The document provides a summary and analysis of the first two chapters of Anita Desai's novel "In Custody". In the first chapter, Deven's childhood friend Murad unexpectedly visits him and persuades him to have lunch, making Deven late for his class. Deven feels inferior to the affluent Murad. The second chapter introduces the town of Mirpore, which Deven sees as a prison. Deven is excited to travel to Delhi to interview the famous poet Nur, as an escape from Mirpore. However, upon arriving in Delhi, Deven is disappointed by the poor conditions in which even renowned poets like Nur live.

1. Scriptfor summaryof chapter1 and2 of Incustody
TIMSY MA’AM’s PROJECT SCRIPT
AGAM: Good morning to one and all present here. My name is Agam
GARIMA : My name is Garima
ISHA: My name is Isha
VIKAS : My name is Vikas
ANUGRAHA : And my name is Anugraha.
SLIDE 1
AGAM: Today my group and I are here to give a summarization of the first two chapters of
Anita Desai's In Custody.
SLIDE 2
AGAM: Before one can start reading this book which was a close nomination for the Booker
prize the reader has met a little epigraph before the beginning of the first chapter which has been
taken from Rob Roy's Grave, one of the works of the greatest romantic poet William
Wordsworth. The epigraph goes and I quote 'they should take, who have the power And they
should keep who can ' which provides the reader with the idea of control, dominance and power
being one of the major themes of this work
.
SLIDE 3
AGAM: Chapter one
SLIDE 4
The first chapter begins on a college campus near the college's canteen where we are met with
Deven, the main character of the novel and his childhood friend Murad. After they 'greet ' each
other in their way we see Murad stymie Deven from going to his class from giving his lecture as
according to Murad especially as he travelled from Delhi to Mirpur. According to him, Deven's
classes could wait but a good reunion with his old pal at lunch could not. Deven meekly tries to
explain that this was his last lecture of the day but fails to escape from this meeting as the two
moves to the college's vicinity and continue their conversation. As they moved they continued to
exchange words as from Murad making fun of Deven to Sarla trying to make Deven quit
smoking etc. However, Deven finally manages to get out of Murad's clutches even though he
tries coaxing Deven by playing the emotional card of Deven not caring enough about their
friendship to forget his class for one day as Deven in anxiety asked Murad to wait near the
college canteen. Deven ran to his classes with a desperation which came on Deven due to
Murad's emphatic gossip which on top made him late for his lecture.
SLIDE 5
Deven finally arrived in his classroom after the awkwardness and social anxiety he felt ever
since Murad came to his college. He seemingly was out of air and seemed to have robbed a bank
from the way he entered his class . Rather than beginning with today’s lesson he started to
pretend to write about today’s lecture on board while he tried to gather himself after the tense
situation, he was wrapped up just mere moments ago and attempted to calm his horses and
establishing his control over the class. Instead his mind was stuck in completely different thought
as he pondered on the relationship that he shares with Murad ever since the days of school,
especially in terms of the affluence possessed by Murad in comparison to him who ‘ could be
bribed and bought to do anything for him .
SLIDE 6

2. He also disdained the fact that Murad just forayed into his life due to which Deven faced
ramifications like showing courtesy to take Murad out for lunch and not going home to have
lunch with his wife . Then he went back to his economic status in the present day which did not
seem too much different than before as he was running low on money at the end of the month
and thinking how will he manage ? He was also getting annoyed by Murad’s remark of deven
being a “ Still a two cigarette man “? Then he thought why has was he paying for lunch while
Murad though allegedly disowned by his affluent father was the editor of a magazine bought by
him which according to Murad was successful . Deven even wrote book reviews or the poetries
for the journal but was unpaid by Murad optimistically believing that Murad has come to pay
him back .After snapping from this reverie Deven rubbed of everything that had written before
on the board to face his class and its ever-growing restlessness . Deven realized it was the wrong
time to escape into a different version of his life’s reality . He checked and reprimanded himself
for such revelling in jejune fantasies of this sort as with his age he felt discouraged he would get
a boom in his economic status or will be recognized as a literary icon . He recites poetry about
the hopeless situation of his reality and the disappointment he had with it . He now had the
attention of the students sitting on the first two rows as for murmuring poetry to himself . As he
looked back at them he saw the expression of utter contempt and boredom on their faces
demotivating him further as he already was after snapping back to his reality which made him
stare at the door rather than start teaching the lecture showing the signs of escapism in his
behaviour as he longed to be free from this , all of this , every – single – bit – of – it . He again
configured another figment of his imagination now in the form of the perfect student which he
did so he could ignore his actual less than perfect student to avoid them entirely .
SLIDE 7
AGAM: The narrative further will be summarized by Anugraha .
ANUGRAHA :The scene changes to a restaurant with Murad laughing at the dilapidated
restaurant of Mirpur where Deven takes Murad for lunch . Deven asks him not to be so unruly
since Mirpur is a humble village . Murad comes back by saying he will never visit his village
again but Deven then protests saying otherwise as he offers Murad a radish . Murad continues his
admonishing while in an irony heartily relishing the radish . Deven to an extent however agrees
with Murad to an extent in his mind as the service was not exactly top-notch like the fully a/c
restaurants in Delhi which he could not afford anyways as this restaurant was purposed for
drivers and passengers who came from the bus depot. His standard of eating was limited to the
most basic of delicacies. Murad somehow being able to listen to his friend’s heart empathized
with Deven’s situation looking at the restaurant he could afford said that he believed lecturers are
not paid enough . Deven agreed with him wholeheartedly as he now opens up about the
economic fight for survival he fought on a daily and wanted to find another way to survive this
cruel and rugged predicament . In desperation he unobtrusively mentioned to Murad about the
content he wrote about the magazine and would like to be paid for it.
SLIDE 8
Murad however probably pretended to not hear about this matter changed the subject by getting
annoyed on losing a Golden cap on his tooth by stones in his food. He answers by cribbing about
his expenditure and the issues he faced as an editor especially of an Urdu magazine in the current
day and age as Urdu becomes less popular in India. To this sob story Deven replies to hold firm
which was being done according to Murad by him planning a special issue on Urdu poetry

