I really enjoyed this unit. I have never really read any Indian stories until now so I did not know what to expect. I am glad that I chose this unit though.
One of my favorite chapters of Bengal Fairy Tales was The Evil Eye of Sani. I really enjoyed this chapter because it showed a husband's love for his wife. Sribatsa, the husband, believed that the goddess Lakshmi was superior to Sani. This angered Sani. As a result, Sani cursed Sribatsa with bad luck. Knowing that he was cursed with bad Sribatsa encouraged his wife to leave him to avoid being harmed by his bad luck. This characterizes Sribatsa as unselfish. Sribatsa would rather let his wife go then force her to endure a tortuous life.
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| (Lakshmi, Goddless of Fortune) |
I also enjoyed the chapter The Origin of Opium. This chapter was about a mouse who kept on wanting more. He was never happy. Rishi loved the mouse so much; he would grant the mouse any wish. The mouse began with a simple wish to be a cat so that he may no longer live in fear of being preyed but this did not satisfy the mouse. He then begin to wish to be a dog, then an ape, then a wild boar, then an elephant, and then finally a queen. He believed that if he was a queen he would finally be happy but he was wrong. Being Queen was not enough; he eventually drowned himself. Rishi then made him into tree that produced opium. The story of the mouse is analogous to how opium can be addicting. Those that use opium continuously want more, never feeling satisfied -- like the mouse.
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