Impact of Marital Conflict on Children - Arjun and Roohi in Manju Kapur's Custody
Introduction
The most tragic victims of divorce are always children. In Manju Kapur's Custody (2011), the novelist not only depicts the conflict between husband and wife, but more importantly shows its impact on their two children — 12-year-old Arjun and 6-year-old Roohi. While Raman and Shagun fight for their own happiness and custody, the children suffer emotionally, socially, and psychologically. Through Arjun and Roohi, Kapur shows that in Indian society we talk about husband and wife, but we forget the children.
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The Happy Family Before Conflict
At the beginning, Arjun and Roohi live in a typical upper-middle-class family in Delhi. Their father Raman is a manager in "The Brand", an international beverage company. Their mother Shagun is beautiful and manages the house. They have servants, a big house, and good schools. Outwardly, everything is perfect.
But internally, there is tension. Raman is always busy with office targets and ambition. Shagun feels lonely. The children feel this tension. Arjun, being older, understands that his parents rarely talk. Roohi, being small, only senses that her mother is sad and her father is absent. The role of corporate ambition in creating this distance is explored in our post on Marriage and Ambition in Manju Kapur's Custody.
The Shock of Separation
When Shagun leaves Raman for Ashok Khanna, the CEO of The Brand, the children's world collapses. One day they have a mother at home; the next day she has gone to live with another man.
For Arjun, the impact is anger and embarrassment. He attends a Delhi public school where everyone knows everyone. He feels ashamed that his mother left his father for another man. He becomes more attached to his father and tries to be the man of the house. He grows quiet, introverted, and stops sharing his feelings. He also begins to hate his mother.
For Roohi, the impact is deeper and more confusing. She is only six. She cannot understand why her mother left. She loves her mother deeply and needs her for small things — combing hair, school stories, bedtime. Suddenly, her mother is gone. She starts crying at night, wets the bed, and fails to concentrate in school. She is caught in a loyalty conflict — loving her mother Shagun, but now living with her father and step-mother Ishita.
According to UNICEF's research on children and family breakdown, parental separation is one of the leading causes of emotional and psychological stress in children under ten globally.
Custody Battle and Loyalty Conflict
After the divorce, the custody battle makes things worse. Raman gets physical custody of both children. Shagun gets visiting rights. But she uses her visits to poison the children's minds against Ishita, telling Roohi: "Ishita is trying to take my place. Don't call her mother."
This creates a severe loyalty conflict in Roohi. If she loves Ishita, she feels she is betraying her real mother Shagun. If she sides with Shagun, she hurts Ishita, who cares for her daily. Psychologists identify this loyalty conflict as the most damaging psychological consequence for children of divorce.
Arjun resolves this by rejecting both women. He decides to focus only on his studies and his father. He becomes emotionally cold and practical. He refuses to visit Shagun's new house.
Roohi, being younger, suffers more. She is frequently ill, has nightmares, and asks Ishita: "Will you also leave me like my mama did?" This question reveals her deep insecurity and fear of abandonment. For a fuller picture of how divorce reshapes the lives of all characters in the novel, read our post on Social and Psychological Consequences of Divorce in Manju Kapur's Custody.
Role of Ishita in Healing
Manju Kapur shows that children can heal when they receive stable, consistent love. Ishita, the step-mother, provides that stability. She does not try to replace Shagun immediately. Instead, she slowly earns Roohi's trust — by helping with homework, cooking her favourite food, and staying by her side when she is sick.
Ishita also understands child psychology through her NGO work with destitute children. She knows that Roohi needs security, not luxury. While Shagun and Ashok can offer a more lavish life with a bigger house and foreign holidays, Ishita offers daily care and emotional presence. Her complete journey as a step-mother is analysed in our post on Ishita - The Step Mother and the Search for Motherhood in Manju Kapur's Custody.
In the end, Roohi chooses Ishita. When given the option by the court to live with her mother Shagun, Roohi says she wants to stay with her father and Ishita Ma. This is a defining moment in the novel. It shows that children ultimately choose love and stability over blood and luxury.
Conclusion
Through Arjun and Roohi, Manju Kapur shows the social and psychological consequences of marital conflict on children. Arjun becomes angry and withdrawn; Roohi becomes insecure and confused. Both suffer in school, in social life, and in emotional health.
Kapur's message to modern Indian society is clear — divorce may give freedom to husband and wife, but it gives pain to children. If divorce is unavoidable, parents must not use children as weapons in custody battles. They must provide love, stability, and allow children to love both parents and even step-parents.
Arjun and Roohi are not merely side characters in Custody — they are the moral centre of the novel. Their pain reminds us that marriage is not just between two individuals; it is also about the future of children.
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