Research: Hinduism is often considered to be the oldest religion in the world because it's origins do not date back to a particular period or prophet. This religion derives much of its authoritative figures from the experiences of sages as their knowledge is considered to be sacred. Much of this information is obtained through A Tribute to Hinduism and All About Hinduism publications.
2. Love as a Disease: Throughout The Ramayana we see multiple characters suffering with these episodes of manic behavior and hallucination after being stricken with love. I wish to experiment with a theme that I suspect has been very popular for this text. However, I would like to involve the supernatural force behind this feeling in this universe, the god of love Kamadeva. It is my intention to create a story that may be told from his perspective as he justifies and maybe elaborates on the suffering that comes with being in love in this universe.
Research: According to the Hindu Human Rights group, this god is said to enter the mind of his targets and causes both pain and pleasure. The god is paralleled to the Cupid of Roman mythology as he also carries a bow and arrow. Kamadeva is said to be adorned with sweet smelling fragrances and sweet tasting substances such as a bow made of sugarcane.
(The god of love, Kamadeva)
3. Reincarnation: I am considering the idea of retelling a part of The Ramayana but using reincarnation to manipulate the characters that Vishnu is reincarnated into, possibly changing the gender or maybe having a different god entirely as the focus of the reincarnated soul. I thought that this would present an interesting contrast with the original text as the reader may be able to observe how the presence of a different main character may affect the choices that are made throughout the text.
Research: The Hinduwebsite states that souls must be continuously reincarnated in order to achieve perfection. These multiple lives may differ greatly in form and the birth and death of each reincarnated soul can also vary. This idea may add to the use of reincarnation in this story as it allows for great flexibility in casting a very new and unconventional character as the focus of this ancient poem.
4. Ravana's battles: In order to fully understand this character that is presented as the villain of The Ramayana I wish to highlight the battles that he engages in during his conquest and enslavement of the gods or maybe his position as a scholar as he is often depicted. I think that it will be interesting to learn more about how this character is depicted in the greater Hindu tradition.
Research: According to the source listed below, Ravana is sometimes depicted as a symbol of virtue in his devotion to Brahma. Throughout history the character is even sometimes depicted as a protagonist in The Ramayana. This draws an interesting parallel to his position in R. K. Narayan's text where he is introduced as an arrogant and malevolent king.
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