Narrative account of the last lesson of the mythologies course – March 25th.

The class started with taking attendance – then feedback was given on things the students could improve on like spelling, punctuation, capitalization, syntax, grammar and paragraph ordering or structure.

Life skills like punctuality, a work ethic that includes timeliness in meeting deadlines etc was also spoken of.

The course outline was given and  the learning objectives was looked at to see if they were achieved.

The students then  gave their feedback on what was good about the course and what could have been improved.

Many good suggestions were made as to  how to improve the course like more reading being done in class, class extending to two days simultaneously,  once or twice in the duration of the course,  peer collaboration being ensured, editing being tightened up,  more inputs being given on how to write etc.

This session was highly profitable and lasted a long time.

To conclude Avy  read out the Yakshaprashna section from the Mahabharath.

Then some of the students and the two  facilitators went out and had a nice lunch. The others dispersed.

Myth – tenth and last class – March 25 – lesson plan

Mythologies – Lesson 10 – Last Class – Lesson plan. for March 24th 2007

 

1.Attendance, very brief discussion on whether costumes, masks, emblems are ready and also dealing with the question of what to do now with the myths and intros.Radha, Aashim and Namrata to be spoken to. Ask if all have written intros. Question of exhibition.

2.Section 1:  Session dealing with all the things that have to be dealt on the side of the students’ to be more professional. Regarding reading, writing, life skills.

 

 5.Feedback session: The students giving inputs on plus and minus points of the course and how another course can be improved.  A Mnemonic exercise: A brief review of all that was seen, read, heard, done and discussed.

A summing up of whether the course’s learning goals and outcomes have been achieved and match. This will be done keeping in mind the initial plan of the course.

Avy – concluding lecture on myth.

 

 

 

As time and energy permits go out for lunch together, to a place in which the masks and costumes can be worn with the emblems displayed so that there can be a feast of the gods – expenses for the food and drink will be borne by each individual – and each person can be the character he represents. This same – place etc. – to be decided by Avy.

 

 

Narrative account of ninth class – March 17th.

The students gathered by about ten o’clock.

Avy being called away unexpectedly by Geetha Narayanan , the class had to be handled in a differnt way from how it was planned.

So we had to abandon the plan of showing Joseph Campbell’s

“Masks of Eternity.”

I started with a lecture on what the introduction the students had to write to their myths was supposed to be about – the definition of myth, the meaning of myth, the purpose of myths, their significance , usefulness and necessity.

The lecture lasted till 11.30

In the course of the lecture the students wrote extremely brief defintions of myth for themselves.

During the break many students discussed with me their myths.

After the break the students read out their introductions, one by one.

This session was very interactive with the students listening and talking and finally they made it clear how a lot of real learning had taken place during the course , especially regarding the structure and form of myth and the importance and inescapability of myth – it being real and true in its own way.

The introduction readings went on after lunch , and when they were exhausted, the class dispersed.

More emblems and some costumes were seen by me and discussed – especially about the need to use low cost stuff.

Two of them went to an Iron Maiden concert.

Four of the students were absent but 24 of the myths have come in, completed.

Myth – ninth class’s lesson plan

Myth class – the ninth one – Saturday , 17th March.
Final submissions and reviews.
The day will be spent on:
1. Reviewing your costumes , masks and emblems so that everything will be ready for
the last class’s performance of understanding.
2. The game-plan for the last class to be discussed.
3. Reading of all the myth intros written so far.

4. Discussions of the myths of the students in their last or penultimate state.

5. Watch Campbell’s “Masks of Eternity.”

THE PEACE SHALL LAST AS LONG AS IT CAN

Originia would return to planet earth when it was ready. The creator had full confidence that men would destroy themselves. The more powerful beings, the women, ‘needed‘ him. He thought to himself as he flew to his abode, that he would make this trip to earth a routine and cleanse the planet and rejuvenate himself in the process. He would always leave the two most beautiful beings alive on earth to create a fresh human race studded with beautiful women. Originia had planned out the fate of the human race and now he waited.

 

Govind MohanDas

The end of the beginning..

Raphael was thoughtful. The miraculous dream had shown him the light. He was now the only man on the face of the earth who knew how to gain access to the celestial pool of Gasorma. Raphael was itching to undertake the arduous journey across seas, mountains and forests to reach the magical pool. But there were a lot of things that had to be set straight before he could leave his magnificient kingdom. And this thought worried him. He had also dreamt that his beloved kingdom was destined to witness utter chaos, destruction and misery. Raphael D’Arousa, the greatest king of them all had built Godephaes for thirty years with his blood and sweat. But then, enlightenment was calling, and Raphael knew that he had to find someone trustworthy and capable, who he could leave the reins of his kingdom with. He would have to find someone who could administer Godephaes until Raphael himself returned as the all knowing, as…God.

