1

Ancient Promises

Jaishree Misra

“Ancient promises” is the story of an affectionate and beautiful daughter, a compassionate

but guilty lover, a restless and miserable wife, a helpless and despairing mother- a woman

constantly in search of an identity, a woman perceiving rightful share of happiness.

Janaki the heroine is a representative of the typical Indian woman whose life gets altered
and faulted through marriage and family life. It is the story of a woman who gathers
courage and strength to defy conventions instead of confronting social norms. It can be
considered as a buildings Roman novel. Janu’s story from her teenage to adulthood,
through her marriage and mother hood is a very captivating one. A story of love,
heartbreaks, and marriage; Indian author Jaishree Misra’s beautiful narration is nothing but a
perfect romantic and coming-of-age novel. It has interesting plot twists that keep the readers
gripped. Janaki, the heroine is a representative of the typical Indian woman whose life gets
altered and faulted through marriage and family life. The book, Ancient Promises, makes us
think about the difference it would make if women had enough courage and strength to defy
conventions and live for themselves instead of conforming to social norms.

I was really glad that I came across this book. I actually bought it because it was prescribed in
our third-year syllabus. My opinion about Indian English literature changed for the good after
reading Ancient Promises. I realized that there are talented English authors in India, different
from the cheesy romance books we’re presented with more often.

Ancient Promises introduced me to a strong female character, one who can be

considered as the representation of a typical Indian married woman. Janu’s story from
her teenage to adulthood, through her marriage and motherhood, is a very captivating
one. It’s the story of a woman who didn’t give up; who resisted the circumstances she
was presented with, who refused to accept the life that was “meant for a married
woman”. Janu makes major decisions that alter her life forever, thereby taking a brave
step towards her happiness. Janu impresses us with her extraordinary tolerance and
perseverance. She reminds us of the many women we know in our lives. Her child and
life’s circumstances drive her to find an oasis for herself by defying social conventions;
she is in a dilemma of keeping the ancient promises that are set for generations of
women. Determined to follow her heart rather than her mind, she gives up many things
including her so-called “dignity”. What else makes an awesome female character!
Janaki has become my most recent favourite heroine from a book. Janu’s coming-of-
age story is a girl’s painful journey to self-discovery and freedom.
2

Janaki reminds me of the typical Indian girl born into a middle-class family who starts a
marriage life under the influence of her parents. Her opinions on extending marriage to
few years later are not accepted and discarded with silly reasons. She anyway accepts
it without any grudges because she wants to make her parents happy and make
amends for a mistake she did. Her situations are very much relatable.

Janu taught me that if you have the strong will to succeed and have a clear vision of the
path to take, nothing can stand in your way, no matter how adverse the situations are.
Her life also taught me that sometimes, standing up for what the heart desires may
result in huge consequences. That is why bravery is a big necessity for our journey to
self-realization and success. Life may bring unexpected situations; God may play
strange games; the key is to embrace what life brings us and make the most of what we
have.

The novel describes the ways of Malayalees very accurately and I had the feeling of
reading a Malayalam novel translated to English. The author lavishly uses Malayalam
words all through the novel. Janu's recounting of her arrival at her marital home on the
day of her marriage, on her 18th birthday, is brilliant. This scene must hold true more or
less for not only any Malayalee bride from Kerala but also to a vast majority of South
Indian, if not all Indian, brides. Though the book may seem as another arranged
marriage story, the narrative style and the unique plot is what makes this book a stand
out.

The novel also touches the topics of specially-abled children and how they do not
receive the consideration that they need from the society.

I almost like everything about the book including the attractive cover design. An
interesting fact about this book is that it’s a semi-autobiography, as stated by the author
herself.

Jaishree Misra’s Ancient Promises, a sensitive account of a girl’s efforts to find her destination in
life, is full of keen psychological observations, and culminates in a sane and balanced view of
life. Transplanted from her home and the familiar world of Delhi at the age of eighteen to a
highly conventional and aristocratic Nair family in Kerala, suffering from the pangs of separation
from her first love, married to a man who is neither good nor bad but simply an ‘expert in the art
of escape’, and surrounded by nasty and sly in-laws who will never let her belong to their world,
the problems Janu has to face are numerous. All her efforts to endear herself to the family of her
husband, which includes even begetting a child who is supposed to bridge the gap between
herself and her new family, are in vain. It comes as a terrible shock to her when her child is
declared ‘mentally handicapped’, but her intense attachment with the baby forms her best
protection, and surprisingly, also her means of salvation. She starts rebelling against the snobbish
conventions of the family, and slowly there emerges the first faint outline of a plan of escape.
She manages a foreign scholarship to go abroad, and it is then, when she is almost ready to get
out, that the panicky husband and in-laws try their best to stop her. The last step in this man
oeuvre is to take away her daughter Riya. Still she goes to London and completes her course.
These are her stolen days of perfect happiness with her lover Arjun. But she must return to
3

