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Midnight's Children is a 1981 novel by Salman Rushdie. It portrays India's transition from British Colonialism to Independance and partition of India. It is a great example of post-colonialism, post-modernism and the magic realist literature. It also portrays the controversial issue of India, the emergency advised by Indira Gandhi and approved by Khurshid Ahmed Ali. Due to internal and external disturbances, the civil liberties were curbed, election suspended, press was censored etc.
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The reunion of the mother and Saleem Sinai, the son after a very long time.
As the novel is based on culture-counter memory, all characters of this novel more or less, are involved in and similarly it is the case of Saleem. Who is an eye-witness of the happenings in India during emergency. |
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Nadir Khan, an accused man, hid himself in Aziz Khan's underground in his own house. Though Naseem Aziz(his wife) was against this, Aziz determination is thrust upon her and she had to react accordingly.
If generally we see through Naseem's lens, the conflict between Aziz and Naseem seems to be denoting the idea of feminism. While on Aziz's part though seeming to be harsh at surface level, but have played a human's role, by rescuing Nadir. |
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| India is known for its trains/one can say that as the train was discovered by Britishers, it is a reminder to the Indians that those were mere puppets in their hands, they had such capacity and stamina to evolve Bharat in somethingelse and thay did it. |
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| During emergency period, 25 June 1975-21 March 1977(24 months) slum areas were shattered, forced sterilization was carried on and there was constant violation of civil rights. It was predicted that the this experiment of autocracy and violation of civil rights against Nehruvian Democartic Ideal, should be made socially open, so that the people being catalyst can reflect upon, concerning their own emotions and feelings. |
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| The two special midnight children, born in midnight of 15th August, 1947(others who were assumed to be imbued with magic). Shiv and Saleem Sinai. Shiv was actually a muslim boy but due to inferiority towards the rich, the two were exchanged by Maria Parera and so Saleem was brought up as a Hindu boy, while Shiv as a muslim boy. Later on when Shiv(Saleem) is admitted in hospital and requiring some blood to heal his health, the blood didn't match with any of his parents and so it was suspected. |
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| Happenings during emergency period. |
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| The prosperous and affluent heritage of India. In this movie Parvati is considered as 'witch' who knows the magic and has the ability to make invisible anyone. |
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As Saleem's nose was considered to be abnormally big, it was cutted down through a small surgery.
In this novel we see many aspects in many characters.
For example: Aziz like to talk for politics, while Naseem has soft corner(devouted)for religion and domestic chores of the house. |
In a nutshell Salman Rushdie has tried to highlight in midnight's children, the happenings in India, during the time of emergency. Where we got to know through the two characters Shiva and Saleem that both though belonging to a particular identity but fated to an unusual destinies. Which impels one to think that how such things are happening? Wasn't it good to be ignorant of real identity, than functioning likewise? Which is known where in the latter part of movie, the real identity is revealed and one can think when confronting the reality that it is good to be ignorant than living with double consciousness.
WORKS CITED
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