Growth Mindset: Actual Meaning

Growth Mindset: Actual Meaning

This week, I decided to read into the actual meaning of having a growth mindset. The founder of this concept, Carol Dweck, wrote an article about how people have misinterpreted her idea of a growth mindset. The real idea is that those who have this mindset believe that their talents were achieved through hard work, good strategies, and input from people around them. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset. People with this mindset view their talents as innate gifts. The main misconception about growth mindset, in my opinion, is that people think it's all about praising people and rewarding them for their efforts. Dweck stated that simply rewarding people for unsuccessful efforts isn't doing any good. It is critical to emphasize the processes and strategies that allow someone to achieve success. After reading this article, What Having a "Growth Mindset" Actually Means, I have learned that it's more than just adopting the idea. You must actually implement the practices and actively engage in your actions in order to successfully achieve a growth mindset. 

(10 Growth Mindest Statements. Source: Flickr)

Tech Tip: Google Site Video

For this week's technology tip, I decided to add a YouTube video to my storybook page. My entire storybook focuses on Hanuman so I decided to add a video of the Hanuman Chalisa. The Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindu devotional song dedicated to Hanuman. Here is a link to my storybook site: Hanuman.

Week 14 Reading Diary: The Indian Storybook continued

The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson

For the rest of this week's reading assignment, I finished reading the assigned stories in The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson. The last story, Shakuntala, discusses the love story between King Dushyanta and Shakuntala. King Dushyanta meets the beautiful Shakuntala while he while on a hunting trip in the forest. (So much happens in the forest in the Mahabharata). The two fall in love with each other and get married, without Shakuntala's father knowing. Their witness was mother nature. When King Dushyanta had to leave, he promised he would send for someone to pick Shakuntala up. To show her his promise, he gives her a ring. One day, a sage visits Shakuntala, but she is so lost in her thoughts of King Dushyanta, that she does not hear the sage's calls. The sage becomes very angry and curses Shakuntala. He tells her that the man she is thinking about will not remember her. And King Dushyanta will only remember her if she comes up with a significant souvenir. Shakuntala is pregnant with the king's child, so her father sends her to the royal court. On the way, the ring she was given falls into the river. So when they met, King Dushyanta couldn't recognize his wife, because she was unable to present a significant souvenir. Shakuntala can't bare to live without King Dushyanta remembering her so she pleas to the gods to help her disappear from earth. After a fisherman finds the lost ring, King Dushyanta remembers his wife. They get back to each other and have a son, named Bharat. 

(King Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Indian Storybook, Richard Wilson. (1914)

Week 14 Reading Diary: The Indian Storybook

The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson

For the final week of reading for Indian Epics, I have chosen to read some famous Indian stories. For the first part of the week, I will be reading about the dispute between Vishvamitra and Vashishta over the ownership of a sacred cow that grants wishes. The sacred cow that the two men were fighting over was named Sabala. King Vishvamitra was a well-liked king, but he was always in search of an enemy. The only problem with this was that he befriended everyone he met, so it was hard to find an enemy. King Vishvamitra was an avid hunter and enjoyed the hunting for game. One day he went to the forest with some of his men to hunt. As he and his men were wondering, they came across the home of the sage, Vashishta. Vishvamitra and his men were hungry, so Vashishta offered him food. Vashishta had an entire feast prepared for the men. Vishvamitra was confused as to how he was able to make such a grand feast while isolated in the forest. Vashishta went on to tell the king that Indra blessed him with a sacred calf that was able to yield any sort of riches. Vishvamitra became angry when Vashishta refused to give him the cow, after he offered thousands of dollars. Regardless of the refusal, Vishvamitra took the cow anyway. The cow grew very angry at Vishvamitra and was able to conjure up an entire army. Vishvamitra soon ended up becoming a hermit after seeing that the Kshatriyas had to power when they were up against Brahmins.  

(Sabala the Sacred Cow. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Indian Storybook, Richard Wilson. (1914)

Tech Tip: Name Display

I decided to take my full name off of my blog posts, solely due to personal preference. I haven't really thought about my online identity much, but I do know that I don't want everything popping up if someone were to ever google my name. I will definitely have to start thinking about my online identity more as I'm applying to PA schools. 

