Story Planning: The Patil Sisters

• Harry Potter Themed 
• 4 Hogwarts Houses are named after the Rama and his brothers
• Lord Voldemort is now Lord Ravana 
• The Pandava Brothers (who are now ghosts) will help Harry, Ron and Hermione defeat Lord Ravana 
• They will also be assisted by the Patil Sister
• New Story 1
• For my story planning I really want to outline the different ways I can introduce the Patil Sisters into my storybook. I only have time to add two more stories to my storybook so I need to make sure I am quick to introduce the characters
• Idea Number 1
• If you've read my storybook then you know that my POV has been from McGonagall's perspective, one idea I have for my new story is just to start from the perspectives of the Patil Twins 
• This would be an easy way to introduce their characters more into the story. I am worried that by adding their POV into the story suddenly like that, that my readers might get confused. 
• Idea Number 2
• Is continue like normal with McGonagall's POV and then have it switch mid-story. Either way, I think in order to have the twins become the focal point we will need to switch over to their point of view
• New Story 2
• This week I also want to plan my last Storybook story. 
• In my last story I will need a resolution to the conflict between my main characters and my villain, Lord Ravana. 
• For this, one of my ideas is to have the ghosts of the castle (If you are unfamiliar with the Harry Potter series, the ghosts I'm referring to live in the Hogwarts castle, where the students go to school) aid the students in defeating Lord Ravana
• I have already set the scene with this in my earlier stories. I have introduced the Pandava brothers who could help fight Lord Ravana. 
• Within in this I would bring in the divine "magical" gifts that each of the brothers had. This would add an element of surprise to my existing story. 

Mahabharata, Epic of the Bharatas by Romesh C. Dutt

These are the Patil Sisters with Ron and Harry at the Yule Ball in The Goblet of Fire (Movie 4). Web Source

Story Planning: The Revenge of Ravana

For this week I am planning my storybook story. This week in my storybook I am introducing Lord Ravana, which is my Indian version of Lord Voldemort. I wanted to spend more time introducing him, because it will be the big climatic shift in my story.

Storybook: 

• Harry Potter Themed 
• 4 Hogwarts Houses are named after the Rama and his brothers
• Lord Voldemort is now Lord Ravana 
• The Pandava Brothers (who are now ghosts) will help Harry, Ron and Hermione defeat Lord Ravana 
• They will also be assisted by the Patil Sister

New Story: 

• My idea for Lord Ravana (which was influenced by the comments on my last story) is to introduce him by having him attack the school 
• This sudden appearance of Ravana will not only be a big action sequence for my story but it will allow all of the characters to react
• An attack on Hogwarts would be sudden and throw the students into the midst of it. This would be a great way to get my characters to interact and to start working with the Pandava Brothers to stop him
• In my last story I stated that McGonagall  has a hunch that Lord Ravana is back, but never confirmed it with her students or the faculty
• Because of this McGonagall will be a major character in the preparation in fighting Ravana
• The main characters I will focus on for this story are the Patil Sisters, Harry, Ron and Hermione with a small appearance from the Pandava Brothers (they will be the ones who initially tell the students the information needed to stop Ravana) 

Mahabharata by Narayan

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Fight scene at the Department of Mysteries. Web Source 

Story Planning: The Rise of Lord Ravana

This week, I chose to do a story planning post because I wanted to iron out the details for my upcoming addition to my storybook! I will include some background on my storybook, to help catch everyone up! I would love to know your thoughts on the direction I go in!


Storybook: 

• Harry Potter Themed 
• 4 Hogwarts Houses are named after the Rama and his brothers
• Lord Voldemort is now Lord Ravana 
• The Pandava Brothers (who are now ghosts) will help Harry, Ron and Hermione defeat Lord Ravana 
• They will also be assisted by the Patil Sisters

New Story:

• So in my new story I need to introduce Lord Ravana (who, until this moment was assumed dead) 
• One idea is I could have him attack the school
• While McGonagall in my story has a hunch that Lord Ravana is back it has not been confirmed by the public 
• An attack on Hogwarts would be sudden and throw the students into the midst of it. This would be a great way to get my characters to interact and to start working with the Pandava Brothers to stop him
• The next idea is that Dumbledore or McGonagall could announce to the class that the school is on lockdown because the Dark Lord is back
• This would fit into my theme of having McGonagall in the story and it would present as a great way to introduce the Dark Lord's return 
• This would basically run like a press conference to the entire school

Different Elements:

• Another element I want to add into the comping story is the perceived hierarchy presented in both stories 
• Some wizards think they are better than muggles 
• Some Indian families think they are better than others
• For example, when the monk visits the different women and they each have a different afflicted child. The only one to have a normal child is the servant, who would have been seen as lesser in that story. 
• All of this mixed with the wizards over muggle theme goes back to the idea of Birthright and what you are born with over what you make of yourself.

