Anju: one who lives in heart. An Indian girl, daughter to 2 political activists who supported mahatma ghandi. she is rather shy around men and new people, quite temporamental and sensitive, but also very stubborn at times. anju likes to read, fish with her friends, and play with her self-adopted pet toucan. at a time when india was going through great strife, anju witnessed her parents murder at the age of ten by british soldiers, and then was taken to a wealthy, last-living relative she never knew existed until her parents were dead. Her uncle, though obliged to take care of anju, never forgave Anju's mother for "disgracing" the family, and had anju study abroad, only occassionly permitted to come home on special holidays, or when her sympathetic aunt asked for her. she learned many languages, and met many people through her travels, including Pratima, another indian girl who invited her to stay at the bizarre convent where she lived in brazil. a bright student, she attended a london university, studying medicine, but 2 days before she was to graduate, an urgent message called her back to india. her uncle and aunt were dying, and her income was now nothing due to all the expensive doctors and medicines used to try and cure the strange illness.

to make sure anju would be taken care of, they forced her into an engagement to a spoiled, abusive rajah. it was all they could do now that they were poor, and no other families wanted to take in a daughter-in-law who was offspring to rebels, even though the country now benefitted from them. she indured a month of slaps in the face and other abuses, ridiculous and humiliating tasks, but thankfully never forced into bed. the rajah respected little, except for few traditions, so she was safe from him...until marriage night of course. a maid, and childhood friend took pity on her, and gathered all the money she and all the maids could come up with, and on the day of the wedding, slipped sleeping pills into his drinks so that she would not be touched by him later in the night. once he was knocked out, anju gathered her belongings, and stowed away onto a boat heading to brazil....