Kerala to get her Riya back, because she believes that a life of happiness built on the pain and
sufferings of other people cannot last. There is a hole in her soul which only her daughter can
fill. Thus her return to Kerala is at the risk of losing even the only other happiness of her life, that
is, Arjun. Back in Kerala, things suddenly turn out in her favor, she gets the divorce, Riya is
returned to her, and she is ready to start a new life with Arjun. This paper analyses how Janaki, a
woman molded according to the dictates of Manusmrithi emerges as a new empowered woman
who controls her destiny. Janu disrupts the mould in which she has been created by the
patriarchal society. The novel ends optimistically and the author's note in fact reveals the
ultimate gift that Janu receives at the end as an ancient promise fulfilled.

Ancient Promises is Jaishree Misra's debut book with a fresh narrative voice in comparison with
the other novelists of her time.

An unforgettable story, told in first person narrative, Ancient Promises combines in its narrative

strategy, romance, myth and social criticism. Jane Austen succeeded in bringing irony in her
novels, through interesting and poignant observations, which were most often witty as well.
Taking the same line of novel-writing strategy, Jaishree Misra gives opportunity for readers to
enjoy the book in multiple perspectives than just a single faceted love story.

Of course, Janu, the protagonist is the narrator and this is her story. However, this is also the
story of Kerala and its marriage customs. Many irrational and unjust customs still exist in this
southern land situated in India's south. Many European cultures have established trade relations
with Kerala, even before the time of the British. But in the long run, it can also be observed that
the nature of how people behave, the prying and gossiping and backbiting didn't change at all.
Neither had any change visited the sad countenance of Kerala's narrow minded "arranged
marriage" custom.

It is because of these unique views that the novel upholds, that I recommend you the book. With
her lucid and playful language, Misra creates a sea of emotions and the reader can easily
establish personal harmonies with her characters and events. In the afterword to Ancient
Promises, Jaishree Misra says that the novel is partly autobiographical. However, there surely is
fiction as a binding force that connects each and every element from the painful world of reality.
Janu loses her first great love and is forced to marry a business person. Her marriage brings her
only heart-break and agony. Her in-laws and husband, who her parents have selected for her,
"carefully", ignores her very being and forces her to the background of the dignified Maraar
family.

Living in the murky backyard of a marriage gone stale, Janu wonders, “Wasn’t it merely
arrogance to think that we could take matters into our own hands? To take over the writing of our
own stories.” (236) A sense of indifference grows on her being, and her own sense of purpose
becomes unfamiliar and uncomfortable to her. Janu’s image is that of a helpless Indian woman
unable to help herself or her dignity, trapped in a subtle web woven by the culture, religion, and
a relentless totalitarianism of moral principles.    

Janu could not hold the glory of the Maraar household because during one of her visits to Delhi,
the city in which she grew up, although her parents were from Kerala, she meets her old love,
4

Arjun. Janu's life takes a new turn and her decision to leave her husband strengthens. Still, Janu
faces another crucial problem; Riya. Janu's baby girl, Riya has learning disabilities and a
childlike Riya would not have a smooth life without Janu's careful nursing.

Torn among these people, will Janu be able to find the courage to say "yes," to life? Ancient
Promises is a journey into the mind of Janu through her teenage and years after an arranged
marriage that goes terribly wrong.

Ancient Promises by Jaishree Misra was tremendously enjoyable, though, of course, there is pain
that comes along with the joy of seeing a life unfold. Perhaps, that is the way it must be, as if
ancient promises fulfilled now.
(Articles from the internet)

Chapter 1.

Opening: Janaki, the protagonist’s divorce after 8 years marriage-With the trepidation that she

can regain the 98 days she spent with Arjun in the weekends in England during her stay in

England-After divorce return to mother’s safety with her disabled daughter Ria. Begins to tell the

story from her 18th birth day.

Chapter 2.

