In Custody (Ch1

Analysis)
By: Abhay, Gaurav, Japnit, Khushi,
Muskaan, & Samudi
 SYNOPSIS

The story 'In custody' which revolves around Deven, a poor man who tries his best to fulfill his family's needs, not in first person yet in a omniscient third
person narration, questions the true meaning of friendship that stands upon egotism, selfishness and self absorption.

Deven works as a hindi professor even though he has a love for urdu poetry. Murad is the editor for an Urdu magazine who aims to publish an interview with
a great urdu poet. When Murad visits Deven with an offer for him to interview his idolising hero, a great Urdu poet, Nur, he leaps upon it with great joy . He,
being an Urdu-lover, grabs this opportunity happily, something he has wished for since he started to relish Urdu poetry, not knowing what is yet to come.

The novel starts with Deven buying two cigarettes at a small shack, outside the college that he teaches at, when his childhood friend, Murad, pays him a
surprise visit when deven was rushing to his next and the last class of the day. In this encounter it is very evident how Murad tries to make his friend, Deven,
uneasy and how he succeeds. Murad is extremely full of himself as he's a wealthy man who has everything he needs unlike Deven who struggles to stay in
the track of the roller coaster ride which is life.Murad wanted to go out for lunch with Deven as he wanted to persuade him into doing something for him but
Deven pleaded that they meet after he finished off with his classes at the college. Deven runs off to class after being bullied by Murad and tries to relieve
himself from the stress by turning his back against his students and writing on the blackboard.
 COMPLEX WORDS
Pages 1-4 Pages 5-7 Pages 8-11

1. Corrugated: furrowed 11.Puerile: childish 21. Fervently: enthusiastically

2.Unobtrusive: not noticeable 12.Defiance: contempt 22.Languishes: weaken

3.Petulant: irritable 13.Grimace: frown 23.Unsubstantial: lacking substance

4.Insolent: rude 14.Coaxed: persuaded 24.Evasive: avoidance

5.Furtive: shifty 15.Ladle: dipper 25. Scandalize: embarrass

6.Divulge: disclose 16.Derogatory: disrespectful 26. Monograph: thesis

7.Affront: insult 17. Slapdash: hurriedly

8.Derisive: mocking 18. Exorbitant: unreasonably high

9.Sanguine: hopeful 19. Vehemence: fierceness

10.Enticing: tempting 20. Glowered: scowl

 FIGURES OF SPEECH

1. Caesura is used often to create dramatic effect:

○ “The expression he saw - of boredom, amusement, insolence and
defiance - made him look away quickly…”
2. Similes are used to create comparisons:
○ “It was the comet he was seeing, swift and pale in the dark like a
bird of the night”
○ “Then an idea struck him sharply as a slap on his head.”
3. Metaphors are used to create comparisons:
○ The opportunity of working with Nur is metaphorized as a comet, as
like a comet, it was rare and was a sign of hope.
4. Onomatopoeia uses sounds to make the scene more realistic
for the readers:

○ "Then Murad unexpectedly barked at him"

5. Zoomorphism is used to give animal characteristics to

humans:

○ "Then Murad unexpectedly barked at him"

6. Imagery is used to make use of the senses and the scene

more vivid for the readers:

○ "Across the dusty field that seperated the corrugated iron shack from
the brick building”
7. Personification is used to give human characteristics to
inanimate objects:

○ "No palace for it (the language, Urdu) to live in.”

