The Promised Hand

This Gujarati novel was a surprising delight. I kept thinking of Shakespeare (there are definitely shades of Othello and Romeo and Juliet). The author, Jhaverchand Meghani (born 28 August 1896), originally wrote this novel in weekly instalments in a newspaper (à la Dickens). It was then published as a book in 1938. Interestingly, the author explains in a foreword that the gradual serialisation allowed readers to influence the development of the plot:
“The letters started arriving soon after the first instalment appeared and continued to come as  the story progressed. From near and far, from villages and cities, the college-educated and commoners, men and women alike, wrote to me and suggested the direction the story should follow.”

As the title suggests, the story focuses on a traditional betrothal. The families of Sukhlal and Sushila had agreed when they were still young children that they would get married. In the intervening period, however, Sushila’s father brings his family from rural Gujarat to bustling Mumbai. As her father becomes more and more successful in commerce, he develops a prejudice against the ordinary village families that used to be his neighbours back in Gujarat. He shows more and more determination to bring an end to the betrothal and find a more prosperous husband for his daughter. Sushila, however, has other ideas. As with Charles Plisnier’s Nothing to Chance, the author describes female characters as being confident and free from male domination or constraint (though the traditions and customs remain strong). No matter how ruthless or menacing her father is, Sushila, aided by other women, is resolute. Unlike Juliet, she succeeds in overcoming all the obstacles placed in the way of her marrying Sukhlal.

An interesting historical anecdote is that one of Sukhlal’s cousins intimidates Sushila’s father into retreat but sarcastically proffers an apology:
“Please forgive me, Sheth! I have also joined Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent group, sort of. It’s only my hands that have remained outside.”


Alongside the central plot, there is a constant theme of loss. From the start, Sukhlal’s mother is confined to bed with a serious illness and the shock of hearing of a threat to her son’s betrothal is fatal blow. Sushila quickly takes over motherly care of Sukhlal’s young siblings even though the wedding is still in doubt. Another character, Leena, had nursed Sukhlal in hospital with a strong sense of remembrance of a loved one who had died young. The novel’s conclusion has Leena making a poignant gesture towards the young couple as she prepares herself for the possibility of her own death as part of a relief team responding to a severe epidemic.