Potential Topics

Possible Topic: Geography Stories: Traveling India- I am interested in the topic because I am obsessed with traveling. I am specifically in love with South Asia. I do not really know why I have been naturally drawn to this part of the world, but I have. I love spending summers there and go whenever I get the opportunity.  I have actually been to India before, but to be honest I do not really remember it. I was really little. I think this might be why I love the culture so much, because I was introduced to it at such an early age. I would love to go back in a couple years. I would like to know more about the famous places in India like some of the really pretty temples, so when I eventually go visit I know information about them! I think the Somnath Temple and the Venkateswara Temple are absolutely beautiful!

Somnath Temple

Wikipedia

Possible Topic: Love Stories and Epic Couples- I secretly love a good love story. (Yes, I have watched almost every Hallmark movie there is.) Reading Ramayana, I know the love story of Rama and Sita. They get married then get exiled and Sita gets captured by Ravana, and Rama has to save her. Rama and Sita become king and queen, but then Rama leaves Sita when she is pregnant- talk about dramatic.

Possible Topic: Rakshasas and Asuras (Demons)- I normally do not like to learn about dark and terrifying things, but I am very interested in it looking at it from a religious studies stance. I know that Rakshasas is Hindu but it is also Buddhist, too. I think I would enjoy doing my project on this just to be able to learn more about the different demons and how it pertains to the religions despite the evil and depressing stigma it holds.

Possible Topic: Women Characters- I am not completely sure how I would want to do this one, but I think I would enjoy it. Even though I like Sita and some of the other women characters a lot, I do not particularly just love one of the women characters just yet, so I do not think that I would do my entire project on just one. I think I would get bored of that fast. I think if I were to do this it would be several women, but I have no idea which ones I would choose. 

Storytelling for Week 2: Hector the Little Pig

There once was a miniature pig. His name was Hector. Hector was the cutest little pig you have ever seen! He loved to run down the halls of his big castle where he lived. He would often wander off to the kitchen in hopes that the cook would be in there. The cook would always feed Hector whatever his heart desired. He loved the cook dearly and always enjoyed seeing the sweet little plump old woman with flour on her nose and cake batter in her hair run around the kitchen throwing ingredients together. However, the person that he loved most dearly was the King. King Dasharatha rescued him from almost being butchered after his old owner sold him. Hector tried not to think about those sad and depressing days because his life now was fabulous. Hector lived better than most humans thanks to King Dasharatha!


One day, the King came blundering through the Great Hall wailing like a mad man because of his terrible misfortune! Hector was so confused when he saw the King. King Dasharatha was always so happy! After the King had his four sons from his three queens, he was the most joyous man in all the land. He loved his sons deeply especially Rama. Rama was so talented, beautiful, and kind. Both Hector and Dasharatha knew that one day Rama would take over the kingdom and become a wonderful king like his father. But Dasharatha was in deep despair and Hector had no idea why. Dasharatha fell into the chair and Hector went over to his leg to console poor Dasharatha. Dasharatha said to Hector, “Oh Hector! How I am trapped in agonizing pain! I had to send Rama away because of Kaikeyi. She made me make Bharata heir to the throne and cast Rama into the forest. My heart hurts so much. I do not think I can possibly go on.”


Hector was so sad. He loved Rama, too. Rama was always so kind to Hector. He often got that hard to scratch spot behind the ears for Hector. Hector became very angry at Kaikeyi. She was one of Dasharatha’s queens. She was evil but beautiful, intelligent but cunning. Hector could not stand to see King Dasharatha in his current state. He left to go find Queen Kaikeyi.


 He found Kaikeyi in her room, trying to think of all the things she could do when Bharata became king. Then, Hector got a great idea. He decided to kill Kaikeyi and Bharata so Rama could become heir to the throne again. So, Hector snuck into the kitchen when the cook was gone and took the rat poison, hidden in the corner of the room, and placed it in Bharata and Kaikeyi’s breakfast for the next day. Hector went to bed expecting to wake up to a deceased Bharata and Kaikeyi. But when he woke up, all he found was a dead cook. The cook had taken the poisoned breakfast and ate it! Hector did not know how to cope with this terrible murder that he accidentally committed. He went into the room with King Dasharatha and wept with him.

