<Ol> <Li> Deven Sharma - he is a Hindi professor in Mirpore, who is tired of his mundane life . He loves Urdu and is a big fan of Nur, a famous Urdu poet . He also gets the opportunity to meet Nur . </Li> <Li> Nur - a famous Urdu poet who laments the loss of a beautiful language (Urdu), and thereby a culture . He is a man of age and experience . He lives in misery and confusion as both his wives are constantly involved in a row . </Li> <Li> Murad - a cold and calculating friend of Deven who owns a publishing house in Delhi . He exploits Deven and deceives him throughout the novel. He is a bully and is very selfish and therefore the friend ship of deven and murad is not great </Li> <Li> Siddiqui - Deven's fellow lecturer of Urdu, is a figure of the decline of the language and culture for which he stands . </Li> <Li> Nur's second wife - she is a jealous and calculating woman who is trying to steal the limelight off Nur . She is hungry for fame and wealth . </Li> </Ol> <Li> Deven Sharma - he is a Hindi professor in Mirpore, who is tired of his mundane life . He loves Urdu and is a big fan of Nur, a famous Urdu poet . He also gets the opportunity to meet Nur . </Li> <Li> Nur - a famous Urdu poet who laments the loss of a beautiful language (Urdu), and thereby a culture . He is a man of age and experience . He lives in misery and confusion as both his wives are constantly involved in a row . </Li> <Li> Murad - a cold and calculating friend of Deven who owns a publishing house in Delhi . He exploits Deven and deceives him throughout the novel. He is a bully and is very selfish and therefore the friend ship of deven and murad is not great </Li>

Summary of the novel in custody by anita desai