Presences and Absences: Anita Desai’s In Custody

Anita Desai’s In Custody explores presences within absences and absences within presences. The protagonist, Deven, teaches Hindi, but his true passion is Urdu. He idealizes a vanishing past, which forces him to confront a miserable present. His idol, Nur Shahjehanabadi, is a renowned Urdu poet and a relic of the old courtly culture. Nur is caught in revelry, torn between a forgotten past and a painful present. Deven tries to revive the dying language and highlight its presence by making Nur’s works accessible. Materialistic obstacles hinder him and nearly cause failure. Despite many absences, Deven gains a presence by becoming the custodian of Nur's unpublished works. This article examines Deven's existential angst, which drives him toward absence. In the process, the article applies the views of Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger to critique Deven’s predicament.