Topic Brainstorm

"The Starving Artist"

For a long time, I’ve really wanted to start my own blog called, “The Starving Artist” and discuss travel, food, and entertainment destinations (as well as everyday living topics like shopping, recipes, date night ideas, crafts, etc.) on a “starving artist’s” budget. I think it would be really neat to use this class not only to start this blog, but also to discuss travel and food destinations related to the Indian Epics. According to Tripoto, there are eleven destinations included in the Ramayana that are possible to visit in real life! Native Planet also sites various travel destinations included in the Ramayana. I'd really like to interview my friends who have been to India about these travel destinations, as well as local "must-see" places. My friend's mom is also really good at finding travel deals, so I'd love to talk to her about traveling affordably! I think this would be a great opportunity to "just start" this project that I've been wanting to start for so long!

"Indian Music"

Another idea that I had was exploring Indian music and how it was influenced by the Indian Epics and the characters in them. One of my friend's aunt's is a professional Indian classical music singer and I'd love to see if I could speak with her about these topics and their influence on classical Indian music. I think it would be interesting to explore the various genres of music such as Carnatic Music. It would also be interesting to see how modern music has been influenced by these Epics. I would also like to explore vocal style, instruments, and performance practices that have been influenced by these Epics. I think it would give a great deal of insight into the culture as well as provide me with an education on the various singing practices and techniques around the world. Another option would be exploring Indian Filmi music, which would give another really interesting perspective on the influence of these Epics on Indian music.

"Indian Stage and Film"

The study of the Cinema of India also seemed like an interesting semester project. I am not very familiar with Bollywood cinema, or any of the various types of cinema featured in Indian culture. I think it would be a neat opportunity to explore a completely new perspective of the film industry. I also think it would be neat to see, as mentioned above, how Filmi music influences the telling of these Epics. I think it would be interesting to pick at least one film from each generation of Indian cinema and see how these Epics evolve over the various generations of film. It would also be interesting to explore the effects of these Epics on Indian stage performances as well. 

"Indian Art"

My last idea for my semester project is studying the influence of the Indian Epics on art. This website in particular offers an article titled "The Influence of Ramayana on Indian Art and Culture". I think it would be interesting to explore Indian Art from each main era of artwork throughout history. I could explore either one specific medium of art, such as textiles or sculptures, or I could explore various famous pieces of artwork across different mediums. It would be really fascinating to learn more about non-western artwork and the various cultural influences it has. I haven't been as exposed to non-western artwork and would like to learn more about it!

Below is a picture of the beautiful Ayodhya! The Ayodhya is one of the iconic destinations mentioned in the Ramayana!