 Changing Rama to a girl and having Lakshmana being the favorite son to explain the kings insistence that Lakshmana go with Rama and Vishvamitra to battle the demons.

(Vishvamitra asking king to let him take Rama to fight the demons.  Image source: Wikipedia)

p.20 The story of Ahalya is fascinating but I'm still thinking of a way to change it, make it more creative... more on this later.

p35  It would be interesting to do the back story behind why Dasharatha owes Kaikeyi two promises, resulting in Rama not becoming king.

Growth Mindset

(Math counters or "Manipulative" used for teaching simple math problems, found on Wikipedia)

I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was 6 years old, sitting in Ms. K's class reading "Frog and Toad Together" when all of a sudden, I watched the boy I chased around the playground at recess go to Ms. K's special table.  I was a very curious 6 year old girl, and I had a major crush on this little boy, so I decided to put my book down and casually walk by Ms. K's table to see what they were doing. 

On the table were our math counters, 10 or so little colored cubes we used to do math problems with, like 5+7 or 10-1.  This seemed normal but then I noticed a little shape that was different.  It was one horizontal line with a dot above and a dot below.  I stopped and stood behind Ms. K, facing the boy.  It was common knowledge that this boy was the smartest in the class.  He always read at circle and he was always the first one to finish his addition problems, so I knew whatever that symbol was, it meant it was hard.

I looked down at the table.  There was a pile of 10 cubes.  Ms. K looked at the boy and said, "Okay Cody, what is 10 divided by 2?"  He looked blank faced back at Ms. K.  She separated the pile into two smaller piles and said, "Okay how many counters are in each circle if we divide this pile of 10 into 2 piles?"

I chirped up, "5!"

Cody looked over at me surprised and Ms. K turned to me and patted me on the back, "good job McKenzie, you're right!" she said.  Then she turned back to Cody and set up a new problem.  Again, I blurted the answer out before Cody could open his mouth.  Finally, by the third problem, Ms. K turned to me and whispered, "McKenzie, I am working with Cody right now, let's let him try to answer the questions first."  So for the next 10 minutes, I whispered all the answers into Ms. K's ear while Cody tried to figure out the answers himself. 

I will always remember that day because it was the day I proved to my teacher that I was ready for more difficult work and ready to be challenged.  After that day, she started taking both me and Cody to her table to work on division and multiplication problems.  I didn't get the answers right every time but I was so proud to be sitting at Ms. K's table and being one of the only students learning how to divide 10 by 2.  

Watching Carol Dwek's videos instantly took me back to this memory, especially when she said "Make challenge the new comfort zone".  I thrived in kindergarten with those challenges.  Even today I take more difficult classes to challenge me.  I feel that I learn more when I am in a class that may be more difficult than my current level of study.  The process of challenge is where I do best and learn most.

  

Starting the Semester with a Bullet Journal

I am compulsive about organizing! I tend to have 2-3 different planners filled with different reminders on top of the calendar app on my phone.  I used to go overboard.  Now I use what is called a "Bullet Journal".  This organizational tool helps me keep every reminder and plan in one place.  It is something I can change and shape to fit my own personal schedule and organizing needs.  You can personalize it so it best fits your way of keeping up with all of your "to-do's".

Personally, I like having one page with all of my tasks and reminders on it.  I split it up so I have all of my daily habits on one side, like working out, eating healthy, drinking water, taking medicine, etc. on one side and all of my appointments, homework, and reminders for the week on the other side.  I recreate this layout every weekend, keeping the habits the same but adjusting the reminders to fit the specific week.  The beautiful thing about the Bullet Journal is that if you want to do something completely different you can.  I always get stuck buying planners that don't fit my needs.  The boxes for individual days are too small they have no place to add reminders not relating to school, so that is why I usually have 2-3 planners to fit each need.  Now I only have one bullet journal and it's the layout I want.

