Storybook Topic Brainstorm

For my first topic idea of my storybook, I've chosen Dasharatha, one of the stories in the Ramayana. I wrote about this topic in my reading overview blog post, and was initially drawn to it by the moral dilemmas it seemed to pose. I'm fascinated by open-ended questions where there is no clear side to argue for, and this topic appears to provide plenty of those. I have no previous knowledge on the topic, but I'm interested to learn how the Ramayana and specifically the epics about Dasharatha approach moral conflicts. Due to my interest in the situations this topic will provide, I think I could use the dilemmas involved to practice expanding my creativity, and I think it will be more feasible for me to stray away from the original story more and just focus on the morals. I'm specifically interested in the topic of Dasharatha's end, where he makes an ultimate choice that ends his life. I'd like to make a story revolving around this idea, where a character makes that kind of choice, whether it be for love or something else.

My second topic idea for my story book is Vishvamitra. The beginning of his story seems fascinating, going from a king to one of the most famous sages in Indian tradition. I have very little knowledge of Indian tradition in general, and especially little about the sages involved, so I wanted to find the sage that seemed most interesting to me to learn about it. The drastic change from king to sage seems like a focal point in his story, and is something I think I'd like to incorporate into my stories. I'm also specifically interested in the path one takes to become a Brahmarshi, and think I'd also like to include that somehow into my stories.

My third topic idea for my story book is Yoga. I'm a frequent exerciser and have heard about the modern benefits of doing yoga, but I'm curious to know how it has changed over time and how it relates to the epics we'll be reading about in this class. I'd also like to expand this topic to tapas as well, as I have no prior knowledge of what tapas is and how it is involved in Indian tradition. I'm sure I'll need to read more on how yoga and tapas are actually involved in our epics to get a more general idea about how I can include them in my stories, but I figure that I'll at least have a place to start having prior knowledge about yoga.

My fourth topic idea for my story book is Music. I've been a musician most of my life, taking piano lessons for years and picking up the guitar and singing on my own. I've applied these in a variety of ways, both past and present, and it's something I'm quite passionate about. I'll be very interested to see the role music plays in our epics, and think I'll have no trouble including musical themes in my stories. The idea of it being used for both good and bad is interesting, and I think it would be more enjoyable for me to write about it being used in a more negative manner, as this is not something I'm used to. I'm not exactly sure what form this would take, but the topic page on music offers some examples of music being used in a negative environment, and I'll look at those soon to get some more specific ideas.

Image of a Silhouette of Someone Doing Yoga

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