He thought of Coakfixe. But Coakfixe had already failed the test of marriage and moreover, he had a small raphi. It wouldn’t take long for someone to challenge him and overthrow him. Finally Raphael decided that he would appoint his wife Colera as acting chief till he returned. Although a woman ruling a land was unheard of in those days, Raphael had no other option. When he approached her and told her of his decision, Colera at once knew of her husband’s plans. But she kept quiet at the moment.

She too had other plans. Colera was tired of seeing her race being used for sexual pleasure by men and felt a burning desire to free them. She planned to trick Raphael into thinking that she would stay back to govern the land until he returned. But Colera too would undertake the journey, discreetly following Raphael without his knowledge. Raphael alone knew how to reach Gasorma and so Colera had to patiently follow him till they reached the celestial pool. She thought to herself that she would kill him quietly as soon as they reached and drink the water herself and bring the elixir back for all the women of the land.

Colera then called a meeting with all the women. This meeting was called the ‘Fenimista-s-Unionus’. She told them all of her plan. When Colera too would leave the land to follow Raphael, all the women were to kill their husbands one by one until men were wiped out from the face of the planet. There was great noise in the room. All the women were shouting out loud cries of overthrowing men and were in a trance-like state. They looked frightening. Colera smiled. She had dreamt of this all her life and it was beginning to take shape. She could hear the sound of man’s destruction in the fury of the cry of her women.

Raphael D’Arousa was now getting ready to leave. He promised all his subjects that his return would mark the beginning of a new golden age. He told them all that he would come back with something that no other human being possessed, but did not reveal what it was. Young Hermosojo and Coakfixe meanwhile sat, completely oblivious to all this, beside a beautiful lake in the woods, immersed in their love.

Raphael D’Arousa bid goodbye to his dear ones and set out on his journey. Colera under the disguise of an old hag followed him quietly, keeping a safe distance. They kept walking tirelessly for seven days and seven nights across Pregunta, the forests of Mortaan, the mountain valleys of Xioto and finally came to a halt. Raphael looked up. It was exactly like what he had seen in his dream. There stood before him the majestic mountain of Rahel. Rahel was an incredibly steep mountain which stood above the earthly skies and clouds. The peak at its astronomical height was a flatland with beautiful meadows adorned with flowers and butterflies surrounding the celestial Gasorma.

Meanwhile things were starting to fall apart in Godephaes. The women marched across the land bringing down houses and offices of power occupied by the men. The more timid women killed their husbands in their sleep by stabbing and strangling them.

Hundreds of men were being killed by the day. Colera had poisoned the minds of the women so effectively with her occult powers that even the babies were not spared. The most significant landmark and the symbol of power of the land was a statue in the center of the kingdom. It was a huge pillar carved from stone which was shaped like Raphael’s raphi. This monument that was usually adorned with flowers was now being brutally pelted with stones by the army of women. It soon came crashing down in a cloud of orange dust. There was a great cry that reverberated across Godephaes. All the men were now executed after eight days of brutal ruthless killing.

Hermosojo and Coakfixe soon returned to see their Godephaes in fire. Everything was destroyed, but the last man.

The lovers stood at the gates gazing at an army of women with bows, arrows and swords.

“There he is!!” shouted one of them. Soon the army was charging at Coakfixe with a look in their eyes and strength in their spirit so fearsome that Coakfixe and Hermosojo fled as fast as they could, hand in hand.

They ran for several days and nights dodging arrows, stones and spears and finally lost the hungry army. They sat down and cried. The lovers had no idea what was happening. But their home was no more and they only had each other. They decided that they would retreat to a distant place, far from human habitation, where no man had been and start a new life. They settled in the land of Edonus.

 

Meanwhile Raphael was getting closer. Colera and Raphael had now been climbing the mountain for over six days and they were exhausted. Their bodies were covered with bruises and wounds and they were starting to gasp for air. Raphael now had tears in his eyes. This was the greatest moment of his life. It was a feeling that was inexpressible, a feeling that he felt when he was sitting on his bed, sweating profusely, following his dream.

He could now see an expanse of green. The place looked heavenly. The air was clean and smelt sweet. Raphael took a deep breath and scanned the place. In a distance, beyond the flowers he caught glimpse of a beautiful lake with mist hovering over it like bees. Not far away from the banks, on the other side was a beautiful little shack that glowed like gold.