3. becoming the saviour of the language by defending it against the ‘vegetable monster ‘ that is
Hindi . He continues to insult Hindi while glorifying Urdu being the language of the royalty
while Hindi being the language of the peasants . As he continues instead of defending his subject
Deven feels uncomfortable with this rant.
He submits to Murad’s to his proclamation of being the sole preserver of Urdu and adds he
would happy to lend Murad a hand in this heroic mission but couldn't do so as he had
responsibilities of a family on his hands hence why he continues to teach Hindi at that college
though he still writes as a hobby at times due to his love for Urdu which he got from his father
which caused him to shift to Hindi as his mother became his sole provider. After turning Deven’s
offer to publish poetries in the magazine Murad explains he will only feature the best of the
business in his magazine like Nur . He explains that he is the most integral feature in this edition
. However Murad wanted Nur’s fresh and unpublished works rather than tiny excerpts from his
old poetries and he is ready to take as much time required to make sure he gets it .
Murad unexpectedly asks Deven to do it as he has some ideas about his work . Deven sheepishly
mentions a monograph he wrote about Nur which Murad incurs will bankrupt him if included in
its feature . Submitting to Murad , Deven agrees not only because he can meet his idol, but as an
escape from Murad's suffocating demeanour.
ANUGHRAH: now the summary of the next chapter is started and the narrative further will be
summarized by ISHA.
SLIDE 9
ISHA : Chapter two .
SLIDE 10
ISHA: IN this chapter we are introduced to the town MIRPORE. DEVEN finds the Town of
MIRPORE as exhilarating for long he has thought of MIRPORE as “a cruel trap or prison as
well as indestructible prison from there was no escape. The Narrator offers the reader a view of
the town of MIRPORE. We are told that even though the town lacks a history, it has probably
existed for centuries. It is said that a NAWAB who fled from DELHI during the uprising of 1957
came to this town of MIRPORE and built a mosque in memory of safe escape. Apart from the
mosque that the NAWAB build in the town. The town has various temples which lack history
just like the town. MIRPORE is divided into MUSLIM area { largely around the mosque} and
HINDU area rest of the town but the town does not have any kind of communal tension. Pigs
were kept out of the vicinity of the mosque and cows never slaughtered near a temple. There is
no river in the town however there is a tank artificially made which remains dry and unyielding
almost entire year, rendering “ an impression of total aridity” to the town. CHRISTIANS in the
town are very few. Town has a college, where DEVEN teaches and some schools town is
isolated and there is a railway station used for long-distance trains. People use buses for various
kinds of work. MIRPORE is famous for sugarcane. Most of the population of the town
comprises petty tradesman who has been living in this town for many years. MIRPORE divided
into MUSLIM and HINDU and divides into mosques and temples and from these line showing
concern about religion. ANITA DESAI says there is a religion trap in MIRPORE.
SLIDE 11

