Reading Notes: Ravana and Maricha, Part B

 

The Deer

Picture by: K. Venkatappa taken from Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists (1914)

Source: Wikimedia

The symbolic usage of the deer was something that really stood out to me in this story. Before reading the story, I wondered why a deer was chosen to represent something Sita was in awe towards. However, the imagery of the “golden deer” in the story helped me visualize the beauty of the deer. I imagined it being cute with pretty brown fur, and bright eyes. I would like to change this up with a different creature that is also considered to allure people by beauty.

The development of jealousy was also something I enjoyed reading in this story. Jealousy is one of the seven basic emotions. I have done research in different emotions that are considered to be universal even if some features are different from others. I would like to play on this concept in my story through Sita’s beauty. Ravana projects the absolute need for Sita to be his, and I want to change this up by Ravana forcing Sita to fall in love with him through a curse, and build a plot from that. I want Sita to also be considered the villain for a bit. I found it interesting to see how Ravana couldn’t touch any women unless he wanted to die. To me, this is an exaggerated version of respecting women. I also want to include Ravana’s limitations of this, but make it more of a long-term consequence rather than an instant death.

I think this story will be interesting to change up because there are so many different ways to project jealousy and desire—both jealousy and desire are something most of us encounter, but if not controlled they can lead to negative outcomes. For Ravana, this was dying if he touched Sita. I want the consequences of these two concepts to be shown as a lesson to learn. However, I want to change the setting, and have Sita be more powerful than Ravana.

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Reading Guide B

Feedback Thoughts

Feedback

Picture by L Harmer Photography 

Source: Flickr

"5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ" 

"Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career"  

 

These two articles listed above made me think about what feedback really means for the long-term. "5 Tips for Taking Feedback Like a Champ" mentions the emotional part of getting feedback. I feel a lot of us, including myself, are sensitive to receiving feedback because we may have put in a lot of time, effort, and thought to something before it was given feedback. One of the five areas listed was to "remind yourself that having growth areas is a good thing..." This portion of the article explains that there is always room for improvement. "Using Harsh Feedback to Fuel Your Career" was a good read for me because it reminded me that I need people in my life to give me negative feedback even if that means the feedback is not going to be something nice. At the end of the day, it is for my own good. Both these strategies from the two articles will help me better myself, and grow in areas I may not even know until given feedback.  

"Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback" 

"The Difference Between Praise That Promotes Narcissism Vs. Healthy Self-Esteem" 

Giving feedback can be fun because you get to be on the other side of receiving and giving feedback. However, it's important to remember how you would want someone to give you feedback. I enjoyed reading both these articles because they both had good advice on how to give feedback. "Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback" made giving feedback seem like a fun activity by almost giving suggestions rather then pointing out the flaws. Lets face it, being told we're wrong is just something none of us want to hear. I like the idea of giving someone ideas to better certain areas rather than pointing where and how he/she was wrong. "The Difference Between Praise That Promotes Narcissism Vs. Healthy Self-Esteem" had a very good point on how to give feedback. Something I took away from the article was that sometimes telling someone they are excellent is worse than possibly mentioning that he/she put a lot of effort into the work. This could be the biggest difference between possibly making a child become a narcissist, and feeding a child's self-esteem.  

Week 2 Story: Sita

 

Sita and Rama

Picture by Ayan Gupta

Soure: Wikipedia

Dressed in crimson, hair pulled back, big eyes, and a soft smile—Sita looked flawless. Every man looked. Some tried to talk to her, but she was not interested. There was a dance floor and wonderful music, but Sita didn’t want to dance because she was there at this ball to get married. She didn’t want to get married. She twirled her hair in boredom when she finally decided to take a look around the wonderful temple everyone was in. There were flowers hung everywhere, and the architecture was mind-blowing. She ran her fingers across the wall in awe, when suddenly her eyes set on someone. 

It was Rama—the greatest god of them all. Although Sita was not aware of this, she looked at him in more amazement than the walls of the temple. Rama was staring at her. He asked his servant, “Amar, who is that beautiful, magical woman standing there?”

Amar replied, “Dear god Rama, that is Sita—the most beautiful goddess to have ever existed.”

