Rupa Anand

The Daughter

For Amita

Aunty Vim married in her forties. Possibly Beeji, my maternal grandmother agreed to the arranged match as an unmarried daughter of that age was a pariah in the Indian society of the late sixties. As fate would have it she passed tragically, caught between a moving train and the platform. 

Her daughter, an only child, my cousin, was eight then. Brought up by her father, a restaurateur, with gelled black hair and piercing black eyes to match, she took on the mantle of running an impeccable home for him and his numerous relatives.

At 20, amidst fever, tears and fanfare, she was married off against her wishes to a man her dad thought appropriate. The marriage weathered many storms. Later, when her father passed, the family moved abroad to set up a business, successfully managed by her.  

Years later, mobilising the pain from deep within into courage, she divorced and moved out to start life afresh. 

snow geese 
ten thousand or more
       homeward bound 
       the sky suffused 
       with freedom

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About the Author

Rupa Anand, a spiritual seeker turned poet, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, the Touchstone Award, and Best of the Net honors. Her debut book. To the Edgeless Sky and Back (July 2024), chronicled her cancer journey. Her chapbook Tamarind Tree (2025) reveals her love for rescuing animals and birds. She lives in New Delhi, finding peace amid chaos. 

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