4. DEVEN is glad to leave the town to go to DELHI interview NUR. The feeling of happiness that
envelops DEVEN originates from his frustration of being trapped within the LALA RAM LAL
COLLEGE for many years now. DEVAN is fairly excited about his journey to DELHI. He is
wearing the pale green shirt that was given to him by his wife after her arrival from her
parents’s home. DEVAN had thought that the shirt was cheap and had bluntly made his feelings
public to his wife but when he was prearranging for the journey, he had asked his wife to take
out the shirt for him to put on which made her wife smirk. DEVEN thinks of his opportunity to
interview NUR as momentous and wonders if he is prepared for such a thing to have agreed to a
task for which he had neither the qualified for which he had neither the experience nor the
confidence. He thinks that NUR will think of him and MURAD as two clowns when they would
go to meet him uninvited and still he feels that meeting with NUR would be the most momentous
day of his life.
ISHA: the narrative further will be summarized by VIKAS.
SLIDE 12
VIKAS: Next in the bus, a turbaned petty trader, tries to talk to him on topics that DEVAN is
not interested and by and large he ignores him. Engrossed in his thoughts he recites NUR’S
verses throughout the journey.He alights the bus at the cashmere gate bus terminal. A tea shop
owner convinces him to try his sweet tea. As DEVAN finishes the tea, he is disgusted to find a
dead a died to fly at the bottom of the glass and is “horrified at the tea shop owner’s filthiness
and the wretched standards of hygiene in his shop. The owner however continues to invite
customers in the shop to taste his sweet and one of kind tea. DEVAN is disappointed there.
DEVAN finds it difficult to MURAD’S office but finally he is successful in locating it in an old,
dilapidated building.
SLIDE 13
VIKAS: MURAD’S behaviour makes DEVEN suspect that he does not want him to go inside
his office to see the degree of success or failure of his journal. MURAD stood breathing hard,
holding on to the doorpost on either side of him. Did he not want DEVEN to see his office
evaluate the degree of success or failure of the journal and ascertain if MURAD was really in a
position to commission poets and scholar to write for him ?? But MURAD says that he is in a
hurry because he does not want to keep the old poet waiting as the appointment is at three
o’clock. MURAD in one of his mood swings refuses to accompany DEVEN to NUR’S house “
why must I take you ?? are you a baby ??..... go, go, go and see him, interview him write an
article for my paper. I will see it and I will print it but I cannot nurse my contribution as if they
were babies, can I ?? DEVEN is once again surprised at MURAD’S inconsistent behaviour even
though he has known it since childhood and he realizes that MURAD has not changed at all.
MURAD Introduces DEVAN to V.K. SHAHAY and calls him his landlords, he is impressed by
his dedication to the language. MURAD writes a letter of introduction for DEVEN to be given to
NUR and asks one of his office boys to accompany DEVAN to NUR’S house. DEVEN follows
that boy through the lanes of the bazaars of CHANDANI CHOWK. Now GARIMA will give an
analysis of both the chapter.

5. SLIDE 14
GARIMA: If we talk about summary, a summary is the “soul of the novel” and we talk about
analysis because “ analysis is the identity card of the novel” and summary and analysis both
directly proportional to each other.
Analysis of CHAPTER 1: IN chapter one of the novel, the narrator DEVEN is surprised by an
unexpected visit from his childhood friend MURAD. DEVEN has been mopping, and feeling
dull and unmotivated at the beginning of the story which sort of foreshadows that something
unexpected or great may occur later in the story. MURAD and DEVAN are childhood friends,
and the writer displays their friendship by contradicting their backgrounds. Their friendships are
oxymoronic and somewhat toxic as DEVEN is used to being a doormat, his kind soul allowing
anyone to trample over him, while MURAD is used to being the dominant person, because of
how spoilt he was. Due to MURAD’S powerful character, DEVEN feels inferior and invisible.
MURAD proposes an interview to DEVEN where he claims it will be beneficial for scholars and
DEVEN where he claims it will be beneficial for scholars and DEVEN agrees not only because
he can meet his idol, but as an escape from MURAD’S suffocating demeanour.
Analysis of CHAPTER 2: The view of the second chapter shifts as it shows DEVEN’S trip from
MIRPORE TO DELHI. MIRPORE symbolizes a ‘prison’ and the window of opportunity
allowed DEVEN an excuse to escape the enclosed town he grew up in. In this chapter, the
readers can depict DEVEN’S insecurities and self-consciousness as he ponders on whether his
simple ‘satin shirt’ was good enough for the famous poet he admired NUR. The story is showing
an optimistic side as DEVAN is hopeful and believes his life can change for the better. However,
as he arrives at DELHI, he is disappointed by what he saw. he was shocked when he realized a
respectable poet like NUR inhabited a low life neighbourhood. This part of the chapter
symbolizes that although somebody is famous or seen as a wealthy and contest person in the
public eye they may not living their best life as everyone faces their problems. The narrator
mentioned a cruel trap or prison to display his emotions and feelings towards MIRPORE and
how he feels imprisoned in the small town.
SLIDE 15
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