Learning Challenge: Young Children and Empathy

Learning by H.E.A.R.T: Young Children and Empathy

This week I decided to look into the empathy aspect of the Learning by H.E.A.R.T challenges. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. The article I read, What Stealing Cookies Teaches Us About Young Children and Empathy, talks about how analyzing children and the concept of stealing cookies can show their empathy. The study included showing young children a scene where a puppet steals their cookies and also a scene where one puppet cries out when another steals his marbles. The experimenters recorded that the children, not only felt bad for losing their cookies, but also felt sorry for the puppet that had his marbles stolen. The three-year olds would attempt to give back the stolen marbles, if they were given the chance. This shows a lot about how, even the youngest kids, can feel empathy towards others. 

(Puppets. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

 

Growth Mindset: Positive Habits

Growth Mindset: The Biology of Positive Habits

This week I decided to read the article, The Biology of Positive Habits. This article talks about ways to train our brain into creating and maintaining positive habits. This was a great read for me because I tend to cling to some bad habits. The author talks about approaching tasks with mindfulness, as this will lower the amount of energy spent on stressing about the future. The two mindfulness tips I thought were most helpful were taking small breaks and exercise. The author talks about how we should step away from a task for a short amount of time. This allows us look at something different and feel calm for a while. The author also says to take up exercise as a way to evoke a relaxed state. I definitely need to take up yoga of some form to calm my stress. 

(Yoga. Source: Flickr)

Week 13 Storytelling: Faith

Faith

Anita Patel lived with her parents and little brother, Aneesh. The Patels were a religious family. When anything good happened to them, they went to the temple to pray and thank God. The Patels were filled with faith. Growing up, Anita was taught to turn to God when she was facing any difficulties. Not only that, she was also taught to turn to God when anything good happened to her. Her parents explained to her that God is there through the good and the bad, so she should turn to Him when anything happens. 

When Anita started high school, she met a group of girl friends that didn't have the greatest reputation. They partied a lot and did poorly in school. As Anita began to hang out with them more, she picked up some of their habits. It should be noted that, before meeting these girls, Anita was top of her class. She was also on the high school soccer team. Everyone knew she had a bright future ahead of her. 

(Soccer. Source: Free Stock Photos)

As Anita entered her sophomore year, she dropped down in class ranking. She was no longer in the top 1%. She was also in trouble with the soccer coach because she would skip practice far too often. Anita also stopped going to the temple with her parents. She hardly ever prayed. She complained when her parents reminded her to thank God for anything and everything. She would tell them that her life had been going great for so long that she didn't need to thank Him anymore. Her parents didn't know what to say to convince her otherwise. 

As sophomore year went on, Anita fell farther and farther behind in school. Her and her friends would skip class to go to the mall and meet up with older boys. She would party every weekend. One day, when she was hanging out with this college boy at a house party, the cops came. They told every underage kid that they couldn't leave the premises until their parents came to pick them up. Anita knew she was in trouble. Anita tried to pray to God, but it seems like He wasn't listening. When her parents got there, they were enraged. 

On the night before her big Calculus exam, Anita was out with her friends instead of studying. She decided that she didn't need to study because cool kids don't study. On the morning of her exam, she began to panic. She realized that if she got anything lower than a B on the test, she would not be eligible to play soccer. She started to pray to God, but again, it seemed like He wasn't listening to her pleas. When the test grades came back, Anita realized that she got a D on the exam. She couldn't play soccer for the rest of the semester. 

Anita went and cried to her parents. She explained to them how she kept praying to God when she needed something good to happen. Her parents were very upset with her. They reminded her that God wasn't there just to listen to her problems. He should be thanked regularly, when good things happen. They reminded her that a true child of God wouldn't just go to Him when they needed something. Her parents told her that she needed to start thanking God for the good and the bad. This would be the only way He would hear her prayers again. 

(Girl praying at candle temple. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note. This week, I read the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. In chapter 12, Of the Religion of Faith, Lord Krishna explains to Arjun that he must have endless faith in Him. I based my story on this concept of faith in God and thanking Him for everything that happens in your life. 

