Mariah's Indian Epics Blog

Durga Puja Image Link Hanuman As we know already Hanuman is a devotee of Lord Rama. He appears in the Ramayana and Mahabharata and has evolved through stories over time. Hanuman has gained much popularity since the medieval times and is thought to be the perfect combination of shakti and bhakti. Hanuman may make an appearance in my storybook so I wanted to look into his background. Ramlila Ramlila refers to the dramatic live reenactments of the story of Rama. Normally performed in an open air theater at night, the audience is encouraged to participate alongside the actors. Declared by UNESCO as an 'intangible cultural heritage of humanity' for its ability to bring people of all backgrounds together. When reading Hanuman's Wikipedia I came across this festival as he is often portrayed with extravagance. Navaratri Navaratri is a 9 day Hindu festival that usually celebrates the goddess Durga. The 2 to 4 times a year event includes public celebrations using classi...

A microphone to represent both Sita singing and the podcast in my story. Image  Link Author's Note: I watched the film  Sita Sings the Blues  by Nina Paley. The movie follows the Ramayana from the point of view of Sita, along with some occasional interludes showcasing Nina Paley's personal experiences. I liked the movie as a whole but the narrators really stood out to me. They reminded me of a podcast so I decided to write my story in the form of a podcast transcript. The movie was already a shortened and less detailed version of the Ramayana than the readings, so my own story is inspired by very little of the original details. The sister is loosely Sita who has struggles she needs to work through. The sister's boyfriend is the dramatic and not all that helpful Rama. It didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to, it was a challenge for me to come up with an original story that still follows the Ramayana. Hopefully it's still an interesting read though. S...

Sita Sings the Blues Movie Poster Image Link Sita Sings the Blues  by Nina Paley The beginning of the second part is very modern bollywood-esque. It's easy to figure that the beginning sequence is showcasing the inner turmoil that comes from betrayal and heartbreak. The narrators talking about how Sita could be pregnant with Ravana's kids, that would've been quite the twist. A way bigger twist than Rama rejecting and banishing Sita multiple times after getting her back. It makes sense that Rama could've always had some small doubt about Sita's purity. It would help explain a bit why he was so willingly to listen to the common man and banish his wife. I'm not sure if Nina's story was all that necessary to include but I guess it helped show how the Ramayana could be felt in modern times, and give a break from the main storytelling. I didn't notice this before but Valmiki is the author of the Ramayana? And I thought Valmiki was a girl in the st...

Ravana and Sita (I thought it was pretty funny when the movie kept zooming in on Ravana's face as Sita was dismissing him.) Image Link Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley The animation is unique and interesting. The movie seems to be moving faster than when I was reading it the first time. I love the narrators. I think I could watch the whole thing with just their narrations. It's kind of podcast like, and I'm a big fan of podcasts. There are all kinds of strange characters attacking Rama. The animation helps my visual learner side; I am better able now to put names with faces. Rama is just as dramatic in the movie as I imagined him while reading the story the first time. Vishnu/Shiva as Hanuman? I didn't catch all that when reading. When the gods reincarnate/reborn are they still in their true form in the heavens? The songs weren't written for the movie? They fit pretty well. Everything is fine and dandy by intermission. Overall Sita is a little ...