Here are some examples of other people's Bullet Journals:

(John Uhri's personal Bullet Journal taken on April 29, 2016, found on flickr.)

(Pullet Journal example by Taz and Belly taken on June 2, 2015, found on flickr.)

Reading Options and Feeding My Curiosity

I am excited to start reading Narayan’s Ramayana. Although it is a little more difficult to obtain, I appreciate how it is all one style instead of mix-matched authors. I enjoy that it is written like a novel.

This class may be the one that I am most looking forward to this semester. My focus for my International Studies Major is South Asia, and India specifically. I have always been intrigued by the culture and I am glad that I will finally be able to learn more about the written and story telling cultural aspects of the country.

The last time I took a course similar to epic literature was in high school. I took a class on Greek Mythology and also had a class called Humanities, which focused on literature like the Iliad and famous philosophers throughout history.

 
I have taken a class on religion here at the University of Oklahoma and found it very fascinating. It was called Religion in Everyday Life and I explored many different religions across the world. There was a small section on Hinduism but it did not go as in depth as I would have liked. I also took a class called Iran and Islam where I was able to go in depth on the topic of Islam and it’s origins.

As I mentioned before, India is my passion. I have tried to take as many classes as possible on the country and have learned quite a bit since starting here two years ago. I have watched many Indian films and listen to Indian music quite regularly. I took a class called Women and Gender in India and through that class I watched many films portraying and discussing women’s roles and experiences in the country.   

I have never been to India but I have promised myself that I will go before I die because my life will not be complete otherwise. As of right now, the plan is to study abroad for a semester next year. If the opportunity presented itself, it would be life changing. As for now, I am just going to prepare as much as possible and that is why I’m taking the course. I want to know the cultural innuendo and know the stories so that when I do go, I won’t feel as lost. I have taken many courses on the political side of the region but not as many about the culture so this course will round out my studies to make my understanding of the region more complete.

(Image information: Image from my favorite movie Umrao Jaan.  Found on flkr.)

Storybook Favorites and Inspirations

Lifelong Devotion

(Women performing the Karva Chauth rituals from Krishna Suthar's Storybook Lifelong Devotion)

         I had never heard of the Karva Chauth tradition before seeing this Storybook.  The title did a good job of summing up the idea of the tradition.  The introduction was extremely informative and I know completely understand the tradition and it’s origins.  As soon as I understood what Karva Chauth I wanted to learn more about what exactly goes on and the intro made me excited to see how they would explain this tradition through different stories.  The layout of the pages was very clean and coherent.  It was easy to navigate and made it so I didn’t even think about the layout as I read through the stories.  The pictures fit perfectly with the story lines and did a great job illustrating her text.  I also liked how they had all of the info for the pictures at the bottom of the page rather than under the image.  Finally, this was a very creative way to tell the stories of Indian epics and it gave me inspiration for my own project.

Indian Horror Story

(Image of Yash from Hoang Truong's Storybook, Indian Horror Story)

         The title right away captured my attention and perfectly summed up what the Storybook was about.  The introduction drew me in and to be honest I couldn’t stop reading.  Unfortunately, It didn’t really sum up what they were writing about.  It jumped right into the story line.  I didn’t know what Indian epics he was going to pull from or how he was going to use them.  It made me realize I should include how I am going to use the Indian epics I choose.  The layout was clean but it would have been nice to title one of the labels as Introduction because it took a while for me to find which one was supposed to be the intro.  The images were intriguing and well placed.  They definitely helped illustrate the stories and captured the feel of the stories.  This was very well written and I loved reading the stories.

Ganesha’s Enchanted Journal

(Image of Ganesha from Jordan Wiebe's Storybook Ganesha's Enchanted Journal)

         The title definitely summed up the topic of the storybook.  I have heard of Ganesha before but not enough to extensively know about his character. The introduction did a great job of introducing Ganesha and summing up how the layout of the storybook would go.  The setup of this storybook was different than the others and provided an interesting way to tell the Indian Epics. The design was simple and easy to follow. It gave me a different perspective in to how to set up my own storybook.

