Muslim Ethos in Anita Desai’s In Custody

Abstract

Anita Desai mostly deals with the questions of survival and existence in her novels. She tries to understand and explore the machinery which subjugated and conditioned othering process. In the novel, Urdu poetry, and two women- Sarla and Imtiaz Begum- are othered through power syndrome. Power operates always in a series of networks and extends its reach everywhere. Power is everywhere and nothing can escape it. It races fast as it gets allied with knowledge. Thus, the othering process is accelerated by power syndrome. Through power complex, a group of people or community is dominated and ruled over by the other. In the othering operation, the hero of the novel Devan proves himself the custodian of Urdu at the cost of his family. However, he could not rise above patriarchal hold. He pays least attention to Sarla due to his bloody patriarchal training and belief and towards the end Imtiaz. The present author intends to highlight instances and occasions wherein Urdu; Sarla and Imtiyaz have been othered so that the Muslim life and culture can be taken into account with an objective bent of mind.