Behind the Scenes September: Researching Krethik

For the first extra behind-the-scenes post, I wanted to talk about Krethik - Ichi Island's man before Magni. 

Krethik's name is a small dedication to a student I tutored a few years back. He and his family had recently moved to the US from Tamil Nadu, India, and they were incredibly kind in sharing their stories and backgrounds with me. I find Indian culture and history enthralling, and I've weaved various strands of their culture into the roots of Ichi Island.

In Krethik's side quest chapter, the design he draws on the ground is called a "kolam."

(Krethik also runs around barefoot)

While the kolam's origins lie in Tamil Nadu, the practice spread across India and adapted other distinct forms and names, such as Muggu, Tarai Alangaram, and Rangoli. Rangoli are typically more colorful variations of kolam. 

In millions of households throughout Tamil Nadu, women draw kolams in front of their home entrance every day at the brink of dawn. They're typically drawn in rice flour to invite other lives into one's home, like ants, birds, and small mammals. It's also said to welcome Goddess Laxmi (the Tamil Nadu spelling of Lakshmi). You can read more about their history here.

For Krethik's [Civilian Mode] outfit, I wanted something traditional but practical for Nyarlea. 

At the end of the chapter, I liked the idea of Naeemah having a few similar sets of clothing:

Music, song, and dance are deeply ingrained in India's culture, and I wanted to portray that through Krethik's singing at the beginning of the chapter. It's an ancient lullaby sung in Tamil that I had to dig for a set of lyrics I could find and tweak. There's a more recent take on it that you can listen to here. 

Lastly, the chapter title - Prasaad aur Balidaan - translates to "Offerings and Sacrifices."

I had a lot of fun (and 20 tabs open) creating Krethik and learning more about Tamil Nadu for his character, and I hope you enjoyed this post!

See you soon.