Introduction to a New Pet Parent

I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to introduce myself, but I haven't been able to decide which route to take.  There are many ways this could go.  I could talk about how I am an International Studies major and how different that is from my original major of Interior Design.  I could talk about my love for India, the main reason I'm taking this course, and how it has shaped my future plans and goals for my life.  I could also talk about my study abroad experience over the summer and what I took away from it and how it has changed me.  The problem is, while I'm trying to decide how to introduce myself, I keep getting distracted by a little mouse of a dog nibbling at my toes.  He's reminding me that the best way to introduce myself is by explaining that I'm a new pet parent.

I got this two pound little baby over the weekend and have been waiting for him all summer.  He stands at only half a foot tall but has the personality to fill the room.  The moment I saw him I knew I was going to name him Thor.  He was the runt of the litter and the irony of the name was too perfect.

(Image Information: personal photo of Thor at 1 week old taken by breeder Lisa Fielder;
photo from June 2016.)

Upon getting him home this weekend, my life has revolved around this 32-ounce puppy.  Potty training, crate training, just getting him to come when I call his name: It has all been so hectic.  He still cries at night because he misses his sisters and even if I take him outside for bathroom breaks, he'll decide to go pee as soon as we step foot back in my room.  I thought I was prepared.  I had read every dog training blog, I had watched every video, but nothing can prepare you for you first few weeks with a baby puppy.  

I am a very goal oriented person.  If I get it in my head that I am going to do something, I get it done. I knew raising a puppy in college would not be easy, but I am determined to do what it takes to train him and raise him right. But being so goal oriented makes me a bit of a perfectionist, and raising a puppy challenges that perfectionist side of me more than I realized.  It's challenged me to take a deep breath when I am cleaning up yet another yellow stain in the carpet and it has challenged me to not give up when he chews my toes instead of his toys.  I know this dog will be trained one day, I just need to remind myself that it's only day 2 and I will see the improvement if I stay consistent.  (Yes, I did get discouraged that he kept peeing in my room even though I had only had him a day.  You're allowed to laugh at my insane subconscious expectations!)

As a new pet parent, I have to say that even with the struggles of training, I have found so much pure joy in loving this little guy.  I never feel alone and I always have a cuddle buddy.  What more do you need in life? (Well, maybe hardwood floors instead of white carpet.)

(Image Information: personal photo of Thor on his first day at his new home;
photo from August 21, 2016.)

    

Story: The Owl and His Purpose

(The Owl as the Sun Sets)

           

The owl’s eyes flickered open as the last sliver of sun fell below the horizon.  He was just in time.  He slowly stretched his wings open, flexing his talons, ruffling his feathers, which cascaded down his back with every layer.  His performance was about to begin.

            The owl recalled one of his first performances, back when he was merely an owlet.  His voice was not yet refined enough to carry the performance on throughout the night, but even then, they loved him.  He had never heard a fowl word spoken about his immaculate voice and that is how he overcame his initial nerves and knew he had to continue blessing the creatures of the forest with his nightly serenade.

            Tonight he felt especially confident.  All day he dreamt of composing the most beautiful song yet and now, he was ready to perform.

            “My song is so beautiful, all the forest falls silent”.

            He heard the animals call out, “So beautiful, so beautiful. Falls silent, falls silent”.   

            “I bless this forest with my voice and sing to my glory”.

            “Glory, glory, glory” The forest called back.

            “For I will grace my forest with this voice and sing each night forever”

            “Forever, forever, forever” replied the ground beneath the trees. 

            Feeling truly content with himself, the owl kept singing and singing, constantly being reaffirmed by those he thought were listening beneath the trees.  The first rays of sun began to sprinkle the sky in gold.  The owl’s eyes felt heavy and he began to slowly end his serenade but then a thought crossed his mind. 

