Feedback Strategies

 Article #1: How to Provide Feedback When You're Not in Charge

    I think that there were a lot of good points in this article. In many of the relationships that we will have (either personal or professional), we will not necessarily be "in control," but it will still be important to give and receive feedback well. I thought that what they said about giving specific praise to motivate a particular behavior and teaching feedback though action (accepting feedback yourself and demonstrating the actions you want to see) were especially good suggestions. 

Article #2: How to Give Negative Feedback Without Sounding Like a Jerk

    This is the real question, isn't it? Somehow, the golden standard is being able to give feedback and have the people still like you afterwards. I thought this post brought u two really good points. First the concept of taking yourself off of a pedestal was perhaps most important. It is easy to fell prey to self-serving bias and fundamental attribution error in assuming that, essentially, we are perfect and others aren't. Being able to acknowledge that (surprise, surprise) this isn't that case is the first step in not sounding condescending and alienating. I also though that explaining the "why" behind the feedback was important- a true understanding of the problem is (in my opinion) the only real way to fix it. 

Thoughts on Feedback Strategies in General:

    One of the constant themes that I noticed in a lot of the articles was that praise (if done incorrectly) is not actually valuable. As a performer, I can totally identify with this. General praise doesn't actually help all the time. I value specific praise (what in particular I should try to re-create) and criticism. This criticism, however, has to include a "how to fix it." If only told that something was not done well, this isn't helpful. Being given suggestions on how it might be possible to do it better, however, is extremely valuable. 

(How NOT to Give Negative Feedback. Source: Wikimedia)

Topic Research: In Bhima's Kitchen

Story #1: Pandava Pravesaparva

Resource: VedicFeed, Wikipedia

    This part of the Virata Parva tells the story of how the Pandavas first enter the royal court of Virata. While Bhima is not necessarily the primary character in this story, if the project is going to center on Bhima's time in Virata, this seems like a natural place to start! This story could include Bhima's reactions to the choices that his brothers make for the positions that they will occupy in court, as well as his thoughts on the course of events that has made him have to be in Virata. 

Story #2: Samayaplana Parva

Resource: VedicFeed, WisdomLib

    This was one of the stories in the Virata Parva where Bhima really got the chance to shine. While Bhima is not necessarily cooking in this particular story, it would be possible to start it with Bhima in the midst of cooking some delicacy and then being summoned to fight Jimuta. How does Bhima feel about having to revert his role back to his fighting self? 

Story #3: Creation of Aviyal

Resource: Masterchefs of Lore, Recipe for Aviyal

    In this story, there are surprise guests at the court in Virata, and Bhima is asked to make a feast. Caught off guard, he is forced to make one dish with only the ingredients on hand- this dish becoming known as Aviyal! I would really like to include a recipe with each of my blog posts, and this story already had one built in! It seems perfect for this cold weather too....

(Bhima Cooking. Source: Snappy Goat)

Week 3 Story: My Mistress' Eyes

  Soorpanaka wailed. She screamed. She growled and gurgled her fury. So long has she waited, alone and cut off (she had to smile at herself- the irony there was hard to be ignored), and now she was alone again. Again!

     She scrambled to the main room, tearing through chests and boxes. It had to be here somewhere. 

     She could feel the events of the past few days trying to push their way into her mind, but she was determined not to let them overwhelm her. 

     Whispered promises made in the dark. Love song carried on hushed breath. Then the clash of war bells. 

Soorpanaka hastily brushed a traitorous tear from her cheek. Here it was- the last thing that Tharna had given her, and the key to finding him. Her eyes still stinging, she read: 

     "My mistress' eyes burn terribly as the sun;

      her lips coal black, not rosy red;

      Her stature is short, and her breasts are none;

      A grimace so foul, all would surely dread. 

      I have smelt lilies fair, both pink and yellow;

      no such perfume from my lady comes;

      A battle cry she shouts, a bellow;

      No harps are heard, but only drums.  

      And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

      As any she belied with false compare."

     There might yet be a time for tears, but Soorpanaka would not let it be today. Tharna had made her feel once more like a woman, but she was a demon still. Those who fought against him would learn what that truly meant. All her life, Soorpanaka had fought her world. Today, she fought with purpose. She fought for her world. Hurtling down the mountainside, Soorpanaka threw back her head, moonlight illuminating the grisly holes where her nose and ears had been, and howled her battle cry. 