“First things first”, he thought excitedly and walked towards the lake. Soon he found himself standing before the celestial pool of Gasorma. There were a million thoughts in his head. Raphael took a step forward with a smile on his lips.

Suddenly Raphael fell to the ground with a pain shooting down his spine. He felt paralyzed as he clutched his neck with a tight grip. Everything was starting to look blurry. He looked at his hands covered with red. Raphael looked up to the sky that was growing whiter by the second. He could hear a soothing whisper which said “I am sorry Raphael, I am sorry…but this is our world”. Slowly Colera entered his frame of vision with tears in her eyes and an evil smile on her lips. She grew whiter as Raphael’s veins were starting to spread the poison from the dart. Slowly with Colera’s words ringing in his head, Raphael D’Arousa, the greatest king of them all, closed his eyes for the last time.

Colera stood up and looked at the pool. Everything had gone according to plan and here she was, standing before the one thing that could free her race. She slowly undressed and scanned her body which was covered with bruises and wounds. She walked into the cool waters as the ripples encircled her invitingly. Her wounds started to disappear as the magical water touched her skin. She felt rejuvenated.

Originia, the creator had just stepped out of his shack for his routine dose of the enlightening liquid when he saw a new being in his land. It was not his creation. It was the very thing that had driven him to retreat to the peak of Rahel. Originia scanned this being carefully. She was beautiful. The water against her skin glistened and formed a silver lining to those perfect breasts. The creator felt something that he had never felt before. Originia longed to see how it would be to touch and be felt. Ever since the universe was created, Originia had kept to himself with only Gasorma’s water as his companion. It had filled his all powerful body with testosterone and now it was calling out to him. Originia knew what he had to do. He now had to try out the first thing which was not his creation. He felt uneasy and apprehensive and it excited him all the more.

Originia slowly descended into the water.

Colera was amazed to see the effects of Gasorma eating up her wounds and her wrinkles, rejuvenating her with youthful energy. She was starting to feel explosions between her legs. The time had now come to consume the elixir and liberate herself. Colera felt a presence towering behind her. She turned around to see blinding light emanating from a massive figure adorned with fiery wings. She knew it was him, the creator. Colera already felt uplifted. Her thoughts strayed away from wanting to attain enlightenment to experience contact and have sex with the creator himself. Colera felt overpowered by the effects of Gasorma’s liquid against her skin. She gave in.

Originia had never seen something so beautiful before. He caressed her breasts slowly with one hand as the other slid between her legs. Colera burst into a series of orgasmic explosions with every second as Originia’s magical touch brought her to a state of Euphoria. Originia’s creation, his raphi, had now grown to several times its original size. The meadows of Rahel reverberated with Colera’s cry of painful pleasure as his enormous Raphi penetrated through her. Originia himself was losing control. He closed his eyes and felt his orgasm approaching. It was nothing like his other orgasmic experiences. Originia, not knowing what was coming, underestimating the power of his raphi, plunged deeper into Colera. As her cries became louder and his raphi grew larger, the bed of the pool started to shake under the force. Tremors were felt across the earth and before Originia realized it, he had exploded into a deadly orgasm whose might shattered Colera’s body into several parts. Kava kava herbs grew everywhere around Gasorma. Originia felt overwhelmed. He needed more. Originia was not even thinking at this point and quickly descended down the mountain into planet earth.

Originia went on a rampage thrusting his powerful raphi into every woman he saw, destroying them at once. The raphi, the unifying organ was now destroying everything in its way. Soon Originia had killed every woman with his powerful sexal outburst and wandered off in search for more. There were only two more beings on the planet.

A fatigued Originia with his hunger for sex driving him reached Edonus finally. The many years of consuming Gasorma had brought about an enormous sexual appetite and was now starting to wear off. His powerful eyes scanned Edonus to reveal two beings at the end of a beautiful garden. Originia smiled viciously as he flew to where the lovers resided. Originia spotted the lovely Hermosojo and his raphi grew almost immediately. Originia spread his wings and cried loudly. It was a fearsome sight. Coakfixe felt helpless and uneasy. No sooner had Originia mounted the helpless Hermosojo, than he saw the look of distress on Coakfixe’s face. This was the moment when his thought returned. Originia looked at his lack of self-control with disgust. He just realized that he had destroyed every woman on his favourite planet and felt weak and ashamed. But his hunger was not satisfied. Originia had been altered with the overdose of Gasorma. He now wasn’t the same person he was when he created the universe and all its wonderful worlds. He looked at Hermosojo clasped under his grip and thought that this was the last woman he was going to destroy. With her destruction the human race would come to an end and with it, the woman. No, he could not allow that.