Bibliography. Bhagavad Gita, Edwin Arnold. (1885)

Week 13 Reading Diary: Bhagavad Gita continued

Bhagavad Gita by Edwin Arnold

For the rest of week 13, I finished reading the last chapters of the English version of Lord Krishna's Celestial song, the Bhagavad Gita. Like I previously stated, I know two of chapters of the Gita by heart. During middle school, when I went to Sunday school, my class was given the task of memorizing chapters 9 and 15. For this section of reading, I decided to focus on chapter 12, Of Religion of Faith, and chapter 15, Of Religion by Attaining the Supreme. Chapter 12 involved Lord Krishna telling Arjun about faith. Lord Krishna tells Arjun that the most pure Yogis are the ones who have worship with ultimate faith and focus all their energy on Him (Krishna). A true Yogis devotion is one that is motiveless and full of intense love for God. Lord Krishna explains that a devotee should become formless when praying, so that he can feel the existence of the self alone. Chapter 15 is said to summarize the entire essence of the Gita and the Vedas. Chapter 15 begins by talking about an upside-down tree, symbolizing the nature of the world. The root of the tree symbolizes the eternal essence. The growths of the tree symbolizes our existence in the world. The growth of the trees symbolizes sense objects. The sense objects generate desire, which generates actions, which bind us to the tree branches. In order to end this cycle of desire and action, one must go to the source of the tree, God. 

(Lord Krishna reciting the Gita to Arjun. Source: Wikimedia Common)

Bibliography. Bhagavad Gita, Edwin Arnold. (1885)

Week 13 Reading Diary: Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita by Edwin Arnold

For week 13 of Indian Epics, I have decided to read the English version of the Bhagavad Gita. This is the Celestial Song that Krishna sang to Arjun on the battlefield at Kurukshetra when he was timid about fighting his family members on the Kaurava side. I have recited the full Gita twice in my life. I actually have two chapters (9 & 15) memorized by heart. I know the main points and lessons to be learned but I definitely benefited from reading this version. The Bhagavad Gita is the main holy Hindu scripture. It is known as the book of humanity. My favorite chapters from this first section of readings are Chapter 6, Of Religion of Restraint, and Chapter 9, Of Religion by the Kingly Knowledge and the Kingly Mystery. In Chapter 6, Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna that the true Yogi, or Seeker, is one who abandons the fruits of his actions, meaning he does not care for any gains he may receive. Lord Krishna talks about being in moderation when it comes to your mind, body, and soul. If this is accomplished, you will unite with God and see him in all objects and beings. He tells Arjun about the benefits of yoga and meditation. In Chapter 9, Lord Krishna tells Arjun about the most secret experience that is hidden from all except the Brahman. He tells Arjun that this knowledge is both intellectual and spiritual knowledge. This knowledge can only come from true spiritual experience. This supreme truth is permanent because once you attain it, it can never be lost. 

(Krishna reciting Bhagavad Gita to Arjun. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Bhagavad Gita, Edwin Arnold. (1885)

Learning Challenge: Killing Boredom with Procrastination

Learn by H.E.A.R.T: Killing Boredom with Procrastination

This week, I decided to focus on the Attention aspect of the Learning by H.E.A.R.T challenges. I chose the article, Two-For-One: Killing Boredom with Procrastination, that discusses how boredom and procrastination go hand in hand. The author of the article says that boredom has become this "first-world problem that resembles learned helplessness or depression." Basically, the author says that when we procrastinate, we feel bored, but we don't want to get to that assignment that we are putting off. So, she gives ideas for how to tackle the procrastination and boredom. Many things lead to procrastination, like a messy work space. If we can clear up these stressors, we won't feel the need to procrastinate. We should also try to break up large assignments into smaller parts, so we are not as overwhelmed. 

(Bored girl. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Growth Mindset: Bad Mental Habits

Growth Mindset Challenges: Bad Mental Habits

This week I looked at the Growth Mindset challenge about 6 Bad Mental Habits That Sabotage Your Success. In this article, it says negative thoughts actively affect how you think and behave. In order to stop sabotaging your own success, they say to stop doing 6 things: making excuses, catastrophizing the future, seeking audience approval, believing self-doubt, putting yourself down, and second-guessing yourself. Personally, my biggest bad habits are making excuses and second-guessing myself. I think I can make an excuse for anything and everything. The article says to focus on what I can do instead of what I can't do. I have to start paying attention to the positives, rather than the negatives. 

(No excuses. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Tech Tip: Cheezburger

For extra credit this week, I decided to make a LOLcat. 

Week 12 Storytelling: Nataraja

Nataraja

"Risha! Come downstairs right now!" 

"Mom, I'm finishing my game right now. I'll be down in a second," exclaimed Risha. 