            “Tonight the animals have loved me more than usual, I think I will continue to sing to them.   I will sacrifice my rest for their pleasure and sing until my beak will not open any longer”.  So the owl continued.

            In the middle of his chorus, a high pitch sound alarmed from the farm next to him.  “Cock-a-doodle-doooooo”.  The owl furrowed his brows, repositioned his wings, cleared his throat and continued, forgiving the rude interruption.  Then the rooster called out again, three more times.  The owl was disgusted by this bird’s inconsiderate behavior.  How dare he ruin the great owls performance with such a nauseating sound?  The owl was about to continue until more and more birds began to speak up.  The chirping and screeching was incessant and the owl had no choice but to finish his song instantly, for his beautiful words were being drowned by the ruckus.

            The owl was furious.  He had never been so disrespected in his life.  The birds seemed to be competing with him, trying to drown out his voice with their pointless chatter.  He stretched out his wings and soared to a nearby perch.  On the end of a branch was a pile of sticks balanced to hold two baby birds. Their mother was off finding them food and they sat quietly looking at the owl from their home.  Thankful for their quiet voices, the owl turned toward them.

            “Well at least you two know how to listen when I am blessing the forest with my song” he said kindly.

            The two chicks looked at him and started giggling, “Mr. Owl, your voice may be beautiful to you, but when the sun rises, there are other birds who need to share their song.”

            “Beautiful to me?” The owl exclaimed, surprised.  “My voice is beautiful to all the creatures of the forest.  I hear them praise me throughout the night.”

            “Oh silly Mr. Owl, haven’t you ever heard of an echo.  You have always just been praising yourself.  The creatures of the forest sleep at night while you sing.  We only heard you singing to yourself because us hatchlings cannot sleep throughout the night yet.  Your song is beautiful, but only to your own ears, that is why the other birds take over when you fall asleep.”

            The Owl was appalled.  How could this be so?  My song, only beautiful to me?   With heavy eyes and a heavy heart, the owl flew back to his tree and huddled inside his home.  He closed his eyes, embarrassed of his vanity and naivety.  How could he have been so wrong?

            The next few nights the owl refused to sing.  He sat on his branch and watched the moon journey across the black sky and closed his eyes to sleep even before the first rays of sun shown through.  He had lost his song and he had lost his happiness. 

            Finally, on the 5^th night since his last song, he noticed something.  Since the night he had stopped singing, there had been more noise on the forest floor.  It wasn’t his echo.  It was scampering, and rustling.  The forest was restless, not quiet as it used to be. He began pondering the little chicks’ words and remembered them say, “The creatures of the night sleep while you sing.” His eyes swelled up with joy.  His song is what made the forest sleep.  His voice was what calmed the animals and gave them comfort as they closed their eyes.  He had a purpose!  So as the moon reached the top of the night sky, the owl stood tall and opened his beak.  He began to sing.  It was a new song, one he had never thought to sing before, and he knew it was his best song yet.

            “Hush forest, go to sleep.  The sun is down but I am awake.  I am here to comfort you as you pass your time from sunset to sunrise.  My voice will protect you and calm you. Hush forest, go to sleep.” 

***

Author's Note:

This is a rendition of an Indian Fables by  Ramaswami Raju called The Owl and the Echo.  In this fable, like my story, the owl sings at night and mistakes his echo for other admirers.  He decides to continue his song when the sun rises but the other birds are horrified by the owl’s voice and they attack him, running him out of their space.  I chose this story because I found multiple morals of the story that the Indian Fable didn’t go into.  I chose to give the owl a purpose so he didn’t feel discouraged from doing what he was naturally made to do.  There is the obvious moral of vanity but there is also the moral that if we are good at something, we must not take advantage of our ability and try to put others down to make us better. We must use our ability for a purpose rather than to please ourselves. 

Bibliography: Bibliography. "The Owl and the Echo" from Indian Fables by Ramaswami Raju. Web Source.