The story begins at the railway platform at night, where a lady name Akhilandeshwari or Akhila starts her journey all alone and gets herself a one way ticket to Kanyakumari. This journey is in search of her true identity and to find the prominent answer of a question-Can a woman stay single and be happy at the same time? “But you Must tell me what you relly think can a woman cope alone”(3) Swaps stories with five different women “ you will be stuck with five other women who will all want to know the story of your life”(11) Who inspires her to live by her own choice. Besides this the novel also glorifies the feminist theme of female bonding in “Ladies Coupe”. We feel more comfortable to shares our stories with the stangers more than the known people. Even we don’t talk about these kind of thought with are family members because this is the inner voice of are subconcious mind which made us keep brooding and never ending questions of our alter ego, always running in mind, but never discussed with the others.

This journey is all symbolic in itself, where Akhila decides to get a ticket for herself and start her journey, where she wants no one with her, but having her own company. “Dreaming of escape and space.Hungry for life and experience” the character of Akhila is an ordinary woman which we can find in every where,she pondered her own decision very keenly then make up her mind to do what she wants. She is not an impulsive in nature. She is the backbone of her family after her father's death. From the very begning she takes all the responsbility of her house. She works in income tax department, fulfill all her duties towards her family even though she sacrifices her life for other members of the family, none of them is worried about her life, so she decides one day to start a journey by her own”She wanted to shake the dust of home off her feet”(11)

Why a woman is always in the shadow of her husband? The marriage trap is something psychological where the mind of a woman running in one direction only, towards her family. The relationship with the others, worked well when she fullfill her duties obediently, without questoning. “I want my wife to take care of my children and me. I don’t want her so caught up with her job that she has no time for the house or for taking care of my needs”(16) what about her needs nobody even asked may be she willing to do something else besides marriage. . The cultvation of self- compassion is needed, treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to others. “Amma said it is best do accept that the wife is inferior to her husband” (16) Where her opinion dosen’t matter for others, her choices are negligible, nothing is important for her but the leading domanating constracted socitel values the only things that provieds her a dignified life because since the childhood the culture and society made the girl to groomed only for the marriages.

1. Importance of self identity

The novel presents about woman and her ambigious identity because before the marriage, a woman rely on her father and after marriage on her husband. The constructed value of the society always groomed a girl only for marriage. Here the paper imphasizes about the importance of individuality and self- identity and The novel “Ladies Coupe” by Anita Nair shows a very concise perspective of an Indian society for woman.

Akhila a matured woman, forty five years old and unmarried lived with her family. Her father’s death bought the crisis in the family. When her father died she was in the college. She droped out the college because of family responsibility. They are four siblings, Akhila was the eldest one so she took all take care of her family members and became man of the house. She worked in income tax department. She has never been allowed to live her own life. She is presented as an independent woman who refuses to follow the expectations of the patriarchal life style. The ability to endure under the worst of circumstances are Akhila’s key to survival. Akhila tries to search her own identity and happiness. Which is absolutely fine because in her family no one cares about her and her life. Akhila’s family members are quiet self centered every one is busy in their lifes and make their life quite comfortable without bothering about her. It seems to Akhila that her feminity has been reduced to the role of the main provider in the family. As the eldest sister, Akhila has always put the need of her Amma and younger siblings first. She provided the dowry for her younger sister so that she could get married, funded their studies and basically every aspect in life. On the surface, Akhila is the ‘man’ in the family, which is traditionally reserved for the patriarch. However, she does not get the recognition of being the head of the family. This is due to the patriarchal system where the husband/father are considered as the most important members in a family. Akhila felt neglected as her Amma and siblings never seem to care about her dreams.

1.1 Financial Independence

One story when Akhlia was about nine years old her friend Karpagam brought to school a foot-long pencil with a little pink plastic hand attached to its end.,she admired the beautiful pencil and wanted one for herself and asked her to take it home with her for a day. She asked the price of the pencil it was of six rupees, because Karpagam Mother made money through her dancing classes and able to purchase the things by her own. “Karpagam’s mother can buy her all kinds of things ,she has an income of her own”(15). When Akhila asked to her Mother to buying one for her she had scolded by her mother and warned, not talked to Karpagam again and given her excuses of money because she relied on her husband’s fortune .“If amma had a job, she too have money of her own and she would be able to buy her the things she needed with out troubling Appa about it”(15,16) Though this is the small incident of Akhila’s life but it’s a big scenario in itself, where a female totally depended on a male financially.