"Okay, Risha, tonight I want to tell you a quick story about Lord Shiva," Aarti informed her daughter. 

"But, Mom, Raj isn't here...do we have to have story time without him?" 

"Beta*, this story is more for you anyway. You will relate to it more than your brother."

After some bribing, Aarti was able to convince Risha to listen to the story of the Great God, Shiva. 

"Okay, Risha, this story is important for you to hear because it has to do with your dance classes."

Risha has been doing Bharatanatyam, classical Indian dance, for almost three years. 

"Did you know that every time you go to class and do your opening prayer dance, you are praying to Lord Shiva? Lord Shiva is known as the King of Dance. In this form, he is called Nataraja."

"Wait, are you talking about the copper statue we pray to before we start dancing?" 

"Yes, Risha, that is Lord Shiva in the Nataraja form. In this form, he is known to be the universal dancer. Lord Shiva does his divine dance so he can destroy the worn out universe and get it ready for renewal."

"Wow, I didn't even think that I was praying to Lord Shiva when I did Bharatanatyam." 

"See, beta, this is why I wanted to tell you. Can you tell me what the Nataraja statue looks like?"

"All I really remember is the color. The Nataraja is copper. Oh, also, Lord Shiva is doing a Bharatanatyam pose. One of his legs are up."

"Beta, the pose comes from the Nataraja. So, whenever you are dancing to a story about Lord Shiva, I am sure you will strike this pose at least once."

"Can you tell me what else is on the statue," asked Risha. 

"Well, there are flames around Lord Shiva. This represents the universe. In the statue, he has 4 hands. In two of his hands, he is holding a small drum and a small flame. In one hand, he is doing a pose that means fearlessness. And in the last hand, he is pointing at his foot. He points at his foot to represent uplifting."

"So, mom, why is Lord Shiva also Nataraja?"

"Well, you see, Lord Shiva is the one who does the Divine dance so that he can free everyone's souls from lies and fantasy."

"Now every time I go to dance class, I'm gonna think of Lord Shiva!" 

"That's great, Risha. Thank you for listening to this story, beta. You can go back to your game now," Aarti said. 

(Lord Shiva as the Nataraja. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Author's Note. This week I read a little bit about Lord Shiva. For my story, I decided to keep the characters and story style the same as my Storybook project. I found it would be easiest to write about Lord Shiva in a bed time story. I decided to read about Lord Shiva's different forms. The Nataraja stuck out to me most because I grew up practicing classical Indian dance. Like my story states, at the beginning of each class, we prayed to this Nataraja statue. I remember my teacher explaining to us the meaning behind the Nataraja, but it was nice to refresh myself on it.   

Bibliography. Nataraja, Wikipedia.

Week 12 Reading Diary: Cradle Tales of Hinduism

Cradle Tales of Hinduism

For the remainder of week 12, I decided to read another book by Sister Nivedita. In this book, Cradle Tales of Hinduism, she write about many different gods, goddesses, and important figures of Hinduism. Like earlier this week, I decided to focus on Lord Shiva, the Great God. After reading Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists and Cradle Tales of Hinduism, I feel like I more fully understand who Lord Shiva was. I like the set up of Cradle Tales of Hinduism a bit more. Earlier this semester, I read about Lord Krishna in this same book. In the sections about Shiva, Sister Nivedita goes into much detail about his life. What I really like about Lord Shiva is that he doesn't look like a god. His appearance is one of a holy and pious man. He walks around with a begging bowl in one hand and a staff with a trident in the other. He sometimes goes door to door asking for offerings. He performs eternal meditation deep in the Himalayas. Sister Nivedita does a magnificent job describing Shiva in many different ways. She describes him as the simple god, never asking for anything. All he wants is to destroy ignorance and let light shine. He has been called the Lord of the Animals, the Destroyer of Ignorance, and much more. I would love to write a story about Shiva's peaceful life up in the mountains. I could also write about his marriage to Sati and all that they endured. 