Reaches the home of her husband late at 11.00 after her marriage in the morning. It was her

birthday also. Five hours journey- the new family in Valappadu –rituals after reaching home –big

family desired by her parents-she felt a desire to go back to her house in Alappuzha- she

remembers the dinner at noon which made her nauseating, the so called maduram vaipu where

she was forced to eat items she did not like. The first night was terrifying for her in the strange

house and she was now really afraid of Kerala. She was born and brought up in Delhi and she

remembers her journeys to Thakazhi, her grandparent’s house-The love of her grandfather was
5

something she always cherished-After taking bath she came out and wondered whether her

husband had come to the room. The word ‘husband’ itself made her to laugh- “He will try to

establish his authority over me”- She spent the night shivering with cold beside her husband who

had already fallen asleep- She was unable to sleep and she wished if she were with Arjun, her

college mate in Delhi, and she wished to go back to her home her familiar surroundings. The

agony and tension of a girl who reaches her husband’s house.

Chapter 3.

Scene Delhi-Delhi was always her home-She lived like a Keralite but her friends from Delhi. She

had to anticipate that her love for a boy, Arjun from Delhi will never be accepted by her parents-

She met Arjun first two years before her marriage- He studied in the boys School near her

school- He was cricket player- It was her friend Leena who was very forward in her relationships

with boys that first made her to notice him. The first meeting with him made her attracted

towards him and it was like a love at first sight-She felt it like the fulfilment of an ancient

promises- Very soon they became friends and lovers and his modest behavior impressed her all

the more. She realized that it was love for which she was even ready to make her parents sad.

One day she told her mother that she has got a new friend with a lot of similarities with her

family, fathers of both military and their interests are same reading and music. Mother who was

orthodox did not welcome it much. One day Arjun came to their house with other girls, but the

parents were worried about his presence. They were people who never disobeyed their parents.

Even though father worked in Delhi he was a traditionalist. Parents believed that she should

marry from their community. Arjun Mehta was from another community, he was very young, he

was not a Malayalee and Janki was only 16. All were against her. Even though Arjun never came

to their house afterwards they met in the house of Leena, whose parents were very liberal. There
6

they declared their love for each other and fell deeply in love. She learnt from Arjun that her

mother is in England and father is in Delhi.

Kerala-Alappuzha: She left him for two months’ vacation in Kerala. Her mother’s family was in

Alappuzha and fathers in Thakazhi. Her 17th vacation in Kerala was not happy as usual as she

was away from Arjun. She spent time with mother, Vijimami and Grandmother shopping and

visiting temples. She prayed to Mullackal Devi to fulfill her wish and to remain as a good

daughter. That was her last vacation in Kerala, she didn’t realize that her parents had already

started proposals for her.

She reached back in Delhi for the last year in school. Meanwhile Arjun and she found a place for

their secret meeting called ‘Chorminar’-place of thieves. It became a haven for them to share

their dreams, but never their body. One day her father’s friend reported that he found her riding

in his bike and father beat her angrily and imposed strict restrictions to use phone and to go out.

Their study was completed and Arjun secured admission in England in Hull University near his

mother. She paid a last visit to him in his house. Leena took their photo. Before parting he kissed

her and promised that he would truly come back.

Her first love Arjun- Separation from him- Parent’s opposition

Chapter 4.

A Maraar family was interested in her for their youngest son Suresh. He had degree in business

administration and them a lot of hotels. They wanted an ordinary girl, from a moderate family

who would be humble. She tried to resist saying she wanted to study. They left Delhi for Kerala

with the letters Arjun wrote from England asking her to wait for three years. Suresh’s parents,

sister Sati, her husband Sasi, a nephrologist, came to see her and the private meeting with Suresh
7

felt like an interview for her. At last they fixed her as his bride. All her efforts to resist were

ignored and she had to surrender before her parent’s love. She wrote her last letter to Arjun

explaining her situation and requesting him to not write anymore. She was forced to wear saree

leaving her jeans. She realized that her life is going to be changed against her wishes and her

story is going to be rewritten.

Chapter 5:

Marriage with Suresh

Wedding was to take place at Guruvayoor temple on Janu’s 18th birthday. Everybody considered

it a great blessing but she was really suffering on the day with the rituals and the difficulty to

manage her sari. She was moving according to the directions given by others mechanically and

she was decorated by the beautician and she was transformed into a typical Kerala bride – a

product by the beauty parlor- and when there was a rain one priest remarked that it looked like

even Guruvayoor Appan was inconsolable about something today.