Rama felt his stomach drop, his eyes glaring, his head spinning—it was love at first sight. Something Rama never believed in. He already knew what he had to do from there—ask Sita to marry him.

Little did Sita and Rama know that another goddess was following Rama’s every move—Ria. Ria was in love with the greatest god to be since she saw him years ago at another temple. Ria followed Rama, and wondered what he was looking at. She asked herself, “Rama my love, where are you looking?” She followed his gaze, and saw Sita. Her hair started growing in flames, her eyes gleamed red, her chest stuck out broader, her lips straightened, and her sanity was gone.

Ria calmed her burst of jealousy and rage. With a crooked smile, she asked Sita, “Will you accompany for a walk in the garden, Sita?” Sita followed Ria to the garden because she was surprised that a girl that she did not grow up with wanted to converse with her at a party. Ria screamed, “Be gone from my love, or I will have to banish you from the existence of our world, and you will die in pain.” Sita cried for help because Ria was glaring her eyes with magic to cause Sita pain in her every muscle.

Sita was confused and scared. She finally said, “Ria, we can make Rama a meal, and win his love.”

Ria laughed. She said, “You are such a naïve goddess, my dear.” She walked off in assurance that she will win this cooking contest. Ria went to her home in the dark forest. She used all her magical powers, and created the most wonderful meal to have ever been placed in the temple. There was palak paneer, naan, and rasmalai. She came back to the temple, and found Rama. Rama ate her food, and it was delicious. Ria knew she had won.

Sita came running back to the love her life. She said, “Rama, she is no good, and she will kill you.” Sita brought him the only thing she knew how to make, gulab jamun—a fried round ball of dough drizzled in syrup, and she added a rose petal to show she was a goddess, and Ria was a monster.

Ria fell to the ground. He said, “Sita, I do not care for your food. I cared for you the second I saw you roaming this temple.” They left hand in hand with Ria trying to burn them to death, but little did she know—Sita and Rama could stop anything from killing them or others because together they were the most powerful god and goddess, and nothing could ever break this bond of power because it was true love.

Author's Note: My story was based on the concept of love at first sight, which happened between Rama and Sita in the original story. However, in my story I brought in a new character to show how strong love at first sight can be. The plot of the original story consisted of Rama being a hero by using a big bow from God Shiva, and then asking for Sita's hand in marriage. I twisted my plot to be about Sita winning Rama over, but primarily their love being stronger than all magical forces when together. Instead of the bow, I used an Indian dish. I made the Indian dish to actually be one of my personal favorite main courses—palak paneer. Palak paneer is is a dish made out of spinach, tomatoes, and onions. Everything is sautéed with Indian spices, and cheese cubes are added to the palak, also known as spinach. The texture is supposed to be rich and creamy. Naan is a type of bread used to eat the palak paneer with. Rasmalai is a type of sweet. It’s cheese balls soaked in sweet milk. It doesn’t sound very good, but it is delicious. Gulab Jamun is pretty much a doughnut with syrup. These are some of my favorite Indian foods.

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Reading Guide A

Reading Notes: Ravana's Sister, Part B

 

Shurpanakha

Picture by Mackenzie, Donald Alexander

Source: Wikipedia

I enjoyed reading the desperate character of Shurpanakha. I found this character to be the most interesting to read about in this story because she has no standards for herself, and it was sad to see this portrayed in the story. She left no room for respect for women.

In my story, I want to play off this desperate character, and bring in some magic. Shurpanakha puts Rama under a spell. This spell will later develop into the plot of the story. There will be a magical place for these two characters. However, the twist in this story will be a lesson for all girls. I want this character to really project what low self-respect means. I want there to be scenes of magic and hurt. However, I don’t want to lose the concept of desperation in my story.

I liked the dramatic imagery of Shurpanakha’s body parts being cut off to represent her external beauty decreasing. Being beautiful on the outside is still such a hot topic in our society to this day. I feel like I can portray the concept of internal beauty through my story. I believe the idea of what is considered beautiful is universal. I want to play off what the world feels is beautiful through Shurpanakha’s character. Personification will be used with nature to show beauty.

