Topic Brainstorm!

 First project idea: The Chiranjivi

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiranjivi

    I did not initially know anything about the Chiranjivi, but the aspect of seven immortals reminded me of the tv show "The Originals" which was a spin off of "The Vampire Diaries." I visited the Wikipedia page posted with the story and look over the information. I feel like a storybook about the Chiranjivi would be really cool because I could do a background story to each of the seven and then tie them together at the end. I would create a story that related to modern day life and show the original personalities and beliefs of the Chiranjivi while placing them in modern experiences. In researching the Chiranjivi, I learned a little about the seven and their previous lives and how they came to be immortal. This story would be so fun to create!

Second project idea: Ravana

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravana

    Another good story for a storybook is the story of Ravana and Sita. There is more background I could dive into for Ravana and his love for Sita but I would want to focus more on the capture of Shiva. I previously saw this story in a storybook about Ravana and Shiva and knew just a minimal amount of their love story from a rewrite so I do not know all the specifics. I learned more from the Wikipedia page listed for Ravana. I think I will want to expand on the fact that Ravana was pretty lucky in his abilities and life but would still risk everything for love.

Third project idea: Weapons of the Gods

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_magical_weapons#Indian_mythology

    I could also do a storybook about the origins of various weapons of the Gods. I browsed some of the weapons included on the Wikipedia page (not all of them though, there are so many!). I was thinking I could either do a collection of the origin story of some weapons mentioned in the epics we read in class or I can choose the weapons by the gods mentioned in the epics. I only knew about the arrow of Brahma and the Thunderbolt before and enjoyed learning more about the Nandaka, Sharkha, and Trishula (all sublinks can be found in the Wikipedia link listed). I did notice that a lot of the weapons were linked to Shiva, most likely because she's the Goddess of destruction.

Fourth project idea: Hanuman and Suvannamaccha

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suvannamaccha

    And of course I have to choose a love story! I had never heard of this stories but I see a lot of similarities to other love stories within it. First, the mermaid Suvannamaccha has a mission to foil Hanuman's plans, but of course falls in love with him instead. This story even relates to one of my previous options about Ravana, since the mermaid is his daughter. I would also create a modern version of this story, still keeping Suvannamaccha as a mermaid. I could maybe make Hanuman a pirate or sailor for a twist in the story. However, I would keep the initial plan of destruction turning into a love story as my plot. 

Suvannamaccha