Chapter 6:

Journey to Husbands house

The husband’s house was in Valapadu- five hours journey from Guruvayoor. The family

members bid farewell and she found surrounded by a new husband and new in-laws and she fell

asleep during the long journey and when she opened her eyes they had reached a big house and

she felt that she was being watched by many eyes from the Maraar family. She tried her best like

a traditional Indian wife even though she was not familiar with that. On the very first day she felt

that she was a misfit in that big family and they always found pleasure in teasing her and
8

correcting her. She was an object of scrutiny for all and mother law always expressed her

displeasure with her. Her husband Suresh was a very busy businessman and he was 26 years old

and her first experience of physical relation was a very dull experience without any feelings.

Very soon she understood that she married the Maraars not Suresh. Her younger sister in law

Gowri always accompanied her. Gowri said that her elder sister Sathi’s in laws were not good.

Suresh’s elder brother a college professor and his wife Latha lived in Madras.

The mother in law who had to be addressed as Amma did not show any concern toward her but

she was very happy when she saw her own daughters Gowri and Sathi. Her mother in laws

mother also was living in the house but she was working like a servant in the house. Reception

was a very tormenting experience for her. She was not allowed to wear the ornaments given from

her family and she was forced to wear the ornaments of Sathi instead. When her parents came

she very much wanted to go back but that were very hopeful that she would get a good family

there she was becoming more and more aware that the parents had made a mistake in her

marriage. It could be impossible for her mother in law and herself to love each other.

Chapter 7:

In Suresh’s house

After a few weeks of marriage she knew without doubt that she had not been choice no one in

Amma’s shortlist of daughters in law. Her choice was another girl. Suresh had laid 4 conditions

before his parents about his wife

1. She had to be pretty

2. She had to be young so that she would adjust.

9

3. She had to be able to speak English well so that heould take her to Bombay during his

business trips to Bombay.

4. Nothing else too important.

She was the perfect girl according to this but these qualities were not accepted by the general

Maraar family. Suresh and his father were always busy with business matters and they were not

part of all the humiliations take place in kitchen .When she complained to Suresh his comment

was that “Don’t be so sensitive. Your problem is that you have been an only child you are not

used to joint family life”. She understood that Suresh is an escapist and she is not going to get a

good friend from him. She was often ridiculed about her mother’s profession as a school teacher

and her father’s profession as a military officer. She wondered how soon her priorities had turned

upside down in a short period of time. Meanwhile she got a chance to visit her father’s house and

she once again thought about her losses especially Arjun. Her grandfather was seriously sick and

he will die soon. She hugged her grandfather and grandmother asked her to come back next time

with Suresh.

Part 2-

Chapter 8:

Birth of Riya: A year had passed very slowly in the Marar family and it was clear that however

had she tried she wasn’t to be one of them stills he tried they found fault with everything she did

and always teased her. They were all tiny insults, so small and so subtle as to be almost invisible

but they gradually took away her dignity and identity. She wrote a letter to her parents

expressing her desire to continue her college studies and her plan to go to Delhi in December but

the mother in aw intervened and said in December there is father in laws birthday and her plan to
10

go to Delhi was postponed to one year. She wanted to complete her BA and to get a job at the

earliest. When she saw Sathi’s children pampered by her mother in law she thought having a

child would solve her problems more easily than a BA and a job. If it is a boy they would love

him all the more. She got ready to become a mother.

Latha (Suresh elder sister in law) gave birth to a boy and received the coveted position in the

family. She became pregnant soon and told Suresh about it and he looked confused and he said

Amma and Sathi will take her to see Dr. Gomathi. As customary she went to her parents’ house

in Delhi after two and a half years and when she passed by Chorminar, she recollected the

memories of Arjun there.

Those three months with her parents were the best days of her after a long time. It was almost

like going back to being their daughter again and not as somebody else’s daughter in law. She

felt free from the pretentions and acting a girl is forced to do in her husband’s house.

Riya was born on the eve of Christmas and she was excited with dreams about Riya. Suresh

reached Delhi after two days with the ornaments for a boy child. Very soon she realized that

children are in really not that much fun always ejecting fluids endlessly from either end of her

person sleeplessness also troubled her a lot when Riya was two months old. She was forced to go

back to Kerala and reaching Kerala she understood that she would not get the support of anybody

to bring up Riya as she was the fourth girl child in the family. She had started forgetting the

seasons in Delhi and England. She tried her best changing her whole personality to fit it with the

Maraars but still not succeeded.

