Storybook Favorites

Wow, there are so many creative ways to depict classic Indian stories! Turning them into "Storybooks," in which characters from these Indian stories are included in a modern retelling makes them more interesting and easier to understand, like your professor making a concept easier to understand by giving an anecdote. These are three Storybooks from previous students of Epics of India that I really enjoyed:

The House to a Wife of Many
What a haunting tale. The introduction set the story up in a way that really immersed you, almost as if you were talking to a friend that was recounting a story they went through. I almost believed that it was a real story being told. The format of the story - through entries from a diary rather than through narration - did an excellent job in establishing a timeline, but it sounded like the main character, who was reading the diary, had a very similar tone of voice/vocabulary as Betsy, who was from the late 19th century. That was a little immersion-breaking.

I like how the author included a little explanation at the bottom with her inspirations, and how they all related to Indian literature! It was cool to see how she retold the classic stories but adapted it to fit her story. The premise was similar, but the reading was unique. The ending left me a little wanting. Betsy just disappeared? Who was Betsy's third husband? Who was the elderly lady? I guess I'll never know for sure.


India's Highest Ranked PR Firm
So...this river goddess Ganga drowned seven of their kids, and King Shantanu is just now getting the nerve to speak up? What kind of pansy is this man? I mean, I understand they had an agreement, but you would think after the first couple of children...Maybe I just don't have an adequate understanding of the context of the story. On a different point, I like how the author set up a fictional PR firm for these story characters. It's a cool way to represent the reader's perspective of the moral ambiguity he or she faces internally when reading these stories, all through the mind of this fictional character, Shakti. For instance, when she is debating on whether or not to represent "evil" people, and thinks people deserve second chances, regardless of their past - is this not a question that comes up commonly in society?


Delilah's Radio Hour
Delilah! A creative spin on displaying the relationship struggles of a couple, but firstly, I am a little confused. Why did Ravana kidnap Sita? If it was to get at Rama, why is Ravana out to get Rama? I wish there was more told about their background. Also, Sita is kind of selfish. It seems her selfishness was the entire cause for the conflict in the first place. Had she not desired to have that golden deer, there would be no conflict (except between Ravana and Rama, I guess?). She did justify it as a facet of youth, but still...a golden deer?



(link to storybook picture above)