The Covenant of Water

The Covenant of Water takes place from 1900 to 1977, spanning a time that witnesses significant change in Indian society. The story is set primarily in the southern Indian state of Kerala, and it reveals how the rigid caste system and the oppression of British imperialism impact India and its citizens. In addition, the novel focuses on a particular group of Indians: The Saint Thomas Christian community, a much smaller ethno-religious group than the Hindus and Muslims that occupy the Indian subcontinent. They identify as Malayalis and speak their own distinct language. While this group has its own traditions and religious practices, it also shares some features with India as a whole; members of this community adhered to the caste system at least until the latter part of the 20th century—The Injustice of Caste and Class is a theme explored throughout the novel. Like all Indians, the Saint Thomas Christians are also subject to the oppression of British until Independence gains its Independence in 1947.

The conversion of the Saint Thomas Christian community was likely the result of contact with European explorers who went East looking for spices beginning in the Middle Ages. However, as Abraham Verghese recounts in the novel, “Legend has it that Saint Thomas [one of Christ’s disciples] arrived in 52 AD, disembarking close to present-day Cochin” (15). Verghese also notes that, “Those first converts—Saint Thomas Christians—stayed true to the faith and did not marry outside of their community” (15). As a result of this insularity, the community is closely interrelated, a circumstance that, in the novel, becomes significant in explaining the origins of the Condition.

The oppression that Indians suffer under the British empire is everywhere evident in the early parts of the book—even later, in the postcolonial moment, the British influence is omnipresent. From the looming British-style, colonial-era buildings in Madras to the political and educational systems—not to mention the large estate farms, which were primarily owned by the occupiers before Independence—the effect of empire reaches across all of India. As Digby Kilgour overhears an English passenger say on the ship during his passage to India, “We English know what’s best for India. When you get there, you’ll see” (92). This kind of patronizing rhetoric epitomizes the colonial era—though not all Anglo Indians agree. Digby’s nurse is vehemently opposed to “the mission of the British Empire” (107). It is also notable that Celeste, though English by heritage, has never set foot in England; she feels India is as much her country as it is the indigenous Indians’ country. Though the novel continues for 30 years beyond the moment of independence, the legacy of British colonialism still hovers over the culture of India. Describing an annual gathering of estate farmer-owners, Digby notes that, “since Independence in 1947 and the departure of many white estate owners, Indians ma[k]e up the majority at this gathering; however, the tenor of Planters Week [is] unchanged” (674). The specter of the British empire still yet haunts the Indian subcontinent.