Rupi Kaur | Success story of the Indian-Canadian poet

Rupi Kaur was born on 4 October 1992 in Punjab, India. She migrated to Canada at the young age of three with her family. Rupi Kaur is known for her simple and artistic poetry, she rose to fame by posting her poems on her Instagram account. Her most known works include Milk and Honey and The Sun and her Flowers.

Early Life

Rupi Kaur was born into a Sikh family in Punjab. When Rupi was just three years old, her family had to migrate to Canada to survive the persecution of Sikhs in India. 

Rupi’s early childhood, in a new country, was not easy. She saw her parents constantly being victims of racism, and her friends and relatives experiencing domestic violence and sexual abuse. Rupi’s relationship with her mother was a straining one, both of them would often argue, mostly over culture and ideologies. 

When Rupi was young, she aspired to be an astronaut or a fashion designer. She kept changing her aspirations quite often.

Career

Milk and Honey

Rupi Kaur is a famous poet, author, photographer, and illustrator. She released her first book, Milk and Honey, in 2014. Rupi wrote all the poems in her book by herself, she did not have any intention of making a book out of them. Milk and Honey was self-published by Rupi, and it sold more than 10,000 copies.

In March 2015, as a part of her university project, she was told to photograph the societal menstrual taboos. Rupi Kaur posted a series of photos, with menstrual blood stains on her clothes and bedsheets. She was trolled and harassed because of it, and Instagram removed them twice. Rupi instantly filed a response for the removal of her images, she claimed it to be “an attack on my humanity.” 

Rupi’s response went viral, and Instagram apologized immediately, claiming a mistaken removal. The incident increased her popularity significantly.

Milk and Honey was given a re-release by a publishing house known as Andrews McMeel Publishing. As of now, it has sold more than 2.5 million copies and is a huge success.

The Sun and Her Flowers

On 3 October 2017, Rupi Kaur’s second book, The Sun and Her Flowers came out. Rupi went on a three-month-long writing trip to California to write her book. The book was a huge success from the moment it came out on the market. As of 2020, the book has sold more than a million copies and has been translated into multiple languages.

Rupi has often mentioned the struggle she went through to write her second book. She went through a very long writer’s block and suffered from anxiety and depression.

Thankfully, Rupi Kaur came over her struggles and wrote a magical book. 

Home Body

Following the success of her first two books, Rupi Kaur’s third book known as Home Body came out on 17 November 2020. This book included illustrations by Rupi Kaur herself, it became one of the highest-selling books of the year.

During the Covid 19 pandemic, Rupi started instagram live sessions called Rupi Kaur Live. She did her poetry readings in these live sessions accompanied by some soothing music. Rupi also gave poetry lessons and tips to the budding writers.

Lessons to learn from Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur is an inspiration to all teenage girls who suffer from anxiety, insecurities, and depression. A lesson we can learn from her is that hard times do not last long, you will overcome them if you try hard enough.

She says that whatever you need is within yourself, we do not need to depend on others. Rupi has taught us that the foundation of every relationship starts from loving yourself.

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