Miniature Pigs

Author's Note: This story was based off King Dasharatha in the Ramayana when King Dasharatha had to exile Rama because one of his queens attempted to make her son heir to the throne instead of Rama. While following the story in Ramayana I wanted to have a little twist of my own and create a character for my friend Hector, the miniature pig. Secretly, I think miniature pigs are the cutest thing and really want one as a pet. If I had a pet pig, I would name him Hector. I have been seriously considering getting a pet miniature pig since I live alone. I changed the layout of my story after advice from my peers. The main purpose of the story was to point out that two wrongs do not make a right, and you should not fall to someone else’s level by getting even with them just because they did something wrong because in the end you are the one that ends up getting hurt the most. I think the story of Hector’s terrible loss of the cook signifies this. Not only did Hector have to see King Dasharatha in despair and deal with the loss of Rama, but he also lost his great friend the cook.

Bibliography: PDE Ramayana, Laura Gibbs, 2014

Week 2 Reading Diary, Continued: PDE Ramayana

I will be honest and say that I was not for sure if I would like reading Ramanaya. But, I am really loving the story! I will say that it is still definitely out of my comfort zone because it is not math or science, but I find Hindu literature something that I am very interested in and look forward to reading. So, we last left off with Rama being exiled because of King Dasharatha having to fulfill the boons to Kaikeyi. She cashed them in by making King Dasharatha make Bharata have the throne instead of Rama, and thus, banish Rama for fourteen years. When Rama leaves, Dasharatha is broken hearted and dies from grief.

Our story begins with Bharata finding out that his father, Dasharatha, has died and Rama has been exiled. He is filled with so much sadness. Bharata says to his mother, that was the instigator in all this, “I have lost my father and my elder brother. Of what good is a kingdom unto me now? O evil-hearted woman, thou hast bereft this house of all joy; thou hast slain my sire and banished Rama. But I will bring my brother back from the jungle; he shall be seated on the throne.” Bharata cannot convince Rama to return so he can be king, so Bharata returns with Rama’s sandals and rules for his brother. Meanwhile, Rama and Lakshmana encounter many different people and have interesting adventures. I really like Bharata and Rama. I think that they really love each other and are very selfless. Just what you need in kings!

Bharata leaves Rama in the forest

Bristish Library: Mewar Ramayana

 PDE RamayanaAuthor: Laura Gibbs

Week 2 Reading Diary: Narayan's Ramayana

Right off the bat I felt a lot of sympathy for Dasharatha. Him having three queens and not being able to have a son could be a tragic story in itself. I liked the horse sacrifice to the gods in the attempt to have sons. All three queens eventually had children. Kaushalya was the mother of Rama; Kaikeyl was the mother of Bharata; Sumitra was the mother of Lakshmana and Shatrughna. However, Rama was the most beautiful. I feel like I could make a quite hilarious sitcom between Dasharatha not being able to have children, then all three queens having children but one being the most favored (Rama), and Sumitra having two children while the other two queens only had one. Maybe a quantity versus quality battle going on between the queens would be a good dialogue… mix that in with jealousy between the relationships of King Dasharatha and the other queens. I think it would also be fun to have fights against the different brothers, particularly with Rama since he is the most handsome. Rama was required to with Vishvamitra, which made Dasharatha terribly sad. Rama, along with his brother Lakshmana, had to go to with Vishvamitra. The group came upon a horrible woman, Thataka. Rama eventually killed Thataka. They eventually came upon a group of other demons and defeated them as well with the help of Rama’s celestial weapons that he earned when defeating Thataka. It would be fun to make the story in a modern time period just to give it a little twist.

Rama defeats Thataka with the help of Vishvamitra and Lakshmana

Circa1750

PDE Ramayana
Author: Laura Gibbs