Week 12 Story Planning: Valmiki

Thuggee (Wikimedia)

- The story, Ratnakar the Robber Chief, tells a variation of the origin of the sage Valmiki. Valmiki is the legendary author of the epic Ramayana. The story follows the leader of a robber band named Ratnakar. This robber band worships the goddess, Kali, in one of her darker aspects. As a part of their worship, they engage in human sacrifice. Ratnakar begins to feel guilty about the pain and death. He decides to stop and begin practicing austerities in an attempt to redeem himself. Ratnakar entered a deep trance while in the hollow of an anthill, called a valmik. He took his new name from this.
- A history of human sacrifice is not unknown on the Indian subcontinent, but it was probably very rare. There was a temple, in the town of Kuknur, built in the 8th or 9th century dedicated to Kali. Historical evidence, and anecdotes, suggest that human sacrifices took place there. There is also historical accounts that show human sacrifices dedicated to Kali were somewhat common in Bengal, and that they continued until the British outlawed the practice. However, stories still surface of children being sacrificed. Supposedly, there was a gang known as The Thugs or Thuggee. They would rob and strangle travelers in Kali's name until the British eradicated them.
- I want to write a variation of this story that stays pretty true to the original telling. In the story, the gang catches a child, a young girl, and were about to kill her. Ratnakar feels pity for the young girl and stops the sacrifice. I want to focus on Ratnakar's empathy for this girl as the impetus to change his life. This fits with the legends and evidence that show children were often a victim of sacrifices dedicated to Kali. I plan to focus more on Ratnakar's thoughts and their evolution.


Bibliography: Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi. Web Source.

Reading Notes: Indian Fables and Folklore, Part B

Smoking and Drinking Monkeys by David Teniers the Younger (Wikimedia)

- The story, The Monkey Banker, is about the son of a merchant who got cheated by an innkeeper. The innkeeper was a woman, which probably had something to do with how easily she cheated the young man. In an effort to get his money back, and revenge on the thieving woman, the innkeeper's son spends a large amount of time training a monkey. He trains it to swallow a certain number of coins, then bring up whatever number of coins is named. The young man goes back to the inn, with the trained monkey, and convinces the woman that the gold coins are limitless, and trades the (now worthless) monkey in exchange for not only his own lost money, but everything the woman has stolen altogether. The provided moral of the story is "Ill-gotten gains will often be lost to another's roguery."
- I want to write an entirely different story that is based on the moral of this one. A thief who gets his or her stuff stolen always feels like a good example of just desserts. After stealing from someone, he will meet a woman that manages to get the best of him. Later, he might discover that they woman was the sister of the original victim.


Bibliography: Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi. Web Source.

Reading Notes: Indian Fables and Folklore, Part A

Kali (Wikimedia)

- In the story, Ratnakar the Robber-Chief, you learn the origins of the sage, Valmiki, the poet who supposedly composed the Ramayana. Ratnakar had been the leader of a band of thieves, living in the forest, who worshipped the goddess Kali. The worship of Kali involves, among other things, human sacrifice. Eventually, after several things happen, Ratnakar begins to feel guilty about the terrible things that he's done in Kali's name, and to feel tired of all the bloodshed. So, he goes off to meditate and live in austerity. During this time, he lives within a hollowed out ant-hill, called a valmik. From this, he takes the name Valmiki. He is eventually given the gift of poetry and becomes the first Indian poet.
- I am particularly interested in Kali, a Hindu goddess of death and destruction, although it is usually a destruction directed towards evil forces. However, she is also worshipped as a sort of mother goddess. I find the darker versions of Kali more interesting, from a storytelling standpoint.
- I want to do a variation of a story about a gang of thieves and their worship of Kali and human sacrifice. The thieves could have a deep misunderstanding of who the goddess really is, and her place in the universe, which leads to them committing all sorts of horrible acts. Of course, they have to have their comeuppance at some point, so Kali in her guise of destroyer of evil would take care of it herself.


Bibliography: Indian Fables and Folklore by Shovona Devi. Web Source.