Lindsey's Portfolio

To Learn to Fish - This story is based off the characters Sita and Rama from the Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana. At the beginning of my story, I rewrote the events that occurred in the Ramayana from the meeting of Rama and Sita until they were exiled to the forest from Sita’s point of view. Once they were exiled, I created the following story in which Sita is interested in learning to fish.

The Husband Trial - This story is a modern-day rewrite of the story of Sita's loyalty to Rama being tested with fire. In this version, Rama is being testing by Sita after returning from a business trip. His loyalty to Sita is tested by water. 

The Beginning of Karna and Shrek - This story shares how young Karna, who was sent away in a river by his mother, finds his way to his new family, Shrek. 

 

Week 7 Story: The Beginning of Karna and Shrek

Little baby Karna screamed and reached out his arms towards his mother as she placed the basket he was in into the river. Though he was merely an infant when he was placed into the river, his mind and body were growing at a rapid pace. As he grew, the basket and clothes he was wearing grew with him.

He watched the sun fall and rise up again and the birds fly overhead softly singing to him as he drifted into the unknown. Suddenly, he felt a thud and realized he was no longer moving. He sat up in the basket, looked around and realized his basket had washed up on to shore.

"Is this where my mother had intended to send me?" Karna wondered. Feeling hopeful that it was, he climbed out of the basket and wandered into the forest before him having suddenly aged into a young man. He was a little clumsy at first learning to walk in his outstretched legs but was quickly able to gain control and proceed to the forest like a regular 7 year old boy.

He wasn’t sure where he was headed or what he was looking for until he stumbled upon a rock cave covered in moss and leaves. His stomach was making loud grumbling noises and he was beginning to feel light-headed from lack of food and water. He had become exhausted from walking and thought the cave appeared to be a suitable location to rest.

He walked inside the shelter and found a fluffy-looking bed tucked away in the corner. He looked around to see if anyone was there but concluded that it was vacant. He walked over to the bed and laid his head on the pillow. He had never been so comfortable. His eye fluttered shut and he drifted to sleep in the peaceful home.

His sleep was abruptly interrupted as the ground began to shake and a thumping sound grew closer and closer. His eyes shot open and he shuffled into the corner to hide from what was approaching him.

“Who goes there!” roared a deep, angry voice. “I demand you show yourself!”

 “My name is Karna,” he squeaked, his voice trembling with fear. “I was just looking for a place to rest,” he explained as he made himself visible to the beast.  

“Where do you come from, young man? You must be far from home as there is not a village for hundreds of miles.”

“I came from the river,” Karna said hesitantly, knowing that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. “My mother placed me in a basket and sent me into the river. I floated until I reached the shore just over there and walked to this cave,” he said gesturing to the direction he had come from.

The air was still and silence lingered as the beast looked Karna up and down. Karna was unsure how this beast was going to react to what he had told him or if he would believe his story at all.

“My child,” he said with sincerity in his voice, “I have prayed for a son and my prayers have been answered. I shall raise you as my own.”

The beast, who went by the name of Shrek, was cursed with green skin, enormous size, and an appearance that sent woman and men alike running away in fear at the sight of him. He had dreamed of having a child of his own but because of this curse, no woman would even look at him. Having spent that so many years alone, hiding in his cave and only leaving to retrieve food and water, he was overjoyed to have someone enter his life.

Karna’s fear had only stemmed from the anger in Shrek’s voice and not in his appearance. Upon hearing Shrek say he would take him in as his own, Karna’s fear vanished and a smile spread across his face. Since the curse, Shrek had never been in the presence of someone who wasn’t scared of him until he met Karna.

Shrek took Karna into his home and kept his word to raise him as his own child. Because of the generosity and love Shrek showed to Karna, the gods lifted the curse they had placed on him and he returned to his normal form.

Shrek
Source

Author's Note: In the Mahabharata, Kunti has a secret son from Surya, the sun god. Because she is unmarried, she sends this son in a basket into the river. He was born with celestial earrings and an invulnerable coat of arms that grew with him as he grew. I began my story using this concept that Karna’s mother sent him into the river in a basket.

Instead of his earrings and coat of arms I had the basket he was floating in and the clothes he was wearing grow as he grew. He then stumbles upon a beast named Shrek who takes him in as his own son. For this story I attempted to include more dialogue than I usually include in my stories. The main interaction is between Shrek and Karna when they meet in the cave.

While the previous additions to my portfolio have been focused on romantic relationships, I felt this story was a fitting addition because it tells the story of the beginning of a father-son relationship. I think this is a new dynamic of a relationship and with this addition my portfolio now consists of a failing relationship, a thriving relationship and the budding of a new relationship. 

