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Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water

by Ramlal Agarwal
(Jalna, Maharashtra, India)

Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water (2023, Grove Press) is a formidable novel. It is 717 pages long and covers 75 years. It is about three generations and people from three countries. It delineates imperceptible changes from the pristine life of early days to superstitions, slavery, the caste system, and social prejudices to modern rebellion and the struggle for independence and equal rights. However, the main focus of the novel is on people and the narratives they inhabit, and the book is full of them.


There is the story of a 40-year-old Philip, the thamb’ran, the Malyali word for the landlord, and his second marriage to a 12-year-old girl, Mariamma; the story of a Scottish doctor from Glasgow and his arrival in India; a tale of a Swedish Dr. Rune and his work in India; the story of Philipose, thumb’ran's son, and his marriage to Elsie; and the story of Mariamma, the daughter of Philipose and Elsie, named after her grandmother.

These stories are interconnected and profoundly impact readers, although Abraham Verghese tries to soften this with his humanity and deep faith in religion.

The novel starts with the marriage of the widower Thamb’ran, who has a son called Jojo by his first wife. The thamb’ran’s sister, Thankamma, treats the bride like her daughter and guides her in housekeeping. Mariamma feels at home and learns various recipes from Thankamma. She loves Jojo like her son. She bathes and feeds him scrupulously, though Jojo throws tantrums while bathing. This is because the thamb’ran’s family has a feud with water, as some of the members of the family have died by drowning. The thamb’ran is a man of few words and tirelessly works to improve the uncultivable parts of his state. He invites his relatives, workmen, and artisans and allows them plots on his land to live with him in the desolate land his unscrupulous uncle gives him as his share of property. He wants to see his land buzzing with people. The thab’ran is a very straightforward man. He refuses to marry a 12-year-old girl, but his sister, Thankamma, prevails upon him. However, he lets his wife come of age and consummates his marriage after five years. He is blessed with a baby girl called Baby Mol. The family is very friendly with an elephant called Damo, who visits their home occasionally, and Mariamma feeds him a bucket full of ghee rice. When everything is going smoothly, the family receives a sudden shock. The thamb’ran’s son Jojo, who liked climbing trees and jumping from one branch to another like a monkey, falls into a pond and dies. His death by drowning reminds the family of the condition the family suffers from. It takes some time for the family to recover from the loss. In time, Mariamma is blessed with another son named Philipose.

Like his father, Philipose keeps away from water, but he can overcome his aversion if necessary. One day, on his way to school, he encountered a boatman whose son was sick. The boatman pleads with him to save the child; he is helpless because the river is in flood and his boat is ramshackle.

Philipose looks at the child and feels that he needs immediate help. He instinctively takes the child from the boatman, jumps into the boat, and pulls the boatman along, instructing him to steer. Before reaching the midpoint, the boat collided with a rock. Philipose and the boatman jumped off and swam to shore, arriving at the hospital where they met Dr. Digby.

Dr. Digby, a Scotsman from Glasgow, was born from an affair his mother had with a travelling stage actor. He was raised solely by his mother and grew into a dedicated and exceptional researcher in neurology. Dr. Digby is affiliated with Madras Medical College, where he has gained considerable recognition. During this time, he meets Celeste, the wife of his boss, Dr. Claude, and they begin a passionate affair.

While they are resting together, a paraffin lamp tips over, igniting Celeste's silk clothing. Dr. Digby desperately tries to extinguish the flames with his bare hands but is unable to save his beloved, and Celeste tragically dies. Dr. Digby sustained severe burns that caused significant damage to his skilled hands, which were once those of a successful surgeon.

He takes a leave of absence from his hospital to keep away from visitors and retires to All Such, where Lena and Franz have a guestroom to keep away from visitors. Lena and Franz were grateful to Dr. Digby because he had saved Lena by successfully performing a challenging emergency operation. They look after him. They also requested Dr. Rune, a Swede and specialist in hand surgery, to render his care. Dr. Rune agrees and transfers him to Saint Bridget, the location of his leprosarium. He performs a series of operations, allowing Dr. Digby to regain movement in his hands.

Philipose visits him with the sick child, despite protests against the location being a leprosarium, where children were not allowed. However, Dr. Digby examined the child and asked Philipose if he could help him and follow his guidance. Philipose agreed, and together, under Dr. Digby’s supervision, they managed to provide the necessary relief to the child.

Dr. Digby noticed signs of anxiety on Philipose's face, likely because he was unsure of where he was and how he could get home. To reassure him, Dr. Digby explained that Chandy's car would take him to Pirambil. When the car arrived, Philipose found himself sitting next to Chandy's daughter, Elsie. Chandy praised Philipose for his heroic act, and Elsie touched his hand to express her appreciation, which later culminated in their marriage.

Mariamman receives Elsie as Thankmma received her earlier. She spares Elsie from the duties of a daughter-in-law and gives her full freedom to pursue her love for painting and sculpting. Her firstborn son, Ninan, fills her life with happiness. She believes the jackfruit tree near her house obstructs her view and wants it removed.

Philipose agrees to cut it but dilly-dallies, and it becomes the cause of their beloved son Ninan’s death. Elsie thinks that Philipose is responsible for the death of Ninan, and she leaves him and returns to her father's house. Years pass. One day, she hears that Baby Mol is on her deathbed and wants to meet her. She cannot resist and returns to Pirambil, where she realizes that she is pregnant and unwell and cannot get away from Pirambil and delivers a baby girl.

Her delivery was extremely painful and could have been fatal, but she survived, thanks to Mariamma and Anna Chedethis. The heavy bleeding during her delivery takes a heavy toll, and she notices signs of leprosy on her body. She decides to get away from Pirambil and her daughter. She devises a plan and informs Dr. Digby before disappearing from Pirambil.

Her daughter, also named Mariamma after her grandmother, grew up to be a brilliant student and enrolled in Madras Medical College. While the Thamb’ran family believed that Elsie was dead, Philipose held on to the belief that she was alive and could be found in Madras. Although he disliked visiting the city, he couldn't resist his desire to meet Elsie. Before leaving for Madras, he informed Mariamma about his decision.

As fate would have it, his train was involved in an accident, stranding him in a desolate area. While there, he heard the sharp cries of a child drowning in a nearby pond. Unable to hold back, Philipose jumped into the water to rescue the child. Tragically, he became stuck in the mud and ultimately lost his life.

Grief-stricken, Mariamma carries her father's body to Pirambil. While going through his journal, she is shocked to discover that Elsie was already pregnant when she returned to Pirambil. Although Philipose and his mother were aware of this fact, they treated the child as their own and never let it affect their affection for her. Digby informs Mariamma about Elsie's whereabouts and who her father is. He also reveals that Elsie left her daughter at Pirambil because she did not want her to be exposed to the disease. He also tells her that he would be with Elsie at the leprosarium and would look after her. On hearing the truth, Mariamma's hand instinctively stretched to her mother retiring to her bed.

To clarify the title and message of the novel, the author explains, "The water she stepped into moments ago is gone, yet it is here; past, present, and future are inexorably linked, like time made incarnate. This is the covenant of water: that they are all linked is inescapable by their acts of commission and omission, and no one stands alone.”

In simpler terms, everyone is suffering; no one is alone in their pain. Love and sacrifice can provide comfort in the face of hardship. However, with so much suffering and so many deaths depicted in the story, the novel leaves readers with a sense of gloom.

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