1.2 Be Respoinsible to take Decisions

Value the, rights, freedoms and responsibilities of your democratic constitution. Woman needed her own existence. In Indian society believed woman are inferior to man. If woman are capable for take their decision but they asked for man. The one incident that mentioned in the story about the decision, when Akhila’s parents got married and her Mother inherited a small piece of land in her village Akhila’s father sold the land without any concern of her wife which is quite okey with her. Several years later her cousin told that the same piece of land had been sold for ten times its original price. Here its poofs that not the all decision taking by a man is quiet right sometime it could be fawl. Though the land was inherited by her Amma so the decision also could be mutual between both the person because marriage is something about two peoples consent not for the one . “Amma left all decision to Appa. ‘He knows best ,’ she said.’ we have never had to regret any decision that he has taken, even when it was on my behalf.”(16)

1.3 Educate Yourself

If woman educates herself there have positive consequences in their familylife, increases their awareness,self-confedence,communaction abilities. These factors may provide them a relatively higher by negotiating more favorable terms with their natal and marital families.Knowledgable education is the only key where you defend your own decisions without any skepticism.It gives you the confidence and made you a good decision maker. After her father’s death Akhila joined income tax department for livinghood. Akhila is well educated woman who knows the all aspect of a valuable education she is the knowledge seeker through her life.

One day Akhila’s Sarsa Mami who lived in two street far ,asked to help clean the trunk with full of books that her brother-in –law had brought during his college years and had no use for any more. When she saw the books she got excited and asked to borrow them because she loves seeking Knowledge “ Akhila let her hand slide over the books. There were James Hadely Chases and Perry Masons; Harold Robbins and Irving Wallace and old classic or two . Dog-eared, yellowed with age and sweet-smelling racy books that made the blood hammer in her heart and unfureld forbidden thoughts.Sarsa Mami let her borrow one book at a time”.(47) Why a woman cannot live alone when she earns money and when she has a good education? The reason is that the society permits her to live with her family but it is not applicable for men.

In present time woman has done earning with household works better way. Then our Indian Patriarchal society must need to change their thoughts and behaviour for woman. Anita Nair portraits condition of society and woman want to emancipation from the cage. Women want to live their own way. The convention of the society is quite harsh towards for woman.

Akhila a forty five year old spinster. Took a journey to search for self-identity. “You should trust your instincts you have to find your own answer no one can help you do that”(22). Lastly we findout that the Akhila ‘s character is way more stronger, though her family doesn’t valued her sacrifices but we can clearly saw that all the family member depended on her they never showed any gratitude towards her, Lastly she listened to her instinct.The woman should value her role as an individual not the scripted one which has given by the society, rescript yourself, be your own first creator. If you are not getting enough respect and consideration just walk away from those boundries and set a new boundries for yourself. Don’t follow those paradigm which are constructed by the others for their own sake not for you and your welfare.Take the write map on your hand that leads to you in the write direction of your journey. Make the possible choices for yourself which gives you some kind of inner peace and satisfaction. Creats your own identity without anybodies interference so you can satisfy your own ego that you are the master of your life which provides the mental stability to your mind.

“What’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she’s is already had everything she needs within herself. It’s the world that convinced her she did not.”(Rupi Kaur)

1. Nair, Anita. Ladies Coupe. St Martin’s Griffin, 2001.
2. Dr. Baranwal , Ratnesh “Existentialism in Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe” The Creative launcher, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 44-48 Perception Publishing, 2021.
3. Kavitha, S., and C. Geetha. "Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe: The Configuration of the Cultural Determinant Women." LITERARY ENDEAVOUR: 63.
4. Pankajakshan, Dhanya, and Nandini Nagar. "Female Subjugation in Anita Nair's Ladies Coupe." Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science 9.5 (2021).
5. Zin, Siti Masitah Md, Siti Hawa Muhamad, and Zamila Abdul Rani. "Oppression of Women in Ladies Coupé." Proceedings of the 2 nd International Conference on Economics and Banking. Vol. 24. 2016.