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Week 14: Blue Topaz

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                                                   Image Details: Blue diamond, Source: Pixabay It was five years after Dev broke up with me. I remember the day very well. It was our third anniversary and I remembering being so excited. Dev called me late last night and told me that he wanted to meet me the next day to tell me something important. I immediately thought that he was going to propose to me. We were the perfect couple. We respected and loved each other. We loved the same kinds of movies, laughed at the same type of jokes, and could even finish each other’s sentences. All of our friends branded us as the married couple of the group. And me- I loved him so much. I didn’t know a life apart for me. This is why what happened next tore me apart. I got to the park thirty minutes early. I wanted to soak in every moment. I remember the cascading sunlight grazing upon my skin as well as the cool breeze that sent chills down my spine. This was where we met the first tim

Week 14: Reading B

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Abhimanyu: The star crossed prince                                                            Image Details: Abhimanyu, Source: W ikimedia Abhimanyu is the son of Krishna’s sister and was also a descendant of the Pandavas. When the Pandavas were exiled by the Kauravas, Abhimanyu and his mother remain in the city. Abhimanyu vows to avenge the wrongdoings done to his father, Arjuna. During their thirteenth year of exile, the Pandavas find themselves in the court of Virata. The king offers his daughter in marriage to Arjuna. During this time, Krishna tries to broker peace between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. However, his attempts are futile as the Kauravas want war. During the war, Abhimanyu attacks Bhisma and finally kills him. Abhimanyu proves to be successful in his battle strategies. He manages to wound Karna and smashes the chariot of Shayla’s brother. Duryodhana’s son attacks Duryodhana, but Abhimanyu kills him which anger Duryodhana. The Kauravas try to defeat

Week 14: Reading A

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Uloopi: The naga princess who fell in love with Arjuna Image Details: Topaz, Source: Max Pixel The comic book begins with Arjuna in exile. As he is bathing in the Ganges, he is dragged down in the river. He wakes up in a palace and he meets Uloopi, the daughter of king of the underwater city. She wishes to marry him and the couple spends some time together. Afterwards, Arjuna returns to land. Later on, Arjuna travels to Manipur and meets Chitraganda, the daughter of the king. Arjuna becomes attracted to her and wants to marry her. The king is delighted and the couple is married and has a child. Uloopi deduces that Arjuna does not love her and decides to Chitraganda and her son. Once she reaches Manipur, Uloopi announces herself as sister to Chitraganda and she adopts Arjuna’s son as her own. She raises him and tells him to excel in archery like his father. During the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna kills Bhisma. The gods become furious and want to send Arjuna to hell when he di

Week 13 Story: Golden Wings

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                                                                      Image: Golden Wings, Source: Pixabay It was a brisk, chill morning. The cold wind grazed my arm as I walked toward the house. It was a small, thatched cabin with vines covering the walls and the roof. I need to get rid of that at some point . As I walked up to the front door, I could hear the stairs moan beneath each step I placed. I sighed; I swear this entire house reeks of poor. I opened the front door and could hear my mother furiously working in the kitchen. I couldn’t help but chuckle. We barely have enough food to cook in the house and she’s making lunch. “Nandini, is that you?” I could hear her slowing down her pace and I knew what she was waiting for. It was pretty common for the older children in the family to be the most relied on to gather supplies and provide for the family. Father died over four years ago and it’s just been me, mother, my brother, and my two younger sisters. Even though my b

Week 13: Reading B

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Kumbhakarna                                                          Image Details: Kumbhakarna, Source: Wikimedia In the comic book “Kumbhakarna,” we learn more information about the titular character. He is the brother of Ravana and is also a giant rakshaka. Furthermore, he is very strong and is able to defeat Indra in battle. In the beginning of the story, we see Brahma giving boons to Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Vibishana. For fear that he may grow strong, Indra tricks Kumbhakarna is making a foolish wish. In the Ramayana, Ravana asks Kumbhakarna to defeat Rama. Kumbhakarna terrifies Rama’s army by his strength, but Sugreeva is able to thwart his attacks. At the end of the story, Kumbhakarna faces Rama and is eventually killed. In the Ramayana, we get a very brief glimpse of Kumbhakarna. He is known to be Ravana’s brother and to be very strong. In the comic book, we are given a much more in-depth look into Kumbakarna’s power and strength. Bibliography: Amar Chitra Ka

Week 13: Reading A

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Ravana humbled: an arrogant king finds new friends                                                                   Image Details: Ravana, Source: Wikimedia One day, Shiva and Parvati are arguing with each other. However, Ravana accidentally disturbs them which angers Shiva. Shiva traps Ravana beneath the Mount Kailasa, but becomes impressed with Ravana’s stories and gives him the Chandrahasa . Later on in the story, Ravana travels to the city of Mahishamati. The king of Mahishamati gets provoked by his wife and blocks the flow of the river. At that time, Ravana is worshiping a Shiva Linga, but because the water is blocked, the Shiva Linga is washed away. This upsets Ravana and he challenges the kings to a fight.   Although the king wins, Ravana and the king become good friends. When Ravana visits Kishkindha, he becomes angry at the monkey, Vali, for not saluting him. He tries to grab Vali’s belt, but gets tangled in it. Furthermore, as Vali travels, Ravana gets drag

Week 12: Extra Credit Reading

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Krishna and Shishupala  Image Details: Krishna, Source: Wikipedia Shishupala was the son of the King of Chedi. However, Shishupala was born with four arms and three eyes. Due to these defects, a priest advises the king to abandon the child. Before the king is able to do so, a supernatural voice appears and tells the king that the prince will die in the hands of his destined killer. When the destined killer appears, it is destined that the prince’s third eye and extra arms will off. Krishna who is related to the couple visits the strange child. However when the baby sees Krishna, his third eye and extra arms disappear. The queen begs Krishna to forgive the child for any offenses that he commits and Krishna promises to forgive the child one hundred times. Shishupala is sent off to the home of the emperor Jarasandha, who is the sworn enemy of Krishna.  Shishupala becomes close friends with Rukmi and Rukmi hopes that Shishupala would marry his sister Rukmini. However, Ruk