Bibliography: 
The Mahabharata: Karmic Revolution, Epified TV (India), 2015-2016
Shrek, Wikipedia, 2001. 

Week 4 Story: The Husband Trial

It was Sunday afternoon and Sita knew Rama’s flight would be landing soon. She ran through the house throwing toys into their proper bins and vacuuming the carpet. She had gone to great lengths to ensure that Rama would return to a clean home after his month-long business trip in Germany. Sita could not wait to be back in her husband’s arms and Rama was just as excited.

After the final minutes passed that felt like hours to Sita, it was finally time to meet Rama at the airport. She loaded up into the car and sped to get him. When their eyes met it was like the first time they had laid eyes on each other. Rama’s face lit up with a smile and Sita’s heart fluttered. They ran to each other and in a deep embrace they hoped the moment would never pass.

Once they got home, Sita began to help Rama unpack his suitcase so she could start the laundry. As she was grabbing the dirty clothes from his suitcase and piling them up in the basket, a tube of lipstick rolled onto the ground.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions immediately she took the lipstick to Rama and calmly asked, “Rama, how did this lipstick get into your suitcase?”  She was hoping for a valid excuse but knew that was unlikely. Rama began to stutter. “Uh, Uh… I don’t know where that could have come from,” he said uneasily, guilt pouring from him eyes.

Sita was a reasonable woman and decided that rather than accuse her husband of lying, she would simply demand that he prove his loyalty to her.

“Rama,” she stated, “since you have been gone for a month's time, I ask that you prove that you remained loyal to me in your time away.” Rama looked down nervously but felt confident his strength and abilities could overcome any challenge Sita could throw at him, so he agreed.

“You must pray upon the God of Water as your purity will only be proven if you are able to swim up the river to the nearest bait shop from the entrance by our home,” Sita declared. “If you are able to swim this distance upstream, I will know you have been loyal.” Rama nodded his head in agreement, certain his strength would be able to overcome the strength of the rushing river.

Word of the trial spread and a crowd lined the river from the entrance to the shop. All were eager to witness Rama attempt the trial but most doubted his loyalty to Sita. Rama waded out toward the center of the river where he would begin.

He prayed to the God of Water and dove in. He was a strong swimmer with impeccable form. He moved his arms with as much force and as quickly as he could with his feet kicking behind him.

After what felt like a lifetime, Rama lifted his head for a brief moment to monitor his progress as he felt himself becoming fatigued. He caught a quick glimpse of Sita watching from the side and looked back upstream only to catch sight of a wave forming right in front of his eyes.

“A wave? How could this be?” Rama thought shocked. His eyes widened and the wave crashed into him throwing his body downstream far past where he had originally started.

The crowd booed and Sita crumpled to the ground in tears. She had been doubtful of Rama’s purity but a part of her on the inside hoped he was telling the truth. However, the Gods had spoken and made it painfully clear to her what she needed to do and she did not see or speak to Rama ever again.

Wave crashing down on Rama
Source

Author's Note: For this story I took the concept from the PDE Ramayana in which Rama tested Sita with fire after Ravana had held her captive.  I took the general concept of a couple being forced apart for an extended period of time and placed it in a slightly more modern setting. I also reversed the roles between Sita and Rama and had Rama be the one whose loyalty had to be tested.

For the test, I really wanted to use a similar concept in which there was a god responsible for the element used. In the Ramayana, Sita called upon the fire god, Agni for protection and he protected her. I chose to use water because I have read about Varuna the Hindu god of water and the goddess Ganga. I liked the idea of a specific god being in charge of determining Rama’s fate and the outcome of the test. In the story a wave comes crashing down on Rama and I wanted that to be a direct sign and action of a god.

In my portfolio, I have included stories of romance. While this story isn’t a happy ending, it still involves the conflict and relationship between two people. I think this addition to my portfolio will give a unique storyline compared to typical happy ending stories. 

Bibliography: PDE Ramayana, Authors: M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder.

Week 2 Story: To Learn to Fish

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess named Sita. She spent her days wandering around her father’s kingdom with a book in hand or picking flowers and admiring the land the gods had blessed her with. She had never left the kingdom but had an adventurous soul and often dreamt of the wonders of the outside world. That was until she locked eyes with Rama, the man she knew she was destined to be with.  They didn’t speak a word but she instantly fell in love with him and knew he would be the one to take her from this kingdom and share with her the rest of the world.

Sita knew the man must win her father's approval and to do so, he must bend the god Shiva's bow. Many men had tried to bend the bow and failed but she could feel in her heart that this would not be the case for Rama. The gods answered her prayers and Rama successfully bent the bow. 