 QUESTIONS

1. Explore the ways in which Desai portrays the relationship between Deven
and Murad.
2. To what extent is Deven portrayed as a victim of Murad’s whims in the
first chapter?
3. To what extent does Desai make you feel sympathy for Deven?
4. After reading the first chapter, what can you infer about Deven’s
financial conditions?
5. Describe how Murad’s selfishness ,egotism, and manipulation is being
expressed throughout his and Deven’s conversation, refer to page 8 and 9
to answer this question. Discuss the change in Murad’s tone as well.
His first feeling on turning around at the tap on his shoulder while he was buying cigarettes at the college
canteen and seeing his old friend Murad was one of joy so that he gasped ‘Murad? You?’ and the cigarettes
fell from his hand in amazement, but this rapidly turned to anxiety when Murad gave a laugh, showing the
betel-stained teeth beneath the small bristling moustache he still wore on his upper lip. ‘But I have a class
just now, Murad,’ he stammered as Murad squeezed his shoulders tightly as if he did not intend to let
go.‘Stop worrying about your class,’ Murad said, drawing him close to him and laughing into his ear. I ve
come all the way from Delhi to see you - can’t you give me half an hour of your time?‘But it’s Monday - not
on Monday, Murad.’‘Oh, so friendship is only for Sunday, is it? Is that friendship?’ Murad boomed.They walked
away from the canteen, across the dusty field that separated the corrugated iron shack of the canteen from
the brick building of the college where Deven taught. Deven was aware that many of his students had observed
this encounter with his old friend and were staring openly, some even smirking at the sight. He tried to
wriggle out of Murad’s grasp unobtrusively so as not to offend him.‘Just one more class, Murad,’ he pleaded,
‘then I’m free to go home.’‘Home? Who wants to go home?’ shouted Murad.‘Were going out to lunch. We’re going
to lunch in the best restaurant in your great city. If I come all the way from Delhi to see you, then you can
at least give me a good lunch,’ he added in a petulant voice.‘Of course, of course,’ Deven assured him,
feeling guilty at his lapse in hospitality. Here, have a cigarette, I bought two. He fumbled in his shirt
pocket for them and handed one to his friend.‘Still a two-cigarette man, are you?’ Murad laughed, holding one
between his fingers and waiting for Deven to strike a match. As there was a March wind tearing across the
open field and whirling dust and dry leaves around violently, this was a lengthy, fumbled business. When it
was done at last and they strolled on, Murad said insolently, ‘A full-fledged lecturer in a college, an
important citizen of Mirpore, and still can’t afford a whole packet of cigarettes? You seem to be where you
were in your college days. What’s the matter?’‘No, no,’ Deven hastened to explain. ‘My wife has told me not
to buy a packet at a time. She says if I have to go out to buy just one at a time, I will smoke less.’ He
tried to laugh, as at a pleasant joke. Women are always trying to make you smoke less, drink less.
He pressed his hand to his shirtpocket where he kept his money ever since a pickpocket on the bus had stolen
his wallet. There was not much to feel in the pocket except for one crumbling cigarette: it was the end of
the month after all and he had had to give Sarla more household money just that morning. How would he
manage?He could not bear to think of Murad flashing those brightly coloured teeth in another derisive grin
and saying, ‘Oh, still a two-cigarette man?’Why should Murad not pay for the lunch after all? Not only was he
the son of a wealthy Kashmiri carpet dealer in Delhi - although he claimed to have been disowned by him he
still lived in his house—but he was also the editor of the magazine he had persuaded his father to buy for
him, and of which he liked to say he had made a great success. It was true that he had never paid Deven for
the book reviews he had printed in an issue six months ago or for the poem he had accepted and was to publish
in the next one. Perhaps he had forgotten. Perhaps he had come to Mirpore to pay him.Suddenly and savagely
Deven wiped out whatever he had written on the blackboard along with this foolishly sanguine idea, and turned
to face the class that had been gathering behind his back with much scraping of chairs and shouting across
desks. It was not wise to allow himself such indulgence in fantasies of sudden wealth, unexpected cheques,
acceptance in the literary circles of the metropolis, so enticingly close. Childish, he snapped at himself
with a small jarring sound of his teeth that some of the students closer to him seemed to hear for they
looked up at him inquiringly. He was too old now, he went on scolding himself obsessively, and had had too
bitter an experience of life to set any value upon such puerile fantasies.
 ANSWERS
Can you serve a
language by taking it
up as “only as your
DISCUSS MURAD’S hobby”? Doesn’t it
SHOW HOW DEVEN
MANIPULATIVE deserve a lifetime’s
IS STRUGGLING
NATURE, SUPPORT dedication?”
IT THROUGH AND IN SPITE OF
QUOTES FROM THE KNOWING MURAD’S
CONVERSATION INTENTIONS IS “If we do not do it, at
BETWEEN MURAD VULNERABLE AND whatever cost, how
AND DEVEN. AGREES TO HELP will it survive in this of-
HIM. that vegetarian
monster, Hindi?”

MURAD IS USING DEVEN AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF HIS

LOVE AND PASSION FOR URDU FOR HIS OWN AMBITIONS!
To what extent does Desai make you feel sympathy for Deven?

ELABORATE ON
HE HAS A CHILD HE IS TEACHING A
HOW DEVEN IS
AND A WIFE HE SUBJECT HE IS
STRUGGLING
HAS TO PROVIDE NOT PASSIONATE
(MAKE REFERENCE
FOR, HE IS IN A ABOUT, I.E. HINDI.
TO
FINANCIAL CRISIS
EXISTENTIALISM)

DISCUSS HOW HE
TEACHING WASN’T A IS BULLIED BY
VERY RESPECTED MURAD AND HIS
PROFESSION, IT WAS LOW SELF
LOOKED DOWN ESTEEM (WHICH
UPON. IS EVIDENT IN
THE LATTER PART
OF THE BOOK)