‘Devyani’, the debut novel of Nepali poet and lyricist Basant Chaudhary, explores the complex psychology and emotions of people in a forbidden relationship.

Chaudhary, in addition to being a businessman, is also a literary figure who has written Nepali songs such as ‘Shanti Lukau Kahan’ and has published several poems.

The story follows the life of Aaditya Pratap Singh, a middle-aged man and owner of a real estate and construction company. He is a perfectionist who is strict about his work ethic. As someone engaged in building structures, he still believes in preserving his environment.

Aaditya can be considered a person who doesn’t shy away from taking responsibilities, but that same quality becomes his strongest weakness later in the book.

One day, he meets Devyani, a young architect in her mid-20s, through his work. Seeing such a like-minded individual with the same passion towards work as he has, he is instantly drawn to her. More specifically, he views her as a ‘strong force’ because, at the time of the book’s setting, the mid-1980s, educated and career-oriented women like Devyani rarely coexisted in the same spaces men thrived in.

At first, their meetings were non-harmful, almost like a peer-mentor relationship. But soon, they develop a romantic bond, and even staying apart for a few days seems difficult. In the midst of this passionate love affair, both of them seem to forget their moral values towards the people around them.

Aaditya continues to behold Devyani as his first priority despite being a father and a married man. Meanwhile, Devyani continues to pressure him to marry her by pressuring him to separate from his first wife.

The story recounts the dilemma they both face. Aaditya, caught between two worlds, neither wants to let go of the comfort and familiarity his wife, Madhavi, provides nor give up on marrying Devyani, his girlfriend. For the longest time, he was hooked on the idea of committing bigamy without considering how both of the women actually felt. Even though he knows he is wrong, his constant justification for being unable to leave one or the other is an ironic part of the story.

Devyani goes through a crisis of not knowing what to do further with her life. Her boyfriend, Aaditya, feeds her doubts that he will marry her anyhow, but things start to change when his inaction speaks louder than his reassurances.

Soon, the reveal of this relationship leads Madhavi to not even utter a single word to her husband in anger. Aaditya’s false promises ultimately lead Devyani to settle for a man her family insists she marry, and he later regrets his actions.

Aaditya, in the early stages of meeting Devyani, is impressed by her career ambitions. But in his own marriage, he only insists, never fully encouraging Madhavi to pursue her studies after marriage. Madhavi quietly deals with her situation and accepts her fate of serving her family. This quite contradictory nature of Aaditya emphasises how, even when he is considered a ‘progressive figure’ in society, his actions do not match his ideals.

‘Devyani’ has portrayed the contrast of how women’s lives are shaped by the people and the environment around them. On one hand, Madhavi, who, despite having strong ambitions to become a doctor, gets pressurised into marriage at an early age. This pressure stems from the age-old narrative that she must comply with the decisions made by the men in her household.

On the other hand, Devyani, whose status in society at that time can be considered progressive, has immense parental support and the freedom to make her own choices, no matter what. This disparity among the female characters realistically illustrates the multidimensional ways in which freedom, identity, and ambition are often determined by the social structures surrounding women rather than by their own capabilities.

While the book tries to paint different colours of human psychology influenced by love, one problematic aspect is that the story revolves around cheating most of the time. Chaudhary has written the book as a work of romantic fiction, but even as one reads, the fictionalised tropes of extramarital affairs that the characters label 'true love' make one wonder whether such plots are critically pointing out love's flaws or glorifying infidelity.

If there were a more nuanced narration of the emotional and social consequences of such actions, the novel could have been a deliberate exploration of love and morality, rather than just the romanticisation of betrayal.

Similarly, rather than basing the perspective on a character lost in his immoral decisions, narrating from the point of view of Madhavi, a character who has been wronged her entire life, could have offered a stronger reader-character connection, making the story more empathetic and socially reflective.

However, in the book, conditional/forced marriages play a strong role in shaping the characters’ lives: a depiction of our society’s harsh reality that persisted decades ago. Aaditya, being his family’s ideal son, gives in to his parents’ request to marry Madhavi; his reason is completely unjustifiable. “Your grandmother is on the verge of dying; her last wish is to see her grandson’s wedding,” say Aaditya’s parents. Such compelling demands emotionally manipulate young people into unprepared relationships, which ultimately result in emotional dissatisfaction and a situational burden for some, like the main character.

Similarly, casteism is shown in marriages. Chaudhary highlights how caste discrimination overshadows individual choices in love.

The book’s writing is its strongest suit. Presenting unexpected meetings and turmoil between couples, the author leans on realism for their dialogues. Rather than extreme moments or dramatic lines, the exchanges among characters feel emotionally grounded, often marked by complex situations that require understanding.

Chaudhary, who has been writing poems and songs, integrates his own rhythms into this book, making the narrative more lyrical. The main character, who also writes poems, explores his own feelings through them. The ending part, in fact, ends with a short melody playing in the background, reflecting the entire story:

How weak is fate?

that I couldn’t place sindoor in your hair.

How weak is hope?

that I couldn’t wipe your tears

_____________________________

Devyani

Author: Basant Chaudhary

Publisher: Sangri-La Books

Year: 2025