She shrieked with joy when she heard the news as the day she never thought would come was finally here. The wedding occurred with no delay and Sita wed Rama on a day filled with sunshine and surrounded by the blooming flowers. Sita was overflowing with joy and ready to depart with her new husband to discover the world.

The wedding bliss came to a screeching halt when Kaikeyi, Bharata's mother, demanded Rama to be sent to the forest in exile for fourteen years. Kaikeyi knew Rama was to be the crown prince so she demanded his exile so that her own son would become the heir.

Sita was devastated and confused. She wanted to blame the gods but knew nothing good could come from that. Instead she choked back her tears and made a decision. She knew she could not go on without her beloved and refused to let Kaikeyi steal her happiness. She would go with Rama into exile in the forest.

After only a few days in the forest with Rama and Lakshmana, she began to grow bored. Because she was a lady, the men insisted on providing all food and shelter and essentially protecting her in every way. Without her books or the ability to go on walks alone she felt more and more useless and desired something more. 

"Rama," she said "I simply can't waste away out here. I need a purpose to this life in exile." 

"Your purpose is to be my wife," Rama said. "Are you unsatisfied with your accommodations?"

"No, Rama, I am very happy but I would like to be able to provide something, anything of value to our group."

"You are my queen," Rama said tenderly. "I am here to protect and provide for you. Your assistance is not needed."

"Rama, please," she begged. "Teach me to fish so I can provide a meal for us."

Sita knew she could never master the survival skills Rama and Lakshmana had but she simply wanted to learn whatever she could. She wanted to know she could be of use if circumstances required it and Rama agreed to teach her how to fish.

Early the next morning, Rama and Sita set off to the closest river for the promised fishing lesson. They found a nice clearing and sat down on a rock overlooking the river. The sun was just rising and the water was quietly flowing below their feet. Sita, too impatient to enjoy the scenery, looked to Rama and asked how to begin. 

On the walk to the river, Rama had kept an eye out for sticks of the proper size and length that could be sharpened into spears. He found the two they would use and began scraping the bark off with her knife. He quickly sharpened the spears and handed one over to Sita. She was giddy with excitement but kept her face serious as she was determined to succeed. 

The couple took their weapons and walked a little ways down the river until they found a good spot to wade out. Rama took Sita’s hand and cautiously guided her into the river where fish were swimming all around their toes. Rama quickly demonstrated to Sita the proper motion and technique and plunged his spear through the water and into a fish. 

Sita steadied herself and looked hard into the water closely following the fish’s every move. Mimicking Rama’s technique, she flung the spear into the water and deep into the dirt bottom causing the spear to stick straight up. She let out a sigh of disappointment though she did not let it ruin her determination. 

She retrieved her spear and tried again, and again and again with no fish. After what felt like hours of trying she was nearly ready to quit. Rama continued to offer her advice and would stay by her side until she was satisfied. She decided to give it one more try with her full concentration and all her strength. With all her force she launched the spear into the water. 

When she pulled the spear up she had expected nothing but her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. “Rama!” she cried. “I did it! I did it!” she exclaimed as she danced and splashed around the river waving her fish and spear around like a trophy. Rama wrapped her in a deep embrace and congratulated her on the victory. 

Rama and Sita hiked back to their campsite unable to wipe the smiles off their faces, built a fire and enjoyed the delicious fish Rama and Sita had caught as a team. Surviving fourteen more years in the forest wouldn’t be as bad as she had originally thought.

Spear fishing
Source: Clipart

Author's Note: This story is based off the characters Sita and Rama from the Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana. At the beginning of my story, I rewrote the events that occurred in the Ramayana from the meeting of Rama and Sita until they were exiled to the forest from Sita’s point of view. Once they were exiled, I created the following story in which Sita in interesting in learning to fish. Rama takes Sita to the river and she is able to catch the dinner they eat that night.  

The image I chose is of two boys spearfishing in a river. While the image is of two boys, I chose this drawing to represent Sita and Rama spear fishing in the river. I like this image because one of the boys is clearly older and I wanted that to represent Rama in terms of experience and Sita being the smaller of the two learning.

With this story, I hoped to give Sita an image larger than just simply a wife who does what she is told. I wanted to empower her and add a new aspect to her character development. We never really see throughout the Public Domain Ramayana many sides to Sita and with this story it shows her determination and adventurous side. 

Bibliography: PDE Ramayana, Authors: M. Dutt, R. Dutt, Gould, Griffith, Hodgson, Mackenzie, Nivedita, Oman, Richardson, and Ryder.