Krishna and Radha
India, Rajasthan, Jaipur; circa 1800
(Source: Walters Art Museum)
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For Week 2, I have decided to read Ramayana in the version written by R.K. Narayan. I decided to read this version, because I am also required to have this book for another class I am taking: Introduction to Hinduism. I also already ordered this book on Amazon! I am so excited to take these classes as I get to divulge into readings about my religion and culture from an educational perspective. This is really the reason why I wanted to take this class and the Intro to Hinduism class. It is nice to see that these courses are being offered at the University of Oklahoma. I hope to see more South Asian history classes, and hopefully even some South Asian languages offered here at the University before I graduate.
Growing up, I have learned a lot about my religion and the different epics. My family has sat together every Sunday morning to watch the Indian channels aired on DISH Network, where the epics would be divided up into episodes (sort of like a Netflix show). I never got to completely watch the whole series, and so I'll be watching them this semester as I go through this classes. Sometimes, with all the things we have to do in college, we lose our sense of being culturally and religiously involved. I hope with these classes, I'll become better about understanding that I need to also make time for God and myself.
I never have been able to completely read through the religious text either, so this will be something that I definitely look forward to completing. I love my culture, my religion, and everything in between. There are so many things about my culture that I love including Bollywood movies, Indian music, Indian clothes, and Indian weddings. Indian food is amazing, and I hope each and every one of you gets a chance to try it. If you don't know where to go, definitely ask me! I have started to cook for my sister and me at our apartment, and have been impressing my mom with my skills in cooking Indian food. My sister likes it, so I guess it's pretty good, right? Being home over the break gave me a month of my mom's home cooked meals, and I definitely enjoyed every bit of it.
I think I failed to mention this in my introduction post, but both my parents are Hindu. My mother is Gujarati, and my dad is Sindhi. At home, my parents speak in Hindi and Sindhi. So, I know a couple of Indian dialects. I just don't know how to read or write in any of these languages (which is why I'm hoping to see some language classes offered at OU in the near future). So, you can understand how excited I am to be taking these courses!
I think I failed to mention this in my introduction post, but both my parents are Hindu. My mother is Gujarati, and my dad is Sindhi. At home, my parents speak in Hindi and Sindhi. So, I know a couple of Indian dialects. I just don't know how to read or write in any of these languages (which is why I'm hoping to see some language classes offered at OU in the near future). So, you can understand how excited I am to be taking these courses!
I also wanted to mention the image I chose for this post. The image I chose for this blog was one I found while browsing. The love story between them is one of my favorites. We are told that you can't say "Radha" without "Krisha" or "Krishna" without "Radha". This is where the term Radha-Krisha comes about, and I love how their love story represents what true love should be like: eternal.
I am excited to see what the rest of the semester brings as I journey through the readings of the Epics of India!
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Sonali, I just wanted to say how happy I was when I saw you included the Radha-Krishna image! That was one I saw on Twitter last week and just now added to that Images blog for class. I wish I had more time to add images: there are literally thousands of images I would like to include as there is so much beautiful and amazing art from India. Also, that is REALLY cool that you are reading Narayan's Ramayana in another class. I am a big fan of Narayan, and his version of Kamban is such a wonderful way to begin exploring the Ramayana. You can bring back to this class what you are learning in your other class; I will be so curious to hear what themes you are exploring there and what you are reading! Plus, maybe you will find some things in this class that you can share with the other class. You will be the India-class-connector this semester! :-)
ReplyDeleteWOw, I really like how thoughtful your responses to these assignments. I really liked that you decided to choose the reading option you did and how you may twist it. I also like that you added about your parents religion because it shows us more of who you are as a person. It allows your readers to connect with you more. I think its amazing that you are wanting to understand more of what you have grown up knowing and I think you will do great things in your future with it.
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