Week 11 Story: Choraya's Diary
Choraya's Diary, Entry 1, Tula 12:
Oh, how I've waited for tomorrow - the day of my marriage! The harvest is over, the weather is cooling, and I finally get to be married to the woman of my dreams. She is beautiful as the lilies, and as radiant as the stars. How lucky am I to be joined to her for the rest of my life. I cannot wait!! Maybe twenty years from now, I can present this diary to our children, as a memento and record of the beginning of our lives together. Kushi is actually with child, though her parents and I are the only ones who know. We even have a name! Roshanee, the light of our worlds. The location - the city of Kurukshetra, which she believes is blessed by the gods, so that blessing will transfer into our marriage. I certainly hope so, too.
Choraya's Diary, Entry 2, Tula 13:
Good morning! Today's the day, and I'm so nervous. Over the past 8 years, Kushi and I have come to know each other pretty well, I think. But as Baba always told us, "You never really know someone until you live together with them for twenty years!" He would always follow that up with some crazy laughter and a nudge in the ribs from his wife though. Haha....rest in peace, Baba. Thanks for all your wisdom over the years. Anyways, I have to go prepare and make sure everything is going alright for the wedding this afternoon. It's going to be amazing.
.
.
.
Choraya's Diary, Entry 3, Tula 15:
Last entry was two days ago...So much has happened since then. I have to make this brief, as we're still on the move, but long story short, our wedding was NOT amazing. In fact, as Kushi was walking down the aisle, a messenger burst in shouting for everyone to evacuate, saying there was a war going on. A war! We were told that it was happening to the north of us, so we immediately began moving south. Kushi is still in her wedding dress, and her face is constantly downcast. I try to lighten her up by making jokes, to which she smiles slightly, but then just returns to her sad state. She was looking forward to this, probably more than I was. Blessed by the gods, huh? Yeah, right. At least we still have each other.
Choraya's Diary, Entry 4, Tula 16:
The messenger's information was wrong. The war was actually to the south. And we were caught right in the middle of the crossfire. Kushi...Kushi was...Roshanee..
Choraya's Diary, Entry 5, Tula 17:
Since we're not sure which way the battle will move, we decided to just trace back and make camp. We can hear the battle all throughout the day. Unparalleled battle rages. Why are they even fighting? What are they fighting for, except for their own lives? Is it the thrill of combat? Nothing about how tensions have arisen or how they might be resolved. Or who, if anyone, is to blame.
My Kushi is gone. Stolen from me by some faceless soldier in some pointless war. My Roshanee, our future, our light...snuffed out before she even began to shine. How could this happen? How cruel this world is.
Authors Note: The Mahabhrata gives us an account of the big war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas - the two major factions in the epic - from the perspective of the fighters. But war doesn't just affect the combatants - it affects the civilians, who have nothing to do with the war, as well. I wanted to write an account of someone who may have been caught up in the war and the feeling of helplessness someone who is just caught up in it might feel. Now personally, I've never experienced war firsthand, so I can only try to capture the emotion someone feels as they have everything stripped away from them.
The names here are integral to the story and carry a lot of weight. Choraya's name (Sanskrit: चुराया) means "stolen." Kushi's name (Sanskrit: ख़ुशी) means "happiness." And their unborn child, Roshanee (Sanskrit: रोशनी) means "light." Because of the war, Choraya's happiness and light were stolen from him in an unreasonable and unfair way. Everything he had set his hopes on, taken away in an instant, all because of some royalty fighting for the throne. Kind of ironic. In the fight for the throne, the kings ignore the actual kingdom.
Since the culture in India revolves very much around religion, I wanted to develop Choraya's character from one whose wary trust in the gods gradually deteriorated as all these things happened to him. That may be more fully fleshed out in the coming weeks, though.
Top image of a manuscript taken from MaxPixel.
Original story of the war from the PDE Mahabharata.
I really enjoyed how this story was set up as a series of diary entries. The first couple entries were full of sweet moments, but things changed quickly. Choraya did not know he would get caught up in the middle of a war that would take away his family. This story is sad, and it is even more sad to think that this was a reality for many throughout the history of wars on Earth. Even though it was sad, I really did enjoy it. I also liked the detail you put into naming the characters. Each name has a meaning which is really cool.
ReplyDeleteSmith,
ReplyDeleteThis really was an incredible story. I truly enjoyed every moment of it. I like how you took this perspective on the Mahabharata. It really has so much meaning and you put so much thought and effort into it. It shows and turned out so well! I enjoyed this a lot and hope to read some more of your stories! Great work!
Hi Smith, what a great story. The diary style is something that I have not seen anybody use as a medium for their stories. It is unique and very cool to see such originality. Being able to create this story just from the Mahabharata is very impressive and shows real creativity. Great work on the story and have a good last couple of weeks of the semester.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a very good way of putting a perspective on the affects of war. I also have no firsthand experience with it, but to imagine losing someone because a stranger just took their life over who knows what in a war. I was very saddened by this story and usually I don't like sad things, but I think this is important.
ReplyDeleteHey Smith, I appreciate you choosing this specific story topic as I know it can be difficult for some to dive into the topic of war regarding whatever reason. I like how you did go the extra mile and make it not a regular happy ending story by adding in the emotion and sadness we don't see often in stories. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi again Smith! Okay we are almost to the end of the semester and I think that I can officially say I like the layout of your story the most! It was such a creative idea to lay out the story like a diary. I think it makes the story SO much more personal to the reader. I think when you feel like the character is able to confide in you about topics that are so important to them, you are in turn more interested in what they are talking about. Such a great idea that you executed so perfectly. I hope I get to read more of your stories int the future!
ReplyDelete