Rama is still going to be a character, but he will not be seen as the main character in my story because I want my story to be focused on the female character, and topics most women are faced with. I think this original story of Ravana’s sister shows certain issues females still face in our society in a more dramatic way. I hope to make this even more dramatic, and show real life topics and concerns with my unique touch. 

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Reading Guide B

Reading Notes: Sita, Part A

 

Sita

Picture by Raja Ravi Varma

Source: Wikipedia

For this post, I decided to read Sita. Love at first sight is a concept, we’ve all heard about, or have even experienced. However, the story of Sita and Rama seems to show how intense this concept is. They take love at first sight to a whole new level. I enjoyed reading the dramatic scenes of the story. However, I want to make my story more dramatic and suspenseful.

After reading about their story, I want to add my own touch and make it a little bit more dramatic by adding in another character named Ria. I feel this additional character will cause some issues between Sita and Rama. Instead of the bow being bent by Rama, Ria and Sita will be asked to perform some sort of task. There will be a certain task with some rules, and the plot will develop from this concept.

After trying to understand how Rama and Sita feel about each other, I decided to make my story connect with my audience through the different events between the characters. I want to share how Ria, Sita, and Rama feel about each other. My story will also include more places for the story to develop and bring in imagery and symbolism. I want to use a traditional Indian dish as the symbol instead of the bow for the task.

My overall goal for this story is to have the girls take charge. I feel this will be a surprise element instead of the stereotypical plot where the male character is seen as the “hero.” However, Rama is still the king—one everyone admires. I hope to make my story stand out by keeping the characters the same, but with different twists, turns, and tasks! I am going to have fun with this dramatic concept, but still keep the love story alive between Sita and Rama.

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana, Reading Guide A

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

I enjoyed picking out my own template for my blog because it feels more personalized, gives it character, and just better to look at for myself and my readers. I decided to go with the classic look with the theme of red. Red is my favorite color. I love red because of all the various meanings behind the color. For example, red can stand for love, hate, passion, fire, etc. Roses are my favorite type of flower, and also my birth flower. My template also also has a design to it, but it is not overwhelming. I like to keep things simple and classy. I enjoyed making my blog my own with characteristics that represent me. Hope you also like visiting my blog.

Growth Mindset

 

Learn 

Source: Growth Mindset Memes

I have never heard Carol Dweck, but after listening to her speak about the concept of growth mindset, I feel like I need to apply the concept of "not yet" throughout my life. Dweck mentions that some students were given a grade of "not yet" instead of an actual letter grade. I feel this idea is definitely one that needs to be applied more in schools. If I were to be given an opportunity without knowing the pressure of a letter grade being the reward, I would enjoy more of my classes that I do not enjoy as much like Physics. It's about learning the concept, and wanting to be challenged, and not about making that A. I definitely want to learn more about growth mindset throughout this semester because it serves as a good reminder that I am here to learn. I am very excited for this course, and Organic Chemistry this semester. However, I'm worried about Physics. I think Dweck's ideas will really help me in accepting challenges in that class in particular. I would like to see this idea being taught to students more because the world would be a better, less stressful place. I believe society puts a lot of pressure on numbers and grades. However, numbers and grades do not make up a great professor, doctor, firefighter, etc. It is the idea of wanting to do better. I hope to see more of this in the future.

Time Strategies

Tick Tock 

Source: Flickr

Picture by Jessica Wy

Time management is a part of life that gets harder and harder for some of us as we get older, but I feel if we have the right motivation and small goals to attain, it becomes easier. I decided to do my assignments, readings, and extra credit assignments on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. However, after realizing how much time I really have during the semester I realized my time is more limited than before. That means I need to prioritize when I do my class work, and stick with that schedule. After going through the orientation assignments I want to stick to my three days a week schedule that was originally decided, but make time for the extra credit assignments on Sundays. "4 Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination" by Peter Banerjea gave a me a really good starting point by asking myself four questions to just begin what I need to be doing. This article hints on the concept of being scared to do something wrong. I personally struggle with this, but asking the simple questions like "what is one thing I can do to get started" will help me ease the fear of simply forgetting to do something, or messing up something. I feel this article will help me in all my classes, and other activities throughout this semester. 

