Rudhraa’s Brave New Beginning

Rudhraa clutched her favorite book, The Secret Garden, close to her chest as the airplane rumbled through the clouds.

Her dark brown eyes peeked out the window, watching the land below shrink into a patchwork of tiny squares.

She wasn’t sure if she was excited or scared – probably both. Moving to a new country was supposed to be an adventure, but right now, it just felt like she was leaving behind everything she knew.

Her Amma had promised that the UK would be full of wonderful surprises. “You’ll love it there, kuttima,” she had said, brushing Rudhraa’s curls away from her forehead. “There are libraries bigger than our whole apartment building, and parks where squirrels will eat from your hand.”

But Rudhraa wasn’t so sure. She loved her old life in Chennai – her best friend Ananya, the corner bookstore where the owner always slipped her an extra bookmark, and the sound of the mango sellers calling out in the afternoon sun. Most of all, she loved the library near her school, where the dusty smell of old pages made her feel safe.

By the time they landed in Sheffield, everything felt different. The air was crisp and cool, the sun seemed shy behind grey clouds, and everyone spoke in a strange sing-song accent. The houses looked like something out of her storybooks – all bricks and chimneys with tiny gardens in front. Rudhraa’s new home was small but cosy, with sloping ceilings and a little window in her room that overlooked the street.

The first few days passed by in a blur of unpacking and video calls to grandparents back home. Rudhraa stayed mostly in her room, buried in her books. She found comfort in stories where characters were brave and bold – qualities she wasn’t sure she had.

School started the next Monday. Rudhraa’s heart felt like a drumbeat in her chest as she walked through the gates of Greenfield Primary School.

Everyone seemed to know each other already, chatting and laughing in groups. Rudhraa clutched her backpack straps tighter and followed her teacher, Mrs. Hughes, into the classroom.

“Class, this is Rudhraa. She’s joining us all the way from India,” Mrs. Hughes announced with a warm smile.

Rudhraa’s cheeks flushed. She gave a tiny wave and quickly looked down at her shoes.

The day crawled by. At lunch, she sat alone, nibbling at her sandwich. When two girls from her class giggled and whispered nearby, Rudhraa’s stomach twisted. Were they laughing at her? Maybe they thought her name was funny or that she talked weird.

After school, Amma tried to cheer her up with hot chocolate and a story before bed. But Rudhraa’s heart felt heavier than ever. She missed Ananya. She missed the familiar sounds of Chennai. She missed feeling like she belonged.

The next morning, Amma walked her to school and gave her hand a little squeeze. “You’ll find your people, kanna,” she whispered. “It just takes time.”

Days passed, and little by little, things began to change. It started in the library – Rudhraa’s favourite place in the whole school. The shelves were packed with books she’d never seen before. One afternoon, she found herself next to a girl with bright red hair and freckles, both reaching for the same copy of Matilda.

“Oh, you like Roald Dahl too?” the girl asked, her green eyes twinkling.

Rudhraa nodded shyly.

“I’m Mia.” The girl grinned. “Do you want to read together?”

Rudhraa’s heart did a little flip. They sat cross-legged on the carpet, giggling at the Wormwoods and gasping at Miss Trunchbull’s tricks.

By the end of the afternoon, they’d promised to read the whole book together.

Slowly, other kids began to notice Rudhraa too. Oliver from her class asked if she wanted to join a game of tag. Yasmin invited her to a playdate at her house, where they baked cookies that looked more like squashed potatoes but tasted delicious anyway.

One particularly rainy lunchtime, Rudhraa made the whole table burst out laughing when she accidentally bit into a pickled onion, thinking it was a grape.

“Oh nooo! My tongue is on fire!” she wailed dramatically, clutching her throat.

Even Mrs. Hughes chuckled from across the room.

As the weeks passed, Rudhraa found herself talking more, laughing louder, and even answering questions in class without her voice shaking. She discovered that being shy didn’t mean she couldn’t be brave. She still loved her books, but now she loved playdates and sleepovers too.

One Saturday afternoon, Mia invited Rudhraa over for a sleepover. Rudhraa’s heart pounded as she packed her overnight bag. She had never stayed at a friend’s house before. What if she snored? What if she missed Amma and Appa too much?

But by the time they were in their pyjamas, building a fort out of blankets and fairy lights, Rudhraa realised she was having fun. They whispered stories under the covers, made up silly songs, and giggled until their stomachs hurt.

On Sunday mornings, Rudhraa and Amma would walk to the library in the town centre. The librarian, Mrs. Patterson, always had book recommendations ready. One day, she slipped a little handwritten note inside a copy of Charlotte’s Web.

“To Rudhraa – A brave girl in a new world. Keep reading, and you’ll find your magic.”

Rudhraa’s heart swelled. Maybe she was braver than she had ever realised.

By springtime, Rudhraa had settled into her new life. The days were longer, the skies a little brighter. She had a favourite spot in the park where she liked to sit and read, feeding tiny bits of biscuit to the boldest squirrels.

At school, she joined the book club and even stood up to give a small presentation about her favourite Indian folktales.

Her voice wobbled at first, but when she saw Mia giving her a thumbs-up from the front row, she found her confidence.

One warm afternoon, as Rudhraa skipped home from school with a new book tucked under her arm, Amma stopped her in front of their little house.

“You’ve grown so much, kanna,” she said softly. “I always knew you were brave. But now… you know it too.”

That night, Rudhraa lay in bed with The Secret Garden in her lap. She traced her fingers over the worn pages and smiled to herself.

Moving to a new country had been scary. But it had also brought new friends, new stories, and new adventures.

And maybe – just maybe – the bravest thing she had ever done was simply giving the new world a chance.