(Lord Shiva in eternal meditation. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Cradle Tales of Hinduism, Sister Nivedita. (1907)

Week 12 Reading Diary: Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists

Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists

For this week's reading, I wanted to learn more about some of the Hindu gods and goddesses. I decided to focus on Lord Shiva. Growing up, I was taught about many of the gods and goddesses, but I was only given surface knowledge. I decided to read Sister Nivedita's, Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists. Earlier in the semester, I read another one of her works and enjoyed it. Sister Nivedita opens the chapter about Shiva by informing that he is the Great God. He is Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra, who creates, maintains, and destroys. Shiva was married to Sati. Sati's father, Daksha, hated Shiva and talked ill of him any chance he could get. When Sati went back to her maternal home after her marriage, she was greeted by her father's disapproval of Shiva. Due to this, she ultimately ended up dying. She couldn't hear ill of her husband and lord. When Shiva heard of Sati's death, he was enraged. He sent men to kill Daksha and any Brahmin or god that got in their way. Because of Shiva's anger, Brahma advised the gods to make peace with Shiva because he was capable of destroying the whole universe. There was a myth that after her death, Shiva held Sati's dead body across his back, destroying everything he passed. After seeing this, Vishnu began throwing discus after discus at Sati's body until Shiva realized that he didn't have that weight on his back any longer. Shiva returns to his home and continues his eternal meditation. I am excited to read about Shiva is Sister Nivedita's other book, Cradle Tales of Hinduism. 

(Shiva carrying Sati's body. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, Sister Nivedita. (1914)

Learning Challenges: The Psychology of Checklists

Learn by H.E.A.R.T: The Psychology of Checklists

This week I decided to look into some Learning by H.E.A.R.T challenges. In particular, I decided to read into the time management articles. I found one about how small goals motivate us to accomplish bigger goals. I find this very useful. I always use checklists to help me remember everything I need to do. I also make sure to break up big assignments into smaller sections so I don't feel so overwhelmed. The article I read, The Psychology of Checklists: Why Setting Small Goals Motivates Us To Accomplish Bigger Things, talks about how our brain releases dopamine when we experience even the smallest amounts of success. When we feel the effects of the dopamine, we want to experience it over and over again. 

(Checklist. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Growth Mindset: Positive Side of Stress

Growth Mindset Challenge: Stress

This week I decided to look at some Growth Mindset challenges. I was particularly intrigued by the article How Harnessing the Positive Side of Stress Can Change Student Mindsets. In this article, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal talks about how many people only see the negative effects of stress. Stress can impact the a person negatively in health, cognitive processes, and self-control. Stress is a response in your body, mind, and community that arises when you know something is at stake. This is known as a threat response. McGonigal states that if students can be taught to have a "challenge response" to stress, they can use it to do better. I think this is a really interesting concept. As a college student, it is important to learn how to cope with stress in a proper manner. In one of my psychology classes this semester, I learned that if we didn't stress so much, we could live for much longer. After reading this article, I realized that I should figure out better ways to cope. 

(Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Tech Tip: Motivational Poster

For my story this week, I decided to write a story with a moral. I used that moral and made a motivational picture. I used one of the pictures provided on AutoMotivator. 

Week 11 Storytelling: Solutions

Solutions

It was a warm Tuesday evening. Rose and Marissa had their weekly psychology class at 5. They were both dreading going to class because they have grown bored of the class set-up. Every week, they go to class, listen to the professor lecture, take a quiz, and then listen to more lecture. But this particular Tuesday, Rose remembered that they were doing something different in class. She didn't know what, but she remembered that her teacher said they would be sitting on the floor. This made the two girls a little less apprehensive about attending class. 

When they got to class, the first thing they did was take their weekly quiz. Usually, the quiz was given in the middle of the three hour lecture, so they were confused. What would they be doing tonight that changed up the weekly routine? 

As they were taking their quizzes, the professor was walking around and putting uncooked spaghetti and yarn on random tables throughout the classroom. The professor also put some tape and a marshmallow on the tables. A marshmallow?! What was going to happen in class today?

After the quiz was over, the professor explained that they would be doing a marshmallow challenge to build group unity. He broke the classroom into eight groups. Unfortunately, Rose and Marissa were in different groups. Once everyone was in their assigned group, the professor explained the assignment. Each group had in front of them, 20 sticks of uncooked spaghetti, one yard of yarn, one yard of tape, and a marshmallow. Their task was to make the tallest free-standing structure that could hold the weight of the marshmallow at the top. They only had 18 minutes to do so. 

(Marshmallow challenge. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Once the timer started, Rose's group kept complaining about how they couldn't make anything with the flimsy sticks of spaghetti. They spent a good eight minutes complaining about the problem. By the halftime mark, they had barely any ideas about how to make a solid structure. 

