The Ramayana, one of the two great Indian epics, is an eternal story. It has been told, retold, narrated and depicted through different mediums including TV series, cartoons, comics, movies, fictional writing and animation films in regional languages of India many a time. With a group of three young filmmakers planning to make an English film on Ramayana in 3D for a global audience, the Indian classic is all set to make its debut in the United States.

Indian American Vineet Sinha from the San Francisco Bay Area has collaborated with filmmakers Sean Graham and Ronnie Allman from the United States to create a 3D version of the Ramayana in English. They felt an urge to entertain and enlighten the world with the mythological stories of India like Ramayana in English, which are open to multilevel and multidimensional interpretations. Currently they are on a mission to crowdfund the project in India.

Is the proposed English film on Ramayana in 3D going to be another Indian movie? The USA based filmmakers claim to adapt the story of Ramayana for celluloid by means of the latest 3D technology on the same scale of excellence as that of such Hollywood films as Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes.

Indian films are not known as globally as animated versions of the most popular Hollywood films like Superman series, Batman series and Star Wars series, according to Indian American Vineet Sinha. He opines that the huge potential of Indian mythology is yet to be explored through technologically cinematic adaptations on a global scale.

We want to reach out to the audience that loves watching Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes, with our 3D film on Ramayana in English. We want to make sure that our adaptation of the Indian epic will meet the expectations of Indians and cater to the global audience’s penchant for fantasy, action and adventure, at the same time. – Vineet Sinha

“The Ramayana is not just an epic or story. It is interwoven with the religious sentiments and values of Indians at home and abroad. Recreating or retelling it in any format or for any medium is a big challenge. In our take on Ramayana in high-tech 3D, we would like to stay true to the time despite our own twist of some things,” said filmmaker Sean Graham.

Hanuman and Ravana are two most interesting characters in the story of Ramayana. Portrayal of these two Indian mythological characters is open to creativity, new-age theories and modern interpretation. The makers of the upcoming English film on Ramayana in 3D claim their depiction of Ravana and Hanuman to be a lot more exciting watch.

“For instance, ten heads of Ravana may be depicted symbolizing ten different human characteristics including wisdom, rationality, creativity and humor that Ravana was said to have according to some versions of the Ramayana,” elaborated Sean Graham.

Vineet Sinha, a graduate from the University of South California, is sanguine of his collaboration with the filmmaker duo – Sean Graham and Ronnie Allman – for the upcoming 3D film on Ramayana in English. It would be a short film, which is yet to be titled.

Travel Beats, a digital news portal by IndianEagle, a US-based international travel organization, publishes the latest news and stories from India, USA, Canada and Indian Diaspora.

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Indian Mythology is full of stories of Divinity vs Satanism, good vs evil, creation vs destruction, heaven vs hell, life vs death, blessing vs curse, peace vs violence.….No wonder why the Mythology of India is popular the world over. This time, it captured the imagination of American artist Android Jones for a social initiative in New York!

One of the most prominent mythical characters and most worshipped divine figures in India, Goddess Kali became a virtual face of the wildlife savior in a visual initiative called “Projecting Change,” conceptualized and executed by filmmaker Louie Psihoyos. The artwork exhibition “Projecting Change” on New York City’s Empire State Building is an attention-grabbing visual medium to highlight conversation of endangered animals as a pressing need of the hour.

New York City’s 1250-feet high Empire State Building penetrating the Manhattan skyline displays virtual images of some 160 different animal species along with a fierce image of Goddess Kali as ultimate destroyer of evils, harbinger of change, ruler of time, and source of power. The awe-inspiring portrait of the goddess on display as part of the initiative in interest of threatened wildlife is designed by artist Android Jones.

Cecil the Lion and bald eagle are among the endangered animals that appeared in the grand artwork exhibition on the iconic Empire State Building. The infamous killing of Cecil the Lion by an American dentist in Zimbabwe last month is one of the threats to wildlife across the globe. “Projecting Change” is a thought-provoking initiative to make people aware of the animal species on the verge of extinction and inspire them to act towards saving those rare creatures.

Artist Android Jones used the image of Goddess Kali on New York’s Empire State Building to give an impression of some “fierce new avatar” that the world is awaiting to protect Mother Earth from extinction, pollution and global warming. It struck a chord with not only Indian Americans but Americans too.

It may be that artist Android Jones’ choice of Goddess Kali as cosmic destroyer of evils is inspired by 20^th century Irish poet W. B. Yeats’ apocalyptic imagination of Sphinx (a ferocious avatar with the head of a lion and the body of a human being) in his poem “The Second Coming.” – Indian Eagle

Indian Eagle, a Texas based leading travel organization booking flights to India online at incredibly low fares, supports such innovative initiatives in interest of Humanity, Nature and Earth.

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Mother is the god incarnate on earth. Motherhood has been revered as embodiment of love, mercy, kindness, forgiveness and care in “Srimad Vagbat Gita”, an Indian holy book. Motherhood is a universal phenomenon that the world celebrates on Mother’s Day. Indian mythology, history and folklore contain many inspirational stories of motherhood. Indian Eagle recounts some of them below:

Sita, a mythical character in the Ramayana, is a legendary epitome of motherhood. She is highly esteemed as an ideal wife and ideal mother in Indian culture. Though born with a silver spoon in the mouth and married to Sri Ram, the King of Ayodhya, she struggled and suffered a lot. When Sri Ram deserted her at the behest of his subjects and sent her to Sage Balmiki’s ashram in the forest, she was expecting. Sita gave birth to two boys, Luv and Kush, away from the comfort of palace. Sita alone brought up, educated and enlightened her sons.

