Topic Brainstorm

Topic Idea 1: Star Wars: India Edition

I have been a Star Wars fan for much of my life, and I have heard that George Lucas heavily relied on character archetypes for his ideas. I think combining the storylines of Luke Skywalker and Krishna would produce a really cool fusion of Star Wars and Indian Epics. I would follow Luke/Krishna through episodes 4, 5, and 6 of the original Star Wars trilogy, and I would find specific Krishna stories that are similar enough to the Star Wars plot that they could be adapted to fit well. For this topic, I used the Krishna the Hero page of the Indian Epics: Reading and Resources blog, which also has links for the Krishna Wikipedia page and a set of Krishna videos. I would like to learn more about Krishna and see if I can find characters in his stories that would apply to Leia, Han Solo, and other Star Wars characters.

(Image Info: lightsaber by Mysid, no changes; Source: Wikimedia)

Topic Idea 2: Indian Avengers

As you might be able to tell, I am a big fan of hero stories, and just like Star Wars, I love the Marvel action movies. I think I have watched all of them, from Ant-Man to Black Panther to the epic Avengers: Infinity War. From reading through the Epic Heroes page of the Indian Epics: Reading and Resources blog, I was inspired to look for Indian heroes who might be similar to some of the Marvel Avengers, such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and others. For example, the evil, 10-headed Ravana could be adapted to be the Indian version of the Hulk (although I would have to change him from evil to good, but that can be done!). I could use the three stories in the storybook to focus on three different "avengers," which would provide some variety. I would like to learn more about other Indian heroes who could fit Avenger roles!

Topic Idea 3: Rakshasa Hunters

I had never heard of a Rakshasa before beginning my research for this post. Upon the reading the information on the Wikipedia page, I immediately thought they seemed a lot like the vampires that permeate American movies like the Twilight films or the classic Dracula character. Along with vampires always come vampire hunters, so I thought writing a storybook about some Rakshasa hunters might be fun and exciting. I would probably frame this as a three-episode adventure of one or more hunters attempting to track down and eliminate a Rakshasa that had been terrorizing part of India for many years. I can see connections to the film Jaws, the TV show Supernatural, and the vampire movies I mentioned previously. I would like to learn more about rakshasas through finding them in the stories of the Indian epics we will read in this class!

Topic Idea 4: Neville and Nagini

I began reading the Nagas and Naginis page of the Indian Epics: Reading and Resources blog because I recognized "Nagini" as the name of Voldemort's snake in the Harry Potter novels and movies. I never knew the origin of that name, but this makes it very clear. Since I am familiar with Harry Potter, I thought it might be fun to combine the Indian Naginis with the small part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows where Neville kills the snake. I think I could expand this with the help of Indian myths that cover naginis to include a backstory for the snake and more of a build-up to Neville's heroic act. I would like to learn more about nagas and naginis through the Indian epics and any other Indian myths that would apply!