Reading Options

 

Ganga and the Earth

Source: Wikimedia 

Ganga is being caught as she comes to Earth. 

 

I plan on reading R.K. Narayan’s Ramayan. I prefer this option because a lot of people have this book. I would like to discuss this book with others, and be able to have reasons to recommend it to others. I also think this will be a lot more organized because it’ll be a written as a novel. I will be able to visualize better with no illustrations, and I remember the information better that way.

I am very excited for this course because I have mediated before, and I enjoy yoga very much. I also love Bollywood movies. I grew up watching them. However, I never got to read some of the classic books during my childhood. I also know how to speak Gujrati, and Hindi. However, I do not know how to write in these languages. I love Indian music. I am Indian and Hindu, but I wish I knew more about my religion. I feel like there is a lot of information to learn, and I feel this course will really help in my understanding of all the various aspects of the stories I know, but never fully understood as a child. I also don’t remember all the stories very well. I have visited India. My grandpa has a house there, and I enjoy visiting them. I hope this course will bring me closer to my culture, religion, and be able to be more knowledgeable on the stories told for centuries.

I picked the image above of Ganga being caught by Shiva because I want to know more about this particular story. I know what ganga means—a river. However, I don’t know how Ganaga came about, and what all it is “she” represents.

Storybook Favorites

Kurma and Karma

I really enjoyed reading this story because I knew a little bit about what karma is, and the background of the sea made me even more interested in reading about this story. The introduction caught my eye with examples, and an explanation of what karma is—consequences for your actions. Navigating through this storybook was very simple, but fun to look at. I liked the way the story is told with simple words everyone can understand, and want to continue reading. The images were my favorite part because they were images from the classic movie, Finding Nemo.

Ganga the River Goddess

The introduction to this particular story immediately caught my eye because Ganga is telling the story, herself. I knew Ganga meant river, but I did not know “she” was a goddess. I immediately felt as if I was there to listen to her speak because Ganga is talking about her life from the start. The image is intricate, and caught my eye. I also liked the layout because it represented the river. Navigating through this story was also easy. Overall, the usage of layout, imagery, and giving enough detail, but not too much detail in the introduction made this story one of my favorites.

The Girls of Spring 

The introduction of this story grabbed my attention because there are a lot of questions that could explain the person or thing behind the trees. I immediately want to know what it could be. I think the layout is simple, and I like the usage of different shades of green because that represents Spring. The story is well organized with dialogue. The usage of word choice made it easy to visualize the setting, as well. I do not know about this topic at all, and the introduction made me want to know more about the mysterious girl in Lanka, and why she is there. 

 

Ganga 

Hindu Blog

Introduction to Myself and My Life

 

Personal photo of me in Norman Oklahoma in October 2016

Hi everyone! My name is Dhara Maisuria. I was born in New Jersey, but raised in Pryor, Oklahoma. I am a junior at The University of Oklahoma. I am majoring in Psychology/Pre-Dental with a Biology and Human Relations minor. I have a little sister and brother. My favorite thing to do when I feel overwhelmed, stressed, or just not having a good day is do yoga or pilates. My favorite color is red because it has many meanings like love, anger, passion, color of roses, etc. I love coffee. That being said, I also like to visit different cafes. One of my all time favorites is right here in Norman, Oklahoma—Second Wind.

I hope to be a dentist one day. I love doing community work that serves to provide better health care to those in need, so I volunteer at OKmom once a year. OKmom is a big free clinic in one area where the dental community in Oklahoma comes together to treat those that cannot have proper dental care. I also plan to volunteer at a dental lab this semester. Along with volunteering, I am currently studying for the DAT—Dental Admissions Test. My ultimate purpose in life is to serve others through dentistry. However, later on in life I would like to open up a coffee shop of my own while continuing my career.

I feel spending time with the people I care about is very important, so I go home every now and then during breaks to see my family, and drink our daily chai with them while talking about our lives. I enjoy shopping with my best friends. I also enjoy getting a cup of coffee in Oklahoma City with my mentor/friend. I like to try new places to eat with my boyfriend. These are just a few little things about my life and myself.