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

Reading Notes: The Princes of Elephant City Part B

• Pink = my story elements 
• Character Key Points
• Yudhishthira-King, likes gambling (his loss in gambling ends up making the pandavas spend 13 years in exiles with the last year being in disguise (the other brothers resent him for this) 
• Arjuna-skilled archer (wields the Gandiva bow) and fighter
• Bhima- always has Draupadi's best interest in mind- he rescues her on a regular basis- he is the one most hurt by her death 
• Bhima vows to drink Duhshasana's blood (because he dragged Draupadi by the hair and tried to rip off her clothes, when Yudhishthira lost everyone in a gambling game  and break Duryodhana's thigh (For trying rape Draupadi and for showing her his naked thigh, when Yudhishthira lost everyone in a gambling game)
• Nakula 
• Sahadeva
• "After twelve years in the forest, the Pandavas prepare to spend a year in disguise at the court of King Virata. Yudhishthira has learned the art of gambling by now, so he disguises himself as Kanka, a gambler. Bhima becomes a cook named Ballaba. Arjuna takes the name Brihannala and will be a dancing teacher. Nakula takes the name Granthika and works in the stables, while Sahadeva takes the name Tantripala and becomes a cowherd. Draupadi will be Queen Sudeshna's maid under the name Sairandhri"
• I really enjoy reading the story and having the condensed reading notes because everything is easier to understand that in was in the original story!
• Draupadi's brother = Dhristadyumna
• The deaths of the Pandavas 

1. Draupadi (who sinned by loving one husband, Arjuna, more than the rest) 
2. Sahadeva (who boasted in his wisdom), then Nakula (who boasted in his beauty)
3. Arjuna (who failed in his promise to kill Duryodhana and his army in just a second)
4. Bhima (who boasted in his strength).
5. Yudhishthira gets taken to heaven where through his dedication to his brothers (he gets to save them from hell) 

A statue of an elephant made out of shrubs. Web Source 

The Princes of Elephant City by C. A. Kincaid (1921)

Reading Notes: The Princes of Elephant City Part A

• Pink= my story elements 
• This story is titled "Princes of the Elephant City" because the city of
  Hastinapura translates to Elephant and the Pandava brothers are our princes
• Character timeline 
• Hastinapura (city)
•  Vichitravirya (King of Hastinapura, died leaving two sons)
•  Dhritarashtra (older son, but is blind) and  Pandu (Becomes king)
• Pandu has children with Madri and Kunti
• Their children become know as the Pandava brothers:  Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna,  Nakula and Sahadeva
• Duryodhana is the eldest son of Dhritarashtra (who takes over as king after Pandu's passing)
• Dhritarashtra names Yudhishthira as his heir not his own son, Duryodhana
• Hidimba and his sister Hidimbi are the forest monsters that orginnally try to kill the Pandavas 
• Hidimbi eventually falls in love and lives happily ever after with Bhima
• For my story I think I will use the names of Hidimba and Hidimbi as the snakes for my Lord Ravana spinoff of Lord Voldemort
• " When he comes home, Kunti tells Arjuna to share whatever he has with his brothers, thinking he has gotten some food by begging. She cannot take back her words, though, so Draupadi becomes the bride of all five brothers"
• This makes so much more sense now! 
• Indraprastha: royal city built by the Pandavas
• Could be a place that Lord Ravana attacked, which provides the background for why the ghosts hate Ravana
• Might be used to explain where Draupadi is-she was killed in the attack
• Character Key Points
• Yudhishthira-King, likes gambling (his loss in gambling ends up making the pandavas spend 13 years in exiles with the last year being in disguise (the other brothers resent him for this)  
• Arjuna-skilled archer and fighter
• Bhima
• Nakula 
• Sahadeva

Painted elephants in India. Web Source 

The Princes of Elephant City by C. A. Kincaid (1921)