Hi All, I'm very curious about why Indian folklore has not convinced the universal market when compared to western or english folklore. Even in India if I ask a kid about who would be their fame they come up with names like Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Harry Potter the very recent hype... I don't find why is that Indian Fiction characters doesn't get in to the heads of children. Can I make an impact and how???? What is the essence I should be looking in to when creating a fiction in Indian Genre and how can I get the attention of international Markets??? Any suggestions on this will definitely help..... Thanks in advance Cheers Dannyboy
Because most Indian "superheroes" are derived from religion and India is a culture/society who has traditions to this day that are still deep rooted in religion, that playing with these stories could cause a lot of anger. Still to this day, it is popular for people there to get arranged marriage, a tradition that is entwined with religious groundings. To explore it, you have to be willing to explore their religions as well. Another reason is that half the country is literally poverty stricken. And not just like a little poverty stricken, no, more like poverty stricken to the point where there are more people in that country that still don't have access to clean water, that do NOT own stoves, fridges, have a car and often times a family of nine will live in a two room shelter. Take a moment to sit and watch an Indian film... notice that the hero and heroin never kiss... even if the movie is a love story. It something that in India, you don't do in public. Only in the last decade have I seen the envelope really been pushed as Bollywood becomes more Hollywood that girls are starting to show skin, actors and actresses are starting to kiss on the big screen etc. The examples just go on. A lot of symbols of hope and greatness are also clouded with oppression, poverty, despair, sadness and even loathing. How can a God be so great yet it's people suffer so much? That is why kids looks elsewhere, because as great as their own history is, it still holds a lot of pain that most people want to escape and it's easier to look at Western things that don't' have direct tie to religion. Ganesh, Hanuman ... all derived form Indian folklore with religious ties. Also, one of the greatest book from the Indian culture is the Mahabharata, its truly great, and its hard to top that. So many things come from that one book as well as the Ramayana. As to why things like Twilight, Spiderman, Superman have been a big part of Indian culture... there are a lot of reasons. But from the top of my head, it's because India has a history with the west. During the British Colonial rule of India, the British brought a lot their culture into the country and it's never left. Most people still say "Bombay" to this day, including native Indians. But it was a name that the British gave that city because they couldn't pronounce "Mumbai." Only in the last ten years, did India officially change the "Bombay" back to "Mumbai." But anyways, I think if done tactfully, it such a great idea. But to explore it, you're exploring the Indian society, culture, religions and everything in-between as well. Either that or create and Indian superhero from scratch that hasn't been done before.
Hi Sundae, Amazing response just the right one TBH, I've been thinking of this when I started writing its pretty confusing with too many religions, caste, denominations and bring one super hero who can just catch the eye is definitely a tough ask. I'm so happy about your feedback. I would like more responses to start a research on this. I definitely agree with the colonization of the britishers part... Me being an Anglo-Indian and brought up in a different culture when compared to my hindu and muslim friends here I can agree with your thoughts. My idea is not to include any Religion but a superhero who is not religious but definitely respect Indian cultures and don't want to involve any western ideas. It will make me happy if I get more inputs... Thanks a lot
Oh, by all means write about Indian folklore. I'm always fascinated by other cultures, and I'll admit I don't know much about India's culture or folklore- in fact, I'd quite like to read something that took its influences from this. Too many stories focus on Western ideas and I think adding different cultures to the mix will definitely enrich literature as a whole. I'm Scottish but I'm writing a novel right now based on Asian folklore which is immensely fun to research. It's even better to write something that you already know about, right? 'Cause you can teach all of us about it
Hi Icequeen, Nice to know that you are trying your pen with Asian folklore and all the best with your venture. I'm just in the very begining stages of my research and I would like to make a mark in the international market and not sure how Indian folklore will get that much of rewards. I'm wondering if too many people in the past couldn't do it just going by facts how can I? I'm looking at creating a Indian Superhero however without involving religion, caste, creed, romance just a saviour to the world and how he can help the entire world not just India... I'm not looking for ideas on the plot but I'm looking at facts that can tell me Indian fictional superheros who dominated the western and european world. Avatar of a new hero is what I want... I want proof as to how successful has Indian fiction been in the International writing world
