Topic Brainstorm

(Picture of a samosa, a common snack in Indian cuisine. This picture is meant to highlight the 'Food' topic in this post. The photo was obtained through Wikipedia and can be sourced here)

Reincarnation: I chose this as one of the topics because I've always been fascinated with this concept and it is a bedrock of Hinduism and Indian culture. I have a pretty firm understanding of reincarnation and how it ties with other concepts such as moksha/nirvana, dharma, karma, etc. I feel with this concept there are a lot of directions that can be taken even though it is a seemingly simple topic. My main idea behind this topic is to try to retell the story of a character from a different life form. While it might sound simple, if chosen, I hope to integrate more concepts (such as those listed earlier) to be more creative and challenging.  Sita is a reincarnation, which I am listing as a source here. The source is not necessary the example I am building my story of, but to give an idea of how it manifests.

Ravana: For the class blog post about comics, I chose the one that focused on Ravana because he was there is something alluring about him having a villainous role. This familiarity and interest are part of the reason I chose him for a topic. I also immediately thought of some ideas I could do for the retelling project already: a diary (so we can hear from his perspective; maybe during capturing Sita or a newer perspective like high school), or a retelling of events if he was successful in capturing Sita. My knowledge is limited to the comic I chose for the previous class blog project. I chose this source for this topic because it discusses his importance to Sri Lankans (his ruling land)  and sympathizes with his actions, which is important if I'm writing a story from his perspective. 

Food: I was hesitant to pick this topic because the only experience I have with food mentioned in this literature is food I have tasted. I have some background on the other topics, but almost none (other than research I just now looked at). Food may seem like it has a subtle role but it has unassuming worth for reasons such as its inherent cultural value and symbolic meaning. Also, food is tangible and most likely can still be eaten today which I felt made this topic standout from the others. However, it will be difficult because most of my research will have to be based on the stories read throughout the course. Other topics require paying attention to these stories, but after my research I found  limited, valuable sources for the relationship between Hindu text and food (even though dietary habits differ culturally from many i.e. vegetarianism). A good source I found was this because it gives some insight to culture and significant foods.

Maya: With my name being Maya, I will admit this commonality is what first grabbed my attention. However, learning more about it's meaning, it sparked my curiosity. It seems like this is a strong theme in Indian literature especially in some of the works we focus on in class. It is a concept I'm not used to reading about so that is why it interests me. I knew in Sanskrit in meant illusion, but not a mix between as Wikipedia quotes "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal" and "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality". I think it is clear I would choose stories that utilize this theme, as I need something to go off of. As for how to use it, I probably will try to recreate the story with a different outcome, using new characters and locations since the theme will be recycled. I want to recreate a new situation but using the new theme, to show I understand it. I think this would take more work than some of the other topics though. The example I am using is the one listed from the class blog, of Maya Sita which the link for its Wikipedia article can be sourced here.