Mahabharata by Narayan

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Voldemort has returned. Web Source

Story Planning: The Enchanted River

• I am going to use this week to plan out my story for next week, including my story for my storybook. One comment I received on my comment wall is that the students in the class want to see more of the background to my version of the Hogwarts story. To do this I am going to introduce the different characters and how my new Lord Voldemort. 
• Here are my potential story ideas: 
• I like the idea of involving the Ganga River in my stories: either manifested as a person or as a river 
• It would be interesting to have the Ganga River be the river that the Hogwarts students must travel on to get to Hogwarts
• (AKA the freshmen have to take the boats to get to the castle) 
• This would potentially involve multiple short stories, because I wouldn't need a whole section about the river. 
• It would be cool to do a past and present situation where I show the four brothers crossing the river and what they felt and then jump forward and show Harry and the gang crossing the river 
• My next story idea is one where I introduce Ravana as the new Lord Voldemort (the bad guy, for those of you who haven't read/seen Harry Potter!) 
• I chose Ravana because of the different things he did in the Ramayana reminded me of the bad things Lord Voldemort did. 
• My next and last story idea is surrounded with the perceived hierarchy present in both stories. 
• Some wizards think they are better than muggles 
• Some Indian families think they are better than others
• For example, when the monk visits the different women and they each have a different afflicted child. The only one to have a normal child is the servant, who would have been seen as less in the story.  
• All of this mixed with the wizards over muggle theme goes back to the idea of Birthright and what you are born with over what you make of yourself. 

Mahabharata by Narayan

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

The boats crossing the river to Hogwarts. Web Source

Story: The Patil Sisters meet the Pandava Brothers

The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry isn't your average boarding school. Aside from the fact that the normal math and science curriculum is replaced by the study of potions and fantastic beasts, the school itself is unlike any other.

When the Patil sisters got to Hogwarts they weren't prepared for the spectacle that awaited them. Moving pictures greeted them at every turn and the staircases would change right beneath their feet. They knew one thing going in to Hogwarts: their lives would forever be changed.

Two Years Later 

Padma Patil and Parvati Patil had just gotten back to the House Lakshmana common room when they realized there was no way they were going to finish all of their potions homework in one night. 

"I just don't get why we have to continue to review things we already know. I swear this is the third assignment we've been given on mandrakes (type of plant)," said Padma angrily as she stared at her sister. Although the Patil sisters were twins they could not be more different in character. 

Where Padma was outgoing, Parvati was reserved. Padma was the complainer and Parvati had endless optimism. Their personalities balanced each other out and they were rarely seen without the other. 

Parvati knew her sister better than anyone and because of that she knew that the homework wasn't what was really bothering her. 

"Padma, you are a straight A student, only second to Hermione, so I know the homework isn't whats bothering you. Can you tell me whats wrong?" Parvati could see her sister slump in defeat. 

"Don't you ever miss it? Home, I mean. We are so far away and we only see mom and dad twice a year. I just feel like a visitor in Hogwarts, like it will never feel like my home." Parvati didn't know how to respond. She too, had been feeling homesick and longed for her mothers stories and her fathers jokes. The letters they received weekly weren't a substitute for actually getting to hear from their parents.

Parvati continued to stare at her sister until she remembered something Professor Mcgonagall had said. 

"Padma, I know we can't go home until Summer, but what if I told you that we could be surrounded by a little piece of home right here, at Hogwarts." She saw her sisters reluctant curiosity. 

"Follow me. You won't regret it." As they left the Lajshmana common room, they got on the moving staircases and attempted to make their way to the second floor. 

The second floor hall, was a place where the ghosts in the Hogwarts castle hung out. There were always students in here talking and joking with the ghosts. Fred and George, two of the Weasley, brothers were always down here planning some prank or another with Peeves the resident prankster ghost. 

"Parvati, why are we down here? Did Ron ask you to see if his brothers were causing trouble?" Parvati, ignored her sisters questions and continued on into the room until she saw the group she was looking for. 

Huddled together were five figures who looked similar to each other. She could see the recognition in her sisters eyes and the awe that followed. 

"Padma, may I introduce you to the Pandava Brothers?" She could see that her sister was at a loss for words. Right before her eyes, were living (well dead) Indian Legends. 

The brothers smiled in acknowledgment an dParvati smiled and send a silent thank you to Professor Mcgonagall for the history lesson. 

TO BE CONTINUED

The endless moving staircases at Hogwarts. Web Source

If you want to find out which house you would be in take the quiz by Buzzfeed and then check out my answer key below. 

Answer Key: 

Gryffindor: If you got Gryffindor, congrats you belong to House Rama

Hufflepuff: If you got Hufflepuff, you are tried and true, you belong to House Bharata

Ravenclaw: If you got Ravenclaw, you are an adventurer, you belong to House Lakshmana

Slytherin: If you got Slytherin, you are mischievous and loyal, you belong to House Shatrughna

Mahabharata by Narayan

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Story Planning: Rama's Duty

One thing I noticed throughout the different versions of the Ramayana is that Rama didn't always treated Sita in the best way. In the video, I watched, the narrators and illustrators even commented on this by having Rama literally walk over Sita. For my story this week I want to focus on how I think Sita should have been treated. This will be a modern take on this classic story.