In July her father died of sudden heart attack. His body was brought to Kerala, the land he had

loved so lovely and been so sure would care well for Janu. After his cremation Janu
11

accompanied mother to Delhi to help her pack up all things so she could come back and make

Alleppey her home and to live with her grandmother. She realized that with the loss of her father

her escape route was closed itself down as well. There would be no Delhi for her anymore and it

would be difficult for her to escape from Kerala. The only consolation was she could reach her

mother from Alappuzha with two hours journey.

Chapter : 9

Riya

‘I keep telling you there is something wrong with the child’. Suresh’s Amma. From the gestures

and mannerisms it became clear that she had some severe disability. Suresh’s Amma’s brother

was also born disabled and died at the age of seven. When the child was taken to the doctor, the

doctor declared that ‘this child is definitely mentally handicapped. There is no doubt, she has all

the features…I think that she will never even speak’. The word mentally handicapped revolved

around Janu and she doubted whether it is a conspiracy by the Maraar family. When reached

home she understood that a wrist band mentally challenged has been tied on her hand and she

will have to carry it throughout her life. Even Suresh was not much worried when he heard about

the child’s problem. The whole Maraars remained untouched by Riya’s problem. As the child

became one year old Janu went through all the trauma of a sick child but gradually she decided

that Riya needed me as her voice and she was not ready to leave the child to the servants hands.

Suresh kept himself away from Riya’s life and found peace in whisky.

Then she heard about a special school run by a Sheela Kuriakose. The scenes she saw in the

special school were really worrying for her. Many children were not able to manage themselves.

She returned from there as she was not satisfied with it. After her 4 th birthday she got permission
12

to admit her in St Thomas nursery. The principal believed that there might be certain mutual

advantages for all the children at the school but soon they called Janu to the school and said that

she was not able to pass their tests and she frantically took Riya away from the class and beat the

child severely and ran home. Next month again she was taken to Sheela Kuriakose special school

and she requested Sheela to allow her to work in the school for some time. The Maraar family

was not interested in what all things she was doing. Meanwhile both her mother and grandmother

had guessed that her marriage wasn’t a wonderful one. When the mother visited the Maraar’s,

they even neglected her. In the grandmothers house where only ma and ammuma lived it was all

very dull.

In Sheela Kuriakose’s school she started a new group called Early Invention Group to help other

children also with mental disability. From her conversations with Sheela she learned that a

course in special education abroad will be an escape for her and she would be able to take Riya

also in a special school there. Mentally challenged children have a better reception abroad. She

began correspondence with the British council and the USIS in Delhi. She had already become

an unnecessary burden for her family by the Maraar family. Still there was pressure on her for

another child a normal one this time but Janu was sure that that will not be a substitute for Riya.

She got a reply from America that they demanded that in order to take MA in special education

post-graduation from an Indian university is necessary. She had completed her BA now and she

joined for MA Literature in Kerala University. Suresh was an occasional visitor to this busy life

and by now his presence or absence had become irrelevant for her. She often told herself ‘Fight,

I told myself fearlessly fight’. As she started her MA she bid farewell to Sheela’s school. The

Maraar family was completely involved in marriage of Gowri. She got a letter from Arizona

University. She was in great excitement once again the thoughts about Arjun in England came
13

back to her and she took it as a secret from others. She participated in Gowri’s wedding with

other Maraars.

Chapter 10 :

Announcing the decision

It was time for Janu to tell every one of her plans and she decided to start it in Alappuzha with

her grandmother. It was a great shock for them to accept that. She was went to America to do a

course with Riya and without Suresh but the grandmother’s reaction was very positive. She said

who are Maraars to prevent Janu, they don’t do anything for Riya. Janu felt that ‘somewhere in

my distant past perhaps even a thousand years ago, I had done something that committed me to

dedicating this life for Riya’s care. Had I been a thirsty traveller at her and had she taken me in,

washed my feet, fed and watered me? I would never know what ancient promise I had made to

her just as she would never know what deed had robbed her of words in this life or how that

would be compensated for in the next. But, somewhere along the way we had both lived many

lives that linked us together now… and in much the same way I was also a part of the strange

unloving clan I had married into”.

In the meantime, there was the small problem of funding. Arizona University had already made

it clear that they would not pay for my course. A few months later she got more letters from

other universities including London. She got a letter from Firoze Barwala foundation from Delhi

asking her to meet them for a scholarship. She told Suresh about it “do you really want to go”

and she said yes. It was difficult to convince the Maraar family, she was called before the father

in law and she told him that it was for better treatment of Riya.

