Some Reading Options

Hello World!!

 I was so amazed while exploring through the magical worlds of the "Mahabharata" and the "Ramayana." There are so many beautiful pictures! I can't wait to begin the journey into learning more about this amazing culture! The "Ramayana" version that I settled on reading is the version by R.K. Narayan. I am the kind of person who appreciates having a physical copy of the book itself much more than an audio or online version, and that is the BIGGEST factor in making this choice. I enjoy annotating as I read as well as being able to have a book I can carry around rather than a device that I have to rely on. Also, from what I understood this version is much closer to the original compared to the second option, and I would much rather learn from the original rather than the "anthology" version. Once again this is just personal preference. I have already gotten my book, and I cannot wait to get started!

I used to read Greek mythology in my P.E.A.K. classes in elementary school, and have read bits and pieces here and there. For those of you wondering, P.E.A.K. is simply a class for gifted students, but I believe it is called something else now. I haven't, however, actually read either the "Ramayana" or the "Mahabharata," but since my mother is fond of the stories and we are quite close to the culture I do know the basic stories. Otherwise, I have very limited knowledge of most things. I mostly know the advertised and "movie-fied" versions of these things. I have not taken any religion classes, but I do enjoy educating myself about other religions. I strongly believe that in order for us to better understand people we should educate ourselves about other religions and cultures. We will learn a lot from them, and we will also be able to respect and understand their views much better. I love all things Indian. I am from Pakistan, so there are many similarities! I love the food, the clothes, the henna, the dance, the movies, the music, and especially the bangles! I am a bit biased since I live and breathe a large amount of the culture myself, but it is still a beautiful culture regardless. I have been to Pakistan and Bangladesh, but unfortunately I haven't been able to go to India. It is on my bucket-list though, and I can't wait to go!

Ravana and Sita from Ramayana Source: http://ouocblog.blogspot.com

I chose the image above to discuss, because it contained Ravana. I have often seen this figure in Indian movies or referred to in stories. My father always told me that Ravana was a regular person, but each of his heads stood for the various traits of personality. He always said that it wasn't that having different traits within yourself that was bad, but giving the evil ones more power than the bad. I find Ravana to be incredibly interesting, because while I know about what happens I still do not know why Ravana made the decisions he did, and that is one of the things I am most excited about with this course. Hopefully, I will get some clarity in the vague stories that I have heard for so long!