This Week in Class, we explored some complex issues!

Hello, again. This week was very interesting in terms of class.

On Monday, we started by trying to tell the story of the Ramayana in our own words but it didn't work out too well because most of us were unsure of what to do or where to start in the story. I felt kind of bad about it. Because we were unwilling or didn't know where to start, Francis started talking to us about. I don't mean anything condescending in the slightest by that because there was nothing condescending related to it. The class as a whole through the discussion. We talked a lot about what it meant to be a BANJAR. And, more importantly, I think we may have come closer to being a BANJAR. A few people exposed their souls to us. One person talked about their pain of recent that touched everyone and another talked about his worries about the economy as it related to his plans in life which many of us were surprised but joyous to hear about for him. There seemed like a simultaneous growth about the class that it all clicked in everyone's mind that this is more than just a class and is starting to become a BANJAR.

On Wednesday, we had more of a traditional class where we learned Bharatanatyam and a new movement. The movement was essentially not meant as a relaxation move but it allows you to move around and rest but still look elegant or masculine depending on your movement interpretation of the dance. We also learned a neck maneuver so that we can do more things with the dances like portray Ravana or monkeys depending on how we move with the steps. One step I learned had two very distinct interpretations. It could be used for Ravana or as a beauty move similar to the opening of a lotus as Kalyani recounted.
During the second part of class, Francis told about how he would be out of class at one point in the future and how we are going to have our other gurus lead the class and the reason he was telling us this was so that we could be closer as a BANJAR and so that we could experience what a real one is like. That fact really surprised me. I felt touched to know that our Guru saw us as a BANJAR in the communal sense. But, we also learned of some important things such as our objective paper due next Friday, a performance we may have later on, and special class later on around November. Other than that, class was very chilled and was a relaxing experience.

For the record, I think I'm going to refer to my class as Banjar from now on to get into the mindset even if we are not a BANJAR in the traditional sense of the word.

Some of the questions that Francis asked me and the rest of Banjar to answer were the relation between Ramayana and Bharatanatyam and Ramayana and Bali's social system other than religion.
First, Ramayan and Bharatanatyam:
Literally, they are both traditions that were passed down through centuries in the system. Also, they've become a source of entertainment and happiness to many as stories or shows or even religiously. The Ramayana and the dancers are both in a sense travelers as they have travelled across the world and how the story is about a journey the bards who knew the dances were originally travelers. Also, both the history of the dance and the tale itself tell of how the once great people fell into bad situations (i.e.-the dancers losing social and economic authority and Rama being exiled into the jungle for 14 years). The dance itself looks similar to paintings on a wall and are based on such movements which is how the Ramayana was originally told (by pictures on walls). The exact similarity is that the dance may have been based on the Ramayana's drawings and today the dance is used to tell the story of the Ramayana.

I'll expand more upon this subject as I go on in the semester.

Second, Ramayana and the Social system of Bali:
Obviously, there is religion in the sense that they both have Hindu roots. In terms of numbers, there are four castes and there were four sons in the Ramayana. The sense that becomes confusing here is that the highest brother who was to be the King and was the avatar of Vishnu can be said to be the Braman of sorts as he was literally God's mouth of terms and his brother Lakhshmana can be said to the his arms in that he protects Rama. However, the other two brothers cannot be easily characterized in that sense because they became the two non-banished brothers who became more royal for 14 years than Rama and Lakhshmana. In the idea that Rama is a Braman of sorts, he does hold the supernatural powers that the Bramans were said to hold.
Culturally, Rama goes into the woods only because he is obeying his duty to his father which the Balinese social system emphasizes. Also, the fact that Rama was exiled did not make him lose his title as king as he becomes king later on just as the in the social system a person's caste does not dictate how they work. In terms of the Sudra, while exiled, which will count as Rama becoming a Sudra for this purpose only, both Rama and the Sudras could banish demons as in the many Rama kills or the many that the Sudras kill.

Again, I will answer the question more as I think of more similarities.

In terms of how our Banjar can benefit from becoming such, we can develop relationships and learn from each other. Also, we can support each other in our endeavors by contributing our skills if we have such.

It's been a pleasure writing and I will write again soon,

'til next time

I'm me