Chapter 11:
14

Journey back to Delhi

Janu started her journey to Delhi alone. She had taken Riya to Alappuzha and escaped from there

without her notice. She enjoyed her story to her fellow travelers that she was unmarried and in

charge of her own future. In Delhi she was received by Reghu Uncle. Once again she was happy

to be in Delhi where she was born and brought up. She thought about the days she spent with

Arjun in Delhi and spent some time shopping with Shobha Aunty and she went to bed thinking

about the interview next day.

Chapter 12:

In Delhi

The interview was in India International Centre. They were impressed that she was able to

complete BA and MA even while taking care of Riya and the result of interview would be

announced at 5o clock only. She informed Shobha aunty that she would come back after that

only. She decided to meet some of her old friends and decided to call Leena. She had two hours

left and she decided to meet Leena who had married Rahul Bethra. It was really a thrilling

meeting after a long time. Leena was very happy with her husband whom she described as an

absolute puppet.

To the great surprise of Janu, Leena told her that here is someone else “who is looking forward

to seeing you again”. You will never guess who… Arjun Mehta. She couldn’t believe her ears

that the moment she had dreamt many years is now before her. She said Leena I can’t see him

again. ‘I loved him once and I never loved another, girlishly foolishly stupidly, I still thought of

him every day. I couldn’t sit in front of him now and make small talk then she went upstairs

withy Leena and said hello and he asked back alright. They were unable to talk for many minutes
15

and Arjun asked her “.Janu you don’t mind me here do you I will go if you like. She said no

don’t go it is great to see you again too”, He said that he is still in England he has come for 1

months leave. She felt a rush of disbelief and pleasure at the strange familiarity of the situation.

After two hours, she left Leena’s house with Arjun to the Centre and Arjun offered her a lift on

his way home. They did not talk much on the way as they knew each other’s very well.

At his house they went upstairs to his room and closed the door she walked into his arms and

knew a long, long journey had come to an end. She felt that she had reached home again safe and

dry. ‘I succumbed wholly and entirely to Arjun and my own being without the slightest feeling

of fear or shame’. Arjun told her about the loneliness he felt in England and the shock he had

when he heard about her marriage. Janu told him that it was not out of her desire. Janu showed

him the photo she had kept secretly in her purse when they met last. Arjun suggested that you

need not go back to Kerala and he would arrange a visa for her to England. Janu said that she is

married and has a daughter Riya. Arjun told her to bring Riya also. Janu said she was so close to

getting out anyway for the time being she should return to Kerala and she could try to get the

University of London instead of Arizona. Also she suggested that it was difficult for her to adjust

with Riya. Arjun was unhappy to lose her again but she insisted that they can’t stop her now it’s

a matter of few months and she would reach England. In the evening they reached the Indian

International Centre and she was selected for the scholarship. Arjun dropped her back to her

uncle’s house. She was worried how to deal with Suresh whether to escape from Suresh or to

divorce. On the way back to Kerala she thought ‘had I been injured to guilt from the moment that

I walked so calmly into Arjun’s arms’. Was it because that was what was meant to be, because of

some promise so ancient I could not even remember it now. But I wanted my one lifetime with

Arjun now’ her only desire was to live her rest of her life with Arjun.
16

Chapter 13 :

Coming back to Kerala

When she reached back Suresh was waiting in the station Suresh told her that as her mother has

asked they would be going to Alappuzha for her father’s Bali. She felt a little guilty that she had

forgotten her father when she met her lover for whom father had beaten her. When she met Riya

again she was very happy and she relieved that she had not succumbed to the mad momentary

temptation of leaving India without her. She once again promised her that she don’t want any

happiness at her cost. Suresh went back telling that she would come back after two days she felt

a sudden shock at the thought that she would have to sleep with Suresh less than a week after

having made love with Arjun. “Arjun was waiting for me in that promised future somewhere. He

had made no demands, extracted no pledges I could not betray him”. Janu decided that she

should tell everything to her mother and prevent Suresh coming back for taking her home. The

next day they performed the Bali for their father. While she was performing the Bali she had his

periods and everybody was afraid that it had desecrated the temple. When she reached home she

told her mother that she met Arjun again and she is going to ask for divorce to Suresh. Amma

fell on the bed shocked. The grandmother stronger in spirit told her that she was mad even think

she would get away with it. He asked her what the Arjun would be there when she arrived in

England and would anyone bother about a childlike Riya. At least in Suresh she had somebody

steady and reliable. Finally she would end up as just as a divorcee with a handicapped child.