 

Hermosojo and Coakfixe stood stunned as they watched the god leap into the skies with a cry.

Govind

Narrative account of March tenth class and further info.

The March tenth class started with taking attendance and then Dwarki comenting on the masks of the students. It was an interactive session.

This was followed by Dwarki making the students split into five groups – each group improvised and acted in a play  – in which they switched masks and tried to understand the essence of theatre which is composed of body movements, gestures, masks, eyes and costumes.

The last session was composed of  each student drawing a sketch of his  mythical character’s costume and consulting Dwarki on how to make it.

The students also brought in their emblems – many of them – and discussed with A.V. Koshy about their myths.

Five myths are already up on the new main blog – Vaibhav’s, Krittika’s, Bikram’s, Ruchika’s and Ria’s.

Shyamli, Roshan, Namrata, Govind – since you four have completed and received your corrected version please send it as a whole to Avy  and me for putting it up on the blog.  The completed versions must have  the written character sketch too – as an appendix.

Chapter-5

Fourth dimension v/s Mankind

The mating of homosexual flubbs kept giving rise to new human beings and human beings kept giving birth to more humans. Hence, the human race kept increasing in number. They are now living all around the place, close to the sea where they came from. Some of them have gone to far off places and set up their habitats there. There are women, men, children and families. There are tribes and villages.

Yemoli and Alia are now living in some different village away from the rest of the family. Alia gives birth to a child, a boy. Yemoli is like the head of the village because he was the first person to live in that village and so is Iqra who lives in some other village with Adara, Zoel, Cleo and Tiraan. Though all of them don’t live together anymore, they still love each other the same.

Tiraan and Zoel are completely opposite to each other. Tiraan is like a warrior, he is brave, disciplined, very strong headed, whereas Zoel is careless and irresponsible. But both of them love their families and  give up their lives for them. Cleo is a very quiet girl. She spends most of the time all by herself swimming and sitting besides the sea. She often takes her boat, goes to the other shore and explores the sea . She is very close to Adara.

One day Cleo takes the boat deep into the sea. She sails very far away from the land, a part of the sea which is completely unexplored. But she is never scared of the sea, the deeper she goes the closer she feels to the sea. Suddenly she feels a strange force pulling the boat into the sea. It is some kind of weird gravitation pull which starts sucking the boat into the sea. Now she starts getting nervous, she tries hard not to let the boat drown, she puts all her strength to make the boat balance but doesn’t succeed. The boat starts drowning, keeps going deep inside the sea. She tries to swim and get out of the sea but she can’t because the pull is so strong that how much ever she tries to come out, she cannot, instead she is going more and more deep into the sea.

Suddenly she sees a very subtle light coming from the bottom of the sea. She starts wondering that what is happening to her and what she is heading towards. In spite of all her nervousness she starts flowing to the light, she feels extremely attracted towards the light and can’t resist going towards it. She keeps going down into the sea. She keeps following the light and going down into the water. She reaches the bottom of the sea and sees a bright green light and in midst of the lit sea there is an extraordinarily beautiful woman in intricately flowy clothes. Her face is pink and glowing. Her hair long brown and curly. She looks ecstatic and pure. She has a sea shell in her hand. It is the spirit of Fontsia with the same sea shell in her hand which contained the secret, the secret of her and Iqra, the secret of Cleo and Yemoli being born out of her womb.

Fontsia smiles at Cleo and comes close to her and gives her the shell. She tells her that after she returns to land,  whenever she or anyone puts the shell next to her ear she will hear the voice of Fontsia. Cleo is nervous but Fontsia embraces her and tells her that she is her the mother. She tells her that she is hers and Yemoli’s mother and Iqra is their father.

Cleo bursts out crying, Fontsia put her head in her lap and puts her off to sleep. She wakes up after a long time. Fontsia warns her about not telling the secret to anyone. Fontsia shows her the way out to the land.

Cleo comes out of the sea. She went to that part of the sea where no one has ever been before and after her also no one had ever been so deep down into the sea. But the strangest thing that happened was that Cleo stayed under water for such a long time and did not lose her breath. She attained the ability to breathe under water. She comes out as a completely changed person. She keeps the secret to herself for long but one day when she goes to meet Yemoli and tells him about everything that happened. Yemoli is shocked, initially he does not believe her because she has been a someone who never really talks and does not share things with anyone. She has only been  close to Adara . Then she shows him the sea shell and he hears Fontsia’s voice in it.