Setting: The setting for this story will be the scene right after Rama banishes Sita after finding out she is pregnant. He does this even though Sita has passed two purity tests, because he fears the baby is Ravanas. This scene irritated me, because when Rama was banished Sita gave up everything to go with him, but when Sita needed Rama he cast her out. 

My Twist: For my version of the story, I want Rama to be the one to seek Sita out. After he casts her out, I want him to go looking for her. In this story, I want to equalize the roles between Rama and Sita. In the original story, Sita wasn't very independent, in my version she will be. I think that this is a good way to modernize the story, while still holding true to the love story of Rama and Sita. After Rama banishes Sita a year passes and both Rama and Sita feel like something is "missing” in their lives. Rama then leaves his brother in charge and goes in search of Sita. I want both Sita and Rama to realize they need each other. I don’t want to put all the fault on Rama in my story, so I feel like having them meet halfway is a good way to bridge the story.

Rama and Sita in Sita Sings the Blues. Web Source 

Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley

Story: The Loyalty of Brothers

"Welcome class to, A History of Hogwarts. If you will please take a seat, we can begin," said Professor McGonagal.

The students quickly filed in. Every year, A History of Hogwarts was always the busiest class on campus because it was dubbed an "easy A." Harry and Ron, much to Hermione's dismay were much more interested in the prospect of an easy grade, than learning the history of their beloved school. Professor McGonagal knew what the perception was of her class. Yet, every year she hoped for one student who would want to learn the material. She smiled when she saw Hermione, knowing at least one student would be paying attention to today's lesson.

"Okay class, settle down. As many of you know I am Professor McGonagal. I teach two classes here at Hogwarts, the class you are in now and Transfiguration. I suspect I will see many of you in that class later today. A History of Hogwarts, is designed to give you a better understanding of the historic school you go to. The things you will learn in this class aren't for the faint of heart, as you know Hogwarts has a torrid past, full of loyalty and betrayal. For today’s lesson, we will be learning about the founding family of the four houses here at Hogwarts. Pay attention, because you are about to learn how the loyalty of four brothers came to create the best wizarding school in the world. " with that last remark, McGonagal turned around and began writing on the board. 

House Rama: House Rama was created to represent our historic hero, Rama, who with the help of a Golden Eagle vanquished the demons that plagued the land. Rama and his wife Sita wanted to honor the eagle who helped save Sita's life and defeat the demon, so that is why to this day, the mascot of the House Rama is a Golden eagle. To remind us that bravery and selflessness go hand in hand. 

House Lakshmana: In House Lakshmana, resides those who are pure of heart and have a deep thirst for discovery. Lakshmana, brother of Rama, gave up everything to follow his brother into every adventure. Because of his dedication to helping his brother, the mascot for this House is the tiger. This is to represent loyalty and fierce discovery. 

House: Bharata: House Bharata is the house of the elephant. Bharata, had to lead in Rama's stead. Rather than be consumed by the power he was given, Bharata stayed loyal to his brothers and led the people with a fair and just rule. This house is represented by an elephant because it represents the steadfast determination and the wisdom to lead.

House Shatrughna: The House Shatrughna is a place for those who dare to be different. This house is represented by the Monkey. During the war against the demon, Shatrughna used his passion for entertaining people, to boost moral during the war. He was also the constant support of the three brothers, who looked to him for strength and guidance. The monkey was chosen to represent this house because the monkey represents balance and control in life. 

"Because the brothers worked together and utilized their unique skills, they were able to rid the land of the demons. While some people consider houses to be better than others, I caution you against that belief. Each of the four brothers played a pivotal role in the foundation of this school and each house has their reason for existing. "

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If you want to find out which house you would be in take the quiz by Buzzfeed and then check out my answer key below. 

Answer Key: 

Gryffindor: If you got Gryffindor, congrats you belong to House Rama

Hufflepuff: If you got Hufflepuff, you are tried and true, you belong to House Bharata

Ravenclaw: If you got Ravenclaw, you are an adventurer, you belong to House Lakshmana

Slytherin: If you got Slytherin, you are mischievous and loyal, you belong to House Shatrughna

Author's Note: 

I got inspired to write this story after reading the Ramayan. When reading this story I saw a lot of similarities between this story and the story of Harry Potter. The eagle dying reminded me of Hedwig and the brothers each reminded me of a different Hogwarts house. For me, picking who would be Slytherin was the hardest decision! I ended up picking Shatrughna not because I think he's evil, but because Slytherins aren't afraid to be who they are and thats the vibe I got from Shatrughna. I hope that by putting the characters into houses, it will help people to have a better understanding of each of the brothers! I hope you take the quiz and comment below to let me know what house you would be in!! 

The Ramayana by R. K. Narayan

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Web Source