Next day Suresh arrived and he did not mind mother’s puffy face. On the way she asked Suresh

to stop the car for some time and she requested Suresh ‘Suresh I want divorce’. He said ‘Janu

you can’t mean it… we are happy together aren’t we? She said” we are not happy together.
17

That’s the point. I am not happy with you, I suppose I have never been. It is not your fault I

suppose, we are just different. We seem to lead different things from life. Suresh told her that he

was very busy with business and he was ready to spend more time with Riya. She replied that it’s

not him. He said my mother has hurt you a lot but she likes you and Sathi and Gowri also likes

you. She understood that he was trying to be a good husband and he might even accompany her

to England now there is only one way out to tell him about Arjun. She told him about Arjun her

school friend and she wanted to marry him but it was because of the pressure from parents that

she married Suresh. She met Arjun in Delhi and she wants to go to England with Riya to live

with Arjun. Suresh reaction was unexpected. He promised to give me divorce and asked her why

she hadn’t told me about Arjun earlier and he would help in their marriage. Now he would do

everything for divorce and for her visa and ticket. Janu was surprised from the reaction of Suresh

and she wondered whether it was a chance for freedom for him as well. When they reached home

nobody had known about the agreement that would give freedom to both.

Chapter 14 :

In the mental hospital

Janu was aware that a lot of whisperings were going on behind her back. She was still

wondering why Suresh agreed for the divorce meanwhile she had openly talked about their plan

to go to England to all the relatives. Later only she understood the meaning of his silence. In

February Dr Sasi a nephrologist visited their house and Suresh all on a sudden requested to help

them. He said that she has been talking about a scholarship that doesn’t exist and running .away

with Riya. She could not believe her ears. She understood that Suresh was trying to convince

everyone that she was mentally ill. She was unable to resist and Dr Sasi took an injection
18

forcefully and she openly said she was in the hospital. She was under the treatment of Dr Krishna

Menon in Trivandrum Medical College in the mental warden. When her mother reached in the

hospital she wanted to take her back, but Suresh did not allow that and Suresh’s father was of the

opinion that it is better to take her to Alappuzha but the doctor refused to discharge her but

mother insisted on taking her to Alappuzha and at last doctor discharged her with great anger.

Amma did everything for her and gave the medicines according to the directions. After one

week, Amma suggested to grandmother that we shall stop the medicine for some time. Gradually

she recovered and the question of divorce was again actively discussed with the mother. When

Suresh came to Alappuzha again he was still unwilling to make her free and he said there my

wife and I am ready to forgive to you. But she told him that I am not ready to forgive to you for

the dirty game you played admitting her to the mental hospital. When though Suresh requested

her again and asked her to come back she refused. Next week he returned with his parents but

she told him her that I have already asked Suresh for divorce but they told her that how can you

talk about leaving them.

Janu was confused as the whole family was requesting her. She thought that divorce is not

between two people but between two families and the effect of it would be wide ranging. She

regained her courage and said I am not coming back it is best for both Suresh and her if they are

divorced before she went to England. Suresh came again and again to Aleppey sometimes with

parents and sometimes alone. He promised that things would be different now please come back

for just a month. But she said “now let me go please we can both start new lives” she understood

that he was more worried about the stigma of divorce than divorce as such”. He played various

tricks to persuade her sometimes tears, sometimes anger etc. In between she wrote small letters

to Arjun describing everything. Next time Suresh changed his tactics and he began to threaten
19

her and told her you can’t escape easily and said I have friends in England also. She got angry

and shouted at Suresh to get out. When Suresh get back without another word she asked Amma

to visit an advocate her distant relative and told him that she wanted divorce from Suresh. He

said that it is a difficult process and he said incompatibility is the only reason on which she can

kept divorce. She realized that it is not easy to get a divorce before she went to England.

Suresh had started the next plan. Suresh came back again to Alappuzha and declared that he had

come to take Riya. He said he would not allow a prostitute to bring up his daughter. He snatched

her out of her arms. She requested him that she would not be able to do anything without her but

Suresh locked Ria inside the car and drove home when mother came back she rang up the Marar

family but Suresh was not at the home. He had gone to a restaurant with Riya. Only once she got

an occasion to talk to Riya and in her own language she cried ‘Amma baa.’

