Thread by @TheGolgappa

Good morning..
I was talking to a friend of mine who was sharing how her 12 yr old is hooked on to Harry Potter books and will not let it go. I asked whether she has given her child Ramayana and Indian books – n she replied that ‘My kid does not find it very interesting!’

I was shocked. Why are our kids not reading our books but are fixated with Western fantasy epics.
1. All have the central ‘Good vs Evil’ theme. Hero’s journey with challenges until he defeats the evil villian.
2. All are rich in characters..

#harrypotter #hinduepics

Is it due to the fact that our books lack the mystical characters of Harry Potter that draws the kids to it? Maybe the characters in Ramayan and Hindu dharma have not been interpreted in vivid details to fascinate the youngsters.

I started looking for similar patterns in our Ramayana n Mahabharata of the HP universe. Sharing a few below. You can tell these stories to your kids if you like.

1. Thestrals - are a unique breed of winged horse-like creatures with reptilian features and can only be seen by those who have witnessed a human's death.
Uchchaihshravas - A seven-headed flying horse, created during the Samudramanthan. It is considered the king of horses.

2 Hippogriff – which is a half-horse and half eagle charcter in HP universe.
Anything cool enuf to beat this?
We have Yali/Vyala - portrayed as part lion, part elephant and part horse. You will see these in temples. (Check out Madurai Meenakshi temple/Vittala temple, Hampi).

According to Vastu Shastra, there are 16 types of yalis or vyalas – ashwa-vyala, gaja-vyala etc. Simha vyalas are found on the walls of 10th century temple Mehsana in Gujarat. Gaja vyalas - Parsvanath temple and Manibava temple. Aja vyala are found on the Samlaji temple.

They have even been depicted in Harappan seals - Mohenjo-daro seal M-300 depicts a composite animal with a pair of horns, the tusks and trunk of an elephant, lion’s mane, the graceful body of an antelope, the hind legs of a tiger, and an upright serpent-like tail.

3. Giants in HP. Ghatotkacha = Hagrid?
We have equal share of giants in our history and mythology. We have Kumbhakarna and Ghatotkacha from Ramayana and Mahabharatha.
You may argue that Mahabharatha is a story –

but have u heard of human ancestors called Denisovans who were larger in size. So Bheema could have marred Hidimbi who was a Denisovan and had an offspring Ghatotkacha who was half-human.
Drawing parallel with HP – Ghatotkacha is similar to Hagrid.

All those of u going pfff...We share 3-6% Denisovan DNA in us.
Now slightly deviating from this post. If you look at this Bheema-Hidimba story, it speaks of admixing of populations. Those who are archaeologists might understand what you mean by genetic admixture

This happened near Kamyaka forest near Sarasvati river – near present day Thar desert. It is also the site of IVC – Indus valley civilization. So this could be the mixing before establishment of IVC. There are evidences to indicate that Mahabharata and Dwaraka existed before IVC

4. Phoenix - phoenixes can revive themselves from death.

We have Garuda, immortal holy bird in Hindu mythology. He is known as 'king of the birds' (Khagesvara), as 'he who has beautiful feathers' (Suparna), as 'golden bodied' (Suvarnakaya) and 'the devourer' (Nagantaka).

5. Dragons.
Before explaining this we first need to understand that Dragons are basically reptiles.
We do have Vritra – who was an asura serpent/dragon who was killed by Indra.

6. . Basilisk - monster of the Chamber of Secrets, the Basilisk is a giant serpent-like predator whose poison murders within a matter of minutes.
We have equally legendary serpents in our scriptures
We have Adishesha –King of all serpents.
Kaliya – killed by Krishna
Vasuki

7. Navagunjara - has the head of a rooster, the neck of a peacock, the waist of a lion, the hump of a bull, the tail of a serpent, the leg of an elephant, another leg of a tiger, yet another leg of an antelope and a human hand holding a lotus. Arjun encounters this in Vanavas.

8. Apsaras – water nymphs. one of the celestial singers and dancers. Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama and Ghritachi – each one occupying important roles in many of our texts.

#mahabharata #ramayana #harrypotter

9. Animaguses - witch or wizard with the rare ability to transform into a particular animal at will.
We have the best Animagii of all times - Lord Vishnu who has taken the form of multiple animals such as fish, tortoise, pig, dog, elephant etc.

And those who say HP is still cooler, HP had wands and spells – we had daivi astras – much cooler. 😂😍

WE R GOOD AT STORY TELLING.
Nxt tym a kid asks - tell them our stories..

Note:
This is my take on HP n our scriptures and mythology.
If you find any mistakes pls correct.