Maa Sarada is an eternal icon of divine motherhood on earth. Though married to Sri Ramakrishna, she had no worldly relation with him. Lord Ramakrishna worshiped her as Goddess Shakti. The disciples and devotees of Sri Ramakrishna fondly called her “Maa”. She was their mentor and teacher after Sri Ramakrishna passed away. She became their driving force and guiding figure. Everyone from a monk to a robber was a child to her.

Image Credit: Harekrsna.de

Yashoda, a character in the Indian mythology, is revered as a doting mother of Lord Krishna. Though she was a foster mother, she could not think of anything else but her son. She could not help worrying about him whenever he was out of her sight for a while. Krishna was everything for her. Her motherly love was unconditional, selfless and immeasurable. It has inspired the theme of many plays, films and songs for generations.

The Mother was a spiritual guide for the disciples of Sri Aurobindo. Born as Mirra Alfassa in Paris, she came to India in quest of spiritual freedom and met Sri Aurobindo in Pondicherry in 1914. Her contribution to the foundation of Sri Aurobindo Ashram and cultural institutes is immense. When Sri Aurobindo retired to solitude away from the public view, she became the spiritual advisor for his disciples.

Mother Teresa was the mother of orphans in India. She is an immortal figure of selfless service and charity for the wellbeing of the poor and the afflicted. Born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Albania, she spent her life in service to orphans in India. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity which works in 133 countries across the world. She left a legacy of unconditional, peaceful service which had earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Many rural women are working mothers in remote hinterlands of Indian states like Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Kashmir. They don’t leave their children alone while going to work as daily wagers in fields and tea estates. They do daily household work, take care of children and labor in fields too.

We at IndianEagle.com pay our tribute to Mothers across the world by quoting a saying by Howard W. Hunter, “Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.”

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Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi ceremony is a festive celebration of brother-sister relationship that is observed on a full moon day in the month of August every year. Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Friends Day, Children’s Day and Teachers’ Day, Raksha Bandhan is a festivity that is observed in honor of love as well as affection between brothers and sisters in India. Rakhi Ceremony not only marks the brother-sister bond but connects NRIs with India too. Unlike other occasions, this festival has a multifarious association with the scripture, mythology, epic, history and the colonial past of India. Indian Eagle delved into different eras, collected the legends of Rakhi and pieced them together in this post:

Rakhi and the Colonial Past of India

Rakhi festival got a larger and higher meaning during the movement against partition of Bengal in 1905 when Rabindranath Tagore used Rakhi as a powerful thread of harmony as well as unity to tie the people of Bengal with. He universalized the significance of Rakhi beyond the celebration of brother-sister relationship to that of brotherhood among the people irrespective of caste, language and religion. In 1905, the Raksha bandhan ceremony was observed as a celebration of nationalism among the Hindus and the Muslims of the then undivided Bengal against the British Raj.

Rakhi and the History of India

It was Rakhi that made the history of Chittor in Rajasthan a chapter in the biography of Mughal Emperor Humayun. Rani Karnavati sent a Rakhi to Humayun along with a request to defend Chittor from Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat. Touched by the love and affection that Rakhi stands for, Humayun set out to protect Chittor. However, Bahadur Shah seized the fortress by the time Humayun reached there. Rani Karnavati and other women of Chittor set themselves on fire, to avoid suffering dishonor in the hands of the invader. Out of his respect for Rakhi, Humayun restored Chittor and handed it over to Rani Karnavati’s son.

A deeper delve into the history of India explores Rakhi’s association with the Battle of Hydadpes between Alexander the Great and Porus in 326 BC. When Alexander came to invade India in 326 BC, his wife Roxana sent a Rakhi to Porus as an entreaty to take mercy on Alexander in battle. When Porus was to overthrow Alexander in the battlefield, the Rakhi on his wrist reminded him of the plea made by Roxana and stayed back from defeating Alexander.

Rakhi and the Epic of India

The origin of Rakhi is further traced back to the Mahabharata in the scripture of ancient India. In an episode of the epic, Draupadi tore a piece of cloth from her apron and wrapped it around Lord Krishna’s bleeding wrist. Touched by her care and affection, Krishna made her his sister and promised to protect her. Since then, Rakhi has symbolized sisters’ care for brothers, and brothers’ commitment to protect sisters.

Rakhi and the Mythology of India

Gods and Demons were always at loggerheads. Once, Demons overtook Indra in a war. Touched by the defeated condition of her husband, Indra’s wife Shachi brought a holy thread and tied it around his right wrist, amidst the changing of Veda Mantras. The holy thread was a thread of love and power which drove Indra to win victory over Demons.

To go by a mythological legend of Yama the God of death and his sister Yamuna in the scripture of ancient India, Rakhi blesses brothers with immortality. Yamuna’s Rakhi had endowed Yama with the blessing of immortality.

Indian Eagle, out of its commitment to connect NRIs with India, promises cheap flights from the US and Canada to India.

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