Chapter 15

Amma and grandmother went to Valapadu but they returned without Riya. It was clear that

Suresh was using Riya as a final force to hold Janu back. His demand was that if she needs Riya

she should go back to Suresh. Her heart was torn into two. With Suresh she would get Riya.

With Arjun she would get happiness.

At last she decided to go to England leaving Riya with Suresh. Still she was afraid if Suresh

comes to know about her journey what would he do with a heavy heart, she bid farewell to Riya

who was away from her.

PART 3

Chapter 16, 17 :
20

London

Janu landed in Heathrow. Arjun was waiting for her. Finally the lovers are uniting after a long

struggle. She joined for the course in the university. She got everything she dreamt in her life but

she lost her Riya and she rang up to Alappuzha. Amma told her that Riya was sent to Mrs Sheela

Kuriakose School again and he was still adamant that he would not send Riya to England. Suresh

made a last attempt to trouble her by giving a complaint to the immigration department she was

living there illegally but she made it clear that she had come there with student visa and planning

to marry the owner of the house Arjun. Finally Suresh yielded and agreed to send her to

Alappuzha and handover Riya to Janu and he was ready for divorce as he was palling for another

marriage. Janu decided to come back to Kerala complete the divorce process and go back with

Riya. Meanwhile she had to spend 98 days with Arjun as they met only the weekends. Once

again she bid farewell to Arjun for a third time and she thought. “What ancient promise had

brought him to me twice? Good bye Arjun I promise I will do my damnedest to be back.

Chapter 18: Back in Kerala

Janu reached back in Kochi airport her grandmother and mother had reached from Alappuzha

and they told her that Suresh is ready to give back Riya and he was preparing for a marriage with

the daughter of a business man. Suresh reached in the family court with Riya and she found that

Riya had grown up. After completing the formalities Suresh father blessed her and Suresh

expressed his desire to see Riya once in a year and she promised to Riya that she would care for

her as along as she lived. When their car drove off she knelt down to Riya and embraced her. She

felt that “when I, as a tired traveler, had stopped at her door once when she had done something

so selfless and so generous for me, I was still struggling to repay the debt. The story ends with
21

the remark “tomorrow, the next chapter would begin in the appendix to the story the novelist

says that the story is partially auto biographical. Most of the events in the story are from her own

life but Valapadu and the family there are purely fictional. For those who are interested to know

the remaining story she says “I married my Arjun eventually and Riya happily lives with us”.

Answer in 50 words.

1. Comment on the opening of Ancient promises.

2. How did Janaki start her relationship with Arjun?

3. What was the reaction of Janu’s parents towards her relationship with Arjun?

4. Why was Maraar’s family interested in Janaki?

5. What were Janaki’s expectations about her child, Riya?

6. What was Janu’s plans for Riya?

7. How was the problem of getting fund for Janaki’s study abroad solved?

8. What was Janu’s decision after meeting Arjun in Delhi?

9. What was the tactic used by Suresh to prevent her from getting abroad?

10. How did Suresh take care of Riya in the absence of Janu?

11. What was Janu’s conclusion about her having a disabled child?

12. Analyze the character of Suresh?

22

Answer in 100 words.

1. Describe the events that happened on the day of Janaki’s marriage.

2. Describe Janaki’s experience in Maraar family.

3. What were Suresh’s conditions about his future life?

4. What was the problem with Riya?

5. Comment on the experience Janu had in Sheela Kuriakose special school.

6. How did she meet Arjun when reached Delhi for her interview?

7. Describe the meeting between Arjun and Janu 8 years after her marriage.

8. What was the reaction of Suresh and her family to the demand for divorce?

9. Describe the circumstances in which Janu was admitted in mental hospital.

10. How did Janu get divorce at last?

11. Comment on the title Ancient Promises.

12. Write a character sketch of Janu.

13. Explain the role of Riya in Janu’s life.

Answer in 300 words.

1. Ancient Promises is a sensitive account of a women’s efforts to assert her individuality.

Substantiate.
23

2. Ancient Promises is a story of love, heart breaks and marriage. Substantiate.

3. Consider Ancient Promises as a feminist novel in which a woman asserts her identity.

4. Describe the circumstances in which Janu got divorce from Suresh.

5. Consider Ancient Promises as a story of a woman’s painful journey of self-discovery.

6. Analyse Ancient Promises as a bildungs roman novel that narrates the growth of a woman into

selfhood?