(Shakesperian Demon. Source: Flickr)

Authors Notes: This week, while I was reading from the Narayan version of the Ramayana, I was particularly interested in the story of Soorpanaka the demoness from the "Encounters in Exile" portion. Her story is pretty grizzly one. After having been rejected by Rama, she tries to kill Sita. In return she is mutilated by Lakshmana, who cuts off her nose, ears, and breasts. 

                          Yet even after this mutilation, she goes back to Rama and says "So, do not hesitate. No one will dare say that I have no nose or ears or breasts. I still have eyes, which can feast upon your broad chest and shoulders, and my arms are intact to embrace you. I love you madly." This passage felt almost Shakespearian in nature, and I was caught off-guard by this really strange moment of beauty in a story that was otherwise pretty brutal. 

                          I thought this might be an interesting basis for a story. So, the sonnet in the story is an adaptation of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. I also tried to write the story in such a way that Soorpanaka could be the heroine of the story, so that (even though it contains a discount Shakespearian love sonnet) it would not just read as a traditional soppy love story.

Bibliography: "Encounters in Exile" from "The Ramayana" by R. K. Narayan. Web Source (the link is for a research source- I am reading from a paper book)

Reading Notes, Narayan's Ramayana, Section B

Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana. Story: "Encounters in Exile" (Again, the link is for web research of the story, I am reading form a paper book)

Notes: The first thing that I noticed about this passage was one of the "beautiful sentences" that was talked about in the reading notes strategies. When Soorpanaka is pleading with Rama after she has been mutilated by Lakshmana, she says "So, do not hesitate. No one will dare say that I have no nose or ears or breasts. I still have eyes, which can feast upon your broad chest and shoulders, and my arms are intact to embrace you. I love you madly." 

This passage feels almost like a really messed-up Shakespearian sonnet (though, to be fair, Shakespeare was not un-familiar with mutilating his characters). What caught me off-guard was that it was this really strange moment of beauty in a story which was otherwise pretty brutal. 

I thought this might be an interesting basis for a story. If you were to continue the story of Soorpanaka past her time with Rama, you could write a love story. Is her lover also mutilated? Is he not, but loves her with her appearance? One of the things that I have been noticing is that many of the women in the Ramayana are described as "flawless" or "perfect." It could be interesting to have this aspect of what makes a woman "desirable" removed so that the story can expand upon other character traits that make people love one another. Expanding on the idea of the sonnet, this story could include sonnets or be written entirely on sonnet form. 

In researching Soorpanaka's story, I found a resource (the one listed above) that said that Soorpanaka and Sita met and became friends years after the events in the "Encounters in Exile" story. There might also be an interesting story to tell there, considering that they were pretty much pitted against each other in this story. 

(Lakshmana cutting off Soorpanaka's nose. Source: Wikimedia)

Reading Notes, Narayan's Ramayana, Section A

 Bibliography: Narayan's Ramayana. Story: "Ahalya's Story" (Link is for web research of the story, I am reading form a paper book)

(Ahalya and Indra. Source: Wikimedia)

Notes: When I was reading through part A of the Ramayana, this story elicited by far the most emotional reaction in me. I have to admit, it wasn't a good one. Although this story proclaims to be "Ahalya's Story," she seems to be a side character to her own tale. Things are done to her, and not by her. Not only that, but she is judged for the things that she does as though she were the primary actor in these plots. There is a lot of victim blaming that happens, and I thought it was a particular sting that Gautama lessens Indra's curse before Ahalya's curse is reversed, even though Indra (at least in this version) is the real "villain' here. 

What really gets me about this story though is that Ahalya is essentially creased to be this completely perfect and irresistible being, but she is then punished for being so. She has no real control over her own narrative, as she is both created and (in a sense) trained to be who she is. This leads to another off-putting part of the narrative, which is that Gautama raises her, and then she is given to him as his wife. I can understand, however, that this may simply be a cultural difference that I am reacting to. 

I think it woudl be interesting to do a re-telling in which we see Ahalya take more control. It would be my guess that she didn't want to be married to someone over which she had no control. Some versions of the story have Ahalya be aware that she is having relations with someone who is not her husband, and I think expanding on that narrative (letting a young woman who was designed to be a object of infatuation actually explore her sexual identity) would be interesting.