He gets completely shattered and immediately develops hard feelings for Adara. Because she was the one who told him and Alia to go and live somewhere else, so he starts to feel that Adara did that just because he is not her real son.

Cleo loves Adara and she tries to make Yemoli believe that Adara loves all her children the same and he is no different. He insists on going and confronting Adara and asking her where she got them home from. Cleo resists, she tells him that Fontsia told her not to reveal the secret to anyone. But he still goes to speak to Adara. Everyone in the family gets to know about the secret. Adara tries to calm him down but he never listens to anyone.

After knowing that his secret has been revealed, Iqra gets really anxious to know  how did Cleo find out about it. He goes and asks Cleo about how she found out about it. She tells him everything, after knowing that Cleo met Fontsia , he gets really impatient. Soon after cleo told him everything he went to the sea and cried his heart out. He wanted to meet Fontsia or at least see her once.

He starts spending all his time at the sea, hardly comes home. He stops talking to Adara and barely spends any time with her. Adara asks him to leave the house. He leaves the house and Adara, Tiraan, Zoel and Cleo  come back and start living at the beach.

Deep down in the sea, the spirit of Fontsia is really miserable amd cursing herself for revealing the secret to Cleo.

 

When Iqra leaves the house Yemoli goes and offers him shelter at his house. But he refuses and decides to stay on the beach. He is starving, he has nothing to eat or drink.

Yemoli fells really bad about his father. He develops hatred for Adara.

Iqra starts loosing his head because he can’t meet Fontsia ever, she is not a part of this world anymore. Her spirit only lives at the bottom of the sea. He goes mad and loses his mental imbalance. His health begins to deteriorate.

On seeing Iqra’s state Yemoli gets really angry and tries to kill Adara. But fortunately, she doesn’t die. Because he tries to kill Adara all existing mankind turns against him and they make an outcaste of  him. Alia also takes her kid away from Yemoli and goes with the rest of the people.

Meanwhile Iqra was left with no option but to die because that was the only way he could be with Fontsia. Eventually he dies and finally gets to be with Fontsia. He is in the fourth dimension now along with Fontsia.

The spirits of Iqra and Fontsia come to Yemoli and try to tell him that he should apologise in front of the whole village but he refuses. Instead he turns them to his side.

Now that all mankind is against him, he wants destroy all the people but he is alone and he cannot do anything. So, he asks Iqra and Fontsia to help them. They decide to provide him with an army which belongs to the fourth dimension i.e. the spirits. Fontsia collects a lot of sea shells and turns them into spirits. So, the spirits start destroying mankind. Gradually, the number of people on earth starts decreasing.

When the war between  mankind began Cleo went to the sea deep down where she had met Fontsia and decided never to come back. She believes that she is the cause of the war which is causing destruction of the human race.

Adara is the only force  saving  mankind. But she is dies of old age and then the fourth dimension completely takes over. The world is about to come to an end.

When mankind was almost defeated, and the fourth dimension had almost won, Cleo decided to come out and save the human race. While she was inside the sea she attained certain powers because she is the owner of the shell now. So, she comes out the sea and becomes the mediator between the fourth dimension and human race. She instigates the fear of  mankind amongst the spirits, and they set free the human race. She heals the world and gives them the power to evolve.

That was the beginning of the new world.

By:

Namrata Narula

kahner character sktch

““King… I am Kahñer… and I was born from your own sculpt and if I were insane… even your mighty powers couldn’t match my strength. I have found a grain of sanity somewhere in this bed of razors… and I will watch as my hand shall crush this kingdom to a vast stony cemetery. So aye, if I slay my own brother… I do it to protect the right… the true and the sane. It saddens me… but I do not regret doing what I did… and for being what I am… A saviour… a warrior… I beg though, for peace… leave those people be. Return them to their own lands. I beg for their absolution…”

His sanity… is maybe his only insanity. Sculpted from the same rock as King Sarmeh… Karneh is the mightiest warrior… his powers being the only ones to match upto the splendid sorcery of the King himself. He is heartless… and yet feels.

Headstrong… fearless almost to the point of naïveté.

 He awoke to the cruelty all around him when he saw his brother slay a human child… otherwise loyal; he resolved to undo the doings of the “Hengians”… (His own people).

In his glazed unseeing eyes… one can see that he needs to be “THE” saviour”… and so he chooses to save the humans… the story thus goes on.

Him being the protagonist however does not save him from receiving fatal blow fate deals to him at the end… he too, thus, suffers for his blind faith in the king’s ways.

shyamli