“You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are.”  ― Joss Whedon

Defining the characters in a plot is the most difficult thing in writing. You can’t simply put out their bio-information. they have to evolve with the sequence of events a writer decides to put them through. But through this post, I wish to give you a peek-a-boo into who is what about some critical characters in my book – Because I Promised. Thanks for taking this journey with me. The ones you are going to read about below, are my babies. Yes they may be good, bad or ugly – yet they are all my babies.

Introducing to you some characters from Because I Promised

Varnika Lakhotia

At 21, Varnika is the envy of every girl at her college. She is good-looking, has a cool gang of cousins who have her back covered always and a best friend, who has girls drooling over him. She is also extremely intelligent, capable, friendly and very popular. Her ambition is a subject of controversy, yet she is determined to make things work. On the face of things, life looks perfect for this girl; born in an upper middle-class business family in Delhi, she lives with her grandmother, two uncles and aunts and their children. But, as the past unravels, you realize that life is far from perfect for her. She has her own struggles – some circumstantial and others self-imposed. As the title of the book suggests, she is reeling under the pressure of a promise that she has made. This is her story – how she fights her inner demons and overcomes the challenges in her personal and professional life.

Sushant Jaipuria

Sushant is the younger of the two sons of an affluent couple that make a unique combination of business acumen and academic excellence. Academic excellence accrued with brilliance in many co-curricular activities comes naturally to Sushant. He loves following his heart in everything he does. At the very onset of his college life, he is impressed by Varnika’s intelligence and the way she held her head high in every situation. His relationship with her is not a friendship that is driven by need or reason, but one that stands on the pillars of comfort. But lately, Sushant has been questioning his own logic. Finally, when he is set to move to Bengaluru to pursue his MBA at a top college, he realizes what Varnika means to him and lays his heart at her feet. He is met with an unforeseen reaction. Alas! Sushant is not going to give up something he has set his heart on. #BecauseIPromised is Sushant’s quest to finding out what is driving his best friend and the love of his life … away from him.

Badi Maa

The matriarch of a business family of three sons and their families, Badi Maa is the pillar of Lakhotia household. She believes in holding a tight leash on each of her family member and run the household according to deep-set traditional values and conformation to societal expectations.  And her children never crossed the line she drew, except for her second son, Satish and his wife Beena.  In spite of being educated, and having supported her kids independently since her husband’s early death, she is narrow-minded when it comes to her children and grandchildren’s dreams and desires. Owing to her stubbornness, she has to witness an unfathomable sequence of events that almost destroy a family and a little girl’s chance at a normal uninhibited life.

Beena Mehta

An educated woman who dreams of living an independent life, Beena loves her husband Satish and daughter Varnika immensely. But then, she also loves her father and the cause he supported and fought for, throughout his life. She is weighed down by her responsibilities as a daughter. She believes in her father’s legacy and the work he has done to alleviate the life condition of transgender community. So much that she jeopardizes her marriage to follow her conviction. Will her shift in priorities lead to a broken family? Does she feel no remorse for how her harsh decision would impact her daughter? This is the story of an ambitious woman, who is also a wife and a mother, and is at loggerheads with her circumstances to somehow make everything work.

Ulfat Bi

A transgender who has dedicated herself for the welfare of her own kind, Ulfat Bi is the chief caretaker who oversees the operations and functioning of an NGO for the transgender community. She is sharp, sensitive, compassionate, witty and serves a dose of badass to people who ask for it. She also ends up being Varnika’s friend and confidante, philosopher and guide, during a phase when the latter is struggling with her inner demons and fighting to stay afloat. Her subtle digs lighten up intense moments, while sprinkling her wisdom now and then.  Her outlook on life and things in general makes you rethink deep-rooted stigmas. She is that mast that makes one realize that transgender or the entire LGBT community for that matter are what they are. But they can be much beyond their sexual orientation, if we keep our mind and heart open.

So this was a short introduction of some critical characters that you will meet in my book  Because I Promised.

You may buy the book at Amazon

To read more about the book Click here

This post is a part of #BlogchatterProjects Season 2

7 Replies to “Because I Promised – Character Introduction – Book Blog Tour”

  1. A very interesting set of characters. Badi maa reminds me of what I have heard from my father and mother about my own paternal grandmother though I never had an opportunity to see her as she died when I was two years old. Varnika seems to be an interesting personality too.

  2. Intrigued by the lineup of characters. So look forward to more teasers and definitely picking up the book for a read. All the best Anupriya! #BlogChatterProjects @Cafewhiz4kids

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