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Week 15: Fables of Bidpai Part B

For Part B of the Fables of Bidpai, I decided to focus on the story The Lean Cat and The Fat Cat. I must say it was the title that drew me into the story as I initially had no idea what to expect. After reading the story, I found it to be quite amusing and a little ridiculous haha. The ridiculous part to me was how the king had a decree to hang a cat if it was found to be stealing food. Just imaging a king making that decree in a royal court and then actually acting on this policy is so funny to me. Yet, I know this is a story more for children, so I understand sometimes ridiculous plots are needed to get the point across. A consistent lesson that I have seen among the short stories is the lesson of greed and the consequences that come with it. This was evident in the story about the Wolf and Two Otters, Ape and Boar, and now the Lean Cat and Fat Cat. You have to feel bad for the woman because she did warn the cat of the potential trouble it would get in, but then again, the cat was hu...
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Week 15: Fables of Bidpai Part A

For Week 15's reading options, I chose to read the folktales from the Fables of Bidpai. After reading some of Aesop's fables in mythology and folklore and seeing in the description how the fables are similar, I decided to explore these short stories. Particularly, for Part A, I chose to focus on The Ape and the Boar. I was kind of disappointed with the length of most of the stories as I wish they were longer, but I decided to focus on The Ape and the Boar as it reminded me of other stories I read this semester. One story it reminded me of was the Wolf and the Otters. I think the central message in both stories is to warn of being greedy and the pitfalls that come with always wanting. We saw that with the two otters as well with the boar since it led to him breaking his own neck. One aspect of the story that I wish was more detailed was the conflict the monkey was going through. It was mentioned at the beginning how he had to save food for the winter and was getting tired of the...
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Week 14: More Jataka Tales Part B

 For Part B of Week 14 reading, I continued the Jataka Tales. Specifically for the week I read The Elephant and the Dog. What really sparked my interest to read the story was the title. As a fan of dogs and knowing the importance of elephants in Indian culture, I was curious to see how the two animals interacted in the story, and I was definitely not disappointed. I loved the heartwarming story of the dog and elephant's friendship and how they needed each other to live. It is always surprising to me how animals from different species are able to form friendships, but I think it highlights how even in animals, love and friendship has no boundary. If I were to retell the story, I would probably add a personal touch such as replacing the dog with my own dog, Max. He is a German Shepherd who loves to hang out with other dogs, so I think he quickly make friends with the elephant. Additionally, I think adding dialogue between the two animals could help showcase their friendship and add m...
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Week 14: More Jataka Tales Part A

For week 14, I decided to explore some more Jataka Tales. Like I have said many times before, I love reading short stories, and I especially enjoyed reading the Jataka Tales earlier this semester. For Part A, I decided to read The Otters and the Wolf. When I first read this story, I thought the ending was deceptively funny. I was not expecting such a blunt ending and resolution to the conflict. Normally when I read these quick short stories, there is always some witty end or clever move made by the main character. However, the story simply ends with the wolf splitting apart the fish and then going home. I am not sure what lesson can be derived from the story other than not to quarrel with others or you might end up missing out. This is what happened to the otters. Hopefully they learned not to be selfish next time they catch a fish. I could see myself doing a story retelling on this story because the ending is so anticlimactic. I think emphasizing the lesson of not being greedy would b...
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Week 4 Microfiction: Indian demigods meet Percy Jackson

100 Word Story : Percy staggered through the forest until he came upon an unfamiliar sight. Appearing before him was a camp almost exactly like Camp-Half Blood.  As he entered the gates, he was met by many demigods. They introduced themselves as sons and daughters of Hindu gods and how excited they were to meet Poseidon's son.  Soon the headmaster of the camp, Guru Venkaswami approached Percy. He had asked Percy to arrive to the camp, so that he could join forces in their fight against the fearsome Rakshi.  Together Percy and Rahul, son of Indra, would attempt to defeat the evil demon. Two sentence story: Percy Jackson arrived to the Hindu Demigod Camp in need of assistance. Rahul, son of Indra, and Percy would travel together to defeat the Rakshi demon.  Sources: There was no particular source for this story other than my previous readings of Percy Jackson and Indian stories.  Author's Note: I am a big Percy Jackson fan, so I thought it would be cool to introdu...
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Week 13 Mahabharata: Part E Epified Mahabharata Videos

Part E of the Epified Mahabharata videos followed upon the gambling match that I was so looking forward to watching in Part D. I do feel bad for Draupadi was given away as if she was nothing. It is unfortunate and wrong that in previous times as well in other cultures how women were often more considered as property rather than humans. Also the fact that Pandavas were exiled over a gambling match is still so puzzling to me, but I will leave my confusion over the gambling match on that point. Part E also finally brought forth the ending of the Mahabharata. I forgot how Arjun had to procure the celestial weapons of Shiva in order to defeat the Kauravas. Now we all know how great of a bowman Arjun was already, so when you give him Shiva's bow, you kind of know already that Kauravas had no chance. Another aspect of the story that I am not sure was in the Mahabharata was how Indra taught Arjun how to use the lightning bolt. This reminds me of Greek mythology and Zeus, specifically the P...
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Week 13 Mahabharata: Part D Epified Mahabharata Videos

 After seeing the storylines in Part D of the Epified Mahabharata videos, I was really excited to see one of my favorite and most intriguing plot within the epic was being illustrated: the gambling match. I remember reading this story in the Mahabharata and was throughout confused as to why the gambling match was considered to be so important. To me it is almost unbelievable that Yudhishthir would be willing to bet all of his belongings and even his wife to the Kauravas. Additionally, why would declining to participate in a gambling match mean so much to the Pandavas? I do not really understand why so much honor is placed on a gambling match, which is ultimately based on luck then really skill like fighting. It seems as if the Pandavas were always destined to have the lower hand in whatever they did against the Kauravas, but I guess since they win in the end, it really does not matter. I also wonder how Shakuni was able to deceive the game. Did he count cards or were his dice cheat...
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