Special Edition: Rupa Rao

Rupa Rao

Diva Donna Dares the Devil

Chilly darkness descended earlier than usual for Donna rushing to her destination - she has enrolled to learn new skills and language. Fingers of darkness were tightening grip around her dropping heart.

She plonked herself on the window seat to stare into the abyss that seemed to her once blissful life lately.

A Chicago native, Donna worked her way out of the tough projects she was born in. Her resilience, awareness, and grit stood her in good stead when she had to protect her life, possessions, dignity surrounded by aggression and bullies.

She was blessed with the voice of an angel and natural rhythm making her a natural for singing, dancing and stage performances.

She knocked any and every door to find a job as a teenager until she found one as an usher then  stage hand, gal Friday, background artiste until she was recognized as a woman who could belt out a high note and hold it long and move with fluidity.

She caught the eye of music Moghul who was scanning prospective hot beds for a new face to launch

She was overjoyed, her happiness knew no bounds. She was a fast learner, willing to put in long hours, practice until she was ready to drop.

It paid off, her star rose and her name flashed across Broadway marquis and she inched her way up in the firmament of thespians who left a legacy of impeccable memories and creativity.

Soon she met many other artists who had blurred into oblivion despite being talented.

She did not want to be one of them, she kept away from intoxication of her heady success, substance abuse, flatterers n followers feeding what would benefit them and choices that were exciting but hurt a rising career.

One day "love" walked into her life. A director who moved from obscurity to limelight with his slick productions found her depth, reserved ways attractive. They became soul mates and inseparable. They wanted to paint the universe of stage productions with the brilliance of their work.

As expected, in the corner lurked jealousy, rivalry, competitive put-downers who would malign their name with cooked up stories so their own work may find space and a stage.

After all director Ivan was a passionate man who found love wherever he went and was comfortable moving on from relationships when he tired of constrictive-ness in a partnership. His free-flying ways though well known, Donna thought this would be different. And she was not wrong.

While the couple was busy making plans for life, life and the divine had different plans for them.

When they were heading to the Tony awards to receive their due, car-brake failure paralyzed Ivan and Donna lost her singing voice and one leg. After initial sympathy and platitudes, like arc lights faded the many friends and colleagues who had little use for the couple.

Money dwindled fast; resources were no longer easily available. They downsized to a studio apartment in the vicinity of projects and there Donna was back to where she had begun. Life seemed to have dragged her back to the old neighbourhood she escaped with her persistence and smarts.

She stares unseeingly through the window into the familiar and comforting dark that beckons obscurity she dreads. She smiles as shadows of past, ghosts of future flit by on the Bus window's screen. She will alight at the night school that teaches sign language so she may secure a role once again in the entertainment universe as a sign language spokeswoman.  She will rise again and she will own the world under the starry night. She will recreate the blazing marquee featuring her name and her unique never-give-up spirit!!  (614 words excluding title)

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Bio: Rupa Rao holds an MBA and a Law degree.  After a hectic corporate career across India and USA she indulges in writing, nature walks, yoga and spiritually meaningful pursuits. She is an admin at Literary Warriors Group and Chief Coordinator for "International Academy of Ethics". Her writings feature in multiple global anthologies, magazines and literary platforms. She hosts poetry sessions, author & artist chat sessions online.  She constantly seeks to nurture her soul. She has curated, edited, co-authored seven poetry anthologies, one prose and edited one novella. Solo works, Book reviews and a Biography are waiting to be tackled next.

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Setu, July 2025