In custody - Anita Desai. A Review

Urdu, once the language of proud nawabs and mesmerizing poetic wordplay with its impeccable artistic imagination, is now a dying language. Universities and monuments are nothing but cemeteries and ruined remains of a once glorious past. "Urdu may be dying, and In Custody by Anita Desai may in part be an unheard lament for that death," said Salman Rushdie in an introduction for one of the editions of In Custody.

This is such a beautiful piece of work by Desai. Intricately woven storyline and character development. The final pages show, only in limited words, the patriarchal conditioning of the men in this story. Though in limited space, that theme of patriarchy was impactful. It offers a type of twist in its theme, not in the plot.

This book felt like an old ghazal which I could understand the meaning of. It depicts the beauty of the Urdu language effortlessly. The characters show their deep remorse over their language being forgotten as years pass by. Urdu poets and their admirers sing songs about their language that remain unremembered. If we set aside the political situation of Hindi imperialism over other languages that is strongly reflected in this story, this book will fail to be what it was supposed to be about.

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