Topic Brainstorm: Hanuman

For my project, I already know that I want to do a Hanuman-inspired project because one of my goals for this semester is to memorize the words of the Hanuman Chalisa. But I'm still not sure quite what direction I want to take with my Hanuman Storybook. Here are the ideas I am thinking about:

1. Hanuman Chalisa. The Chalisa does not tell any stories, but it certainly alludes to stories, so I could use verses from the Chalisa to inspire four stories that I put into a Storybook. This could be really fun because each page could have a different YouTube Chalisa recording, or even two or three on each page, which I could set up to start at that particular verse! The Wikipedia article is very useful, and I'll also be relying on Devdutt Pattanaik's Hanuman Chalisa (which is a great source for stories alluded to in the verses).

2. Hanuman in the Ramakien. I picked the Thai version of the Ramayana as my reading for Weeks 3-4-5, and the role of Hanuman in the Thai epic is very much expanded from the Ramayana. In particular, Hanuman has an affair with the mermaid daughter of Ravana who is named Golden-Fish (Suvannamaccha) and has a song with her. I'm really (REALLY) enjoying the Ramakien so far, so I am pretty sure this is what I want to do, and I am paying careful attention to Hanuman as I take my reading notes. The Thai artwork is also gorgeous!

3. Hanuman Beyond the Ramayana. This is kind of like the Ramakien idea, but instead of limiting myself to the Ramakien, I would include Thai stuff plus other Hanuman legends that are outside the Ramayana. I really enjoyed Shubha Vilas's Chronicles of Hanuman book, so that will be a good jumping-off point to find legends beyond the Ramayana.

4. Hanuman Artwork. I've already found a ton of images for my Hanuman Pinterest Board, each of which is a possible jumping-off point for research and storytelling. This approach would give me the most freedom I guess, choosing each story based on finding a really gorgeous work of art that ties in with the story somehow.

So, these all sound good, but I really am leaning towards the Ramakien option since it provides an inherent structure for the Storybook... while also being something really new for me. I have already heard about the Thai Hanuman, but now I really going to learn the details AND be able to put that in context. So, I'm 99% sure it will be Ramakien, but writing out these other possibilities helped me to feel more confident about that choice. :-)

Hanuman (from Wat Phra Kaew)