Marissa's group, on the other hand, immediately started to figure out solutions on how to get the marshmallow to stay at the top. They prototyped different ways that they could build a strong enough structure to hold the marshmallow. Within the first ten minutes, Marissa's group had two very strong structures to choose from. 

When the 2 minute warning went off, Rose and her group fell into a panic. They started to tape random pieces of spaghetti and yarn together in hopes of a strong structure. About 30 seconds before time was up, their wimpy structure collapsed and the marshmallow hit the floor. 

At the 2 minute warning, Marissa and her group had a very strong structure. It looked like it was over 2 feet tall and the marshmallow was sitting perfectly at the top. They had won the challenge. 

After cleaning up, the professor explained to the class that this task was assigned to teach the students that they shouldn't always focus on the problems at hand. Instead, they should focus on the solutions they can come up with to solve the problem.

(Motivational poster made by me) 

Author's Note. I go the inspiration for this story from a few sources. I wanted to write a story that had a moral because this week in class, I read a collection of fables in Indian Fables and Folklore. I decided to find a good moral from The Mahabharata. The lesson I took away from the Mahabharata was to focus on the solution, instead of the problem. In the Mahabharata, when Lord Krishna went to the Kauravas to tell them that the Pandavas wanted to end the dispute, the Kauravas basically laughed in his face. Instead of focusing on fixing the issue, the Kauravas focused on expanding their fight with the Pandavas. Because they couldn't see a solution, the 100 Kauravas were defeated by 5 Pandavas. I got the idea for my story from my psychology class. We did the marshmallow challenge this past week and I realized that this lesson, "focus on the solution, not the problem," could apply here too. 

Bibliography. Indian Fables and Folklore, Shovona Devi. (1919)

Week 11 Reading Diary: Indian Fables and Folklore continued

Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi

For the rest of this week, I finished reading the many fables in Shovona Devi's collection of fables, Indian Fables and Folklore. My favorite thing about these short stories is that, not only do they have powerful messages, but they relate to the many happenings of the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. Devi incorporated many of the characters and events of the Mahabharata into these stories. For the second part of this reading, I have decided to focus on two fables. My two favorites are The Counterfeit Krishna and The Monkey Banker. In the Monkey Banker, this guy is basically told that money will give him everything. So he goes about and tries to earn money but he is tricked by this lady. She takes all of his money. He find a monkey to con her. He teaches the monkey to swallow gold and bring it back up on command. So when he goes back to the lady to settle his debt, he shows her this monkey. She offers to give him everything she took from him, plus all of her extra stuff. The moral of the story is that whatever is gained from bad ways, will be lost. I really liked the counterfeit Krishna story because it reminded my of how powerful Krishna Bhagvan is. People can try to play his imposter all they want, but in the end, he will prevail. 

(Krishna with discus in hand. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Indian Fables and Folklore, Shovona Devi. (1919)

Week 11 Reading Diary: Indian Fables and Folklore

Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi

For week 11, I have decided to browse through the book, Indian Fables and Folklore. This collection of fables and short tales was compiled by Shovona Devi. I thought it was really cool that she was the niece of the well-known write, Rabindranath Tagore. In 1913, he was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. As I was reading the fables in this book, I picked out a few that I particularly enjoyed. I'm glad I chose this reading option this week, because it will give me great ideas to base my own storytelling off of for this week. The fables I liked most were The Elephant-Fighting Hare and A Rat's Swayamvara. The Elephant-Fighting Hare one was about a tiny hare that challenged a large elephant to a fight. The elephant ignored the hare and went on doing his own thing. But, when the hare called the elephant a coward, he got angry and tried to fight the hare. The hare, being small and agile, was able to dodge the elephant's many attacks. After a while, the elephant tried to squash the hare, but the hare got out of that too. As the elephant kept on squashing the ground, assuming the hare was there, the hare quietly ran up onto the elephant. This little fable basically talks about not underestimating someone because of their size. The Rat's Swayamvara was interesting too because it was based on the epic stories' concept of how a lady will find her husband. This rat became a girl and was raised until it was time for her to be married. Her father asked all the mightiest beings to marry her, but they all turned him down, stating that there was someone mightier out there. In the end, the girl ends up with a rat. 

(Elephant. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. Indian Fables and Folklore, Shovona Devi. (1919)