Topic Research: Sita

In thinking about topics for my semester project this week, I think I'm leaning more towards focusing on Sita. I really like the idea I came up with of Sita writing to her sons via a journal or letters retelling the adventures of her life, from the exciting to the heartbreaking. I think it'd be cool to have these be from her perspective because I could really dive into her emotions and what she learned from different periods in her life, as well as have her passing on advice to her sons. Considering Sita stayed with Valmiki during her time of exile, he would likely have encouraged her to write her story down, as he is the inventor of poetry.

One of the stories I could tell through this project would be of when Rama and Sita first meet. Sita prays that evening that the goddess grants her wish of being with Rama, which then ends up being the case when Rama wins her hand. This would be a good account for Sita's sons so that they know how their parents fell in love despite never having seen them be together. 

Another story I would like for Sita to tell is her capture by Ravana. She was so strong in resisting Ravana because of her love for Rama. This has messages of bravery and loyalty that would be worthwhile to pass on to her sons. 

A third story that Sita could tell would be the heartbreak of being banished by her husband Rama, who she had waited for and been faithful to. I watched a bit of "Sita Sings the Blues" dedicated to this part of Sita's story, and I think this film would be worthwhile to watch in its entirety. For this specific story, I can't imagine the feeling of desperation Sita felt while being exiled by her love because he can't trust her. Sita is such a strong woman and this story really shows her strength even amidst her hopelessness. Even after this hurt, Sita still allows Valmiki to teach her sons to sing the songs of Rama, rather than being bitter toward him.

(Valmiki teaching Lava and Kusha of Rama; Image Source)

Topic Brainstorm

There are so many topics to choose from for this semester long project, as the epics feature so many interesting stories and characters that could each take on a life of their own. Since I haven't started really reading the epics yet, I can't be certain about what my favorite tales or characters will be, but in browsing some of the different topics, I was able to find a few subjects that I may really enjoy doing my project on.

As I've mentioned in a previous blog post, I find Ganesha really intriguing. Since he is the one who actually wrote down the Mahabharata, I think it would be best to keep him as the storyteller, but for him to also interject with his own thoughts rather than simply serving as a narrator. He is the god of beginnings, intellect, and wisdom, after all - so I think that he would have some important insight on some of the tales transcribes, and could interject with many of his own experiences. Ganesha also has a heck of a family tree that I'm sure he could discuss at length. A lot of drama revolves around Ganesha's birth and his experiences as he grows older, so that may also be interesting to take a look at!

(A depiction of Ganesha; Image Source)

Another project that would be interesting and could likely incorporate a lot of pop culture would be looking at the swayamvara. This is a practice in which a girl of age broadcasts that she is ready to be married, so suitors come from all around to either be chosen on site or by completing a task. I like that the girl picks her husband of choice, because that's not super typical in history. The epics have a lot of examples of famous swayamvaras, such as the marriage of Sita and Rama. It'd be funny to do a storybook as though it were like "The Bachelorette" or even just as a series of different rom-com type stories. 

(Rama displaying his prowess to win Sita as his wife; Image Source)

Speaking of Sita, I think she is a super intriguing character with so many adventures of her own. Her story is heartbreaking, having been exiled twice, once while being kidnapped and another being sent away from her husband's kingdom because she was kidnapped. I think it would be interesting to have a story in which Sita is writing to her sons, Kusha and Lava. She could be writing them a journal or a letter recounting her life stories and speaking about what she learned from each of them. I think this would be a sweet way for Sita to pass on some of herself to her sons before Bhūmi takes her back. 

(Sita in exile; Image Source)

I enjoyed the Jataka anthology from earlier this week, so I think I would also enjoy exploring the Jatakas in further detail. It would be interesting to look at the different lives of the Buddha and the different virtues he takes on. I think it's neat how he tells his stories in "layman's terms" so that they can easily be understood by his followers. I'm not sure yet how I would retell these stories, but maybe I could follow suit from my first story and try to tell the Jatakas in modern ways so that they are more relatable to people reading them today.

(Buddha with snapshots of many of the Jataka stories; Image Source)