The Diary of Midnight's Children

“Please believe that I am falling apart.”

Quite impressive is the first sentence of the third chapter of Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. But the following paragraph, specially the concluding lines explicating the science of ‘falling apart’, is what I would say pulls me back out of the text.

The book has a grand opening. And after the two pages you feel you have chosen a great book. And that’s not ironic. I loved when the protagonist’s grandfather (he is dwelling in the history of his past) meets an alteration in his faith in God. The whole incident is beautifully described and in somewhat filmy-graphic style.

 “. … And was knocked forever into the middle place, unable to worship a God in whose existence he could not wholly disbelieve. Permanent alteration: a hole.”

Such fragments are scattered all over the text but after all they remain fragments. In brief, Salman Rushdie seems to me the “Shobha De intellectualized”. The witty, adroit language and aphorisms* surely captivates a reader but this magic spell is unable to transform one.

However , this book seems more sensible and intellectual than many by Indian authors and of Indian context. Rushdie plays upon local words, phrases, attitudes and characters confidently and almost humorously. But I do not mean to examine the text critically just now --- I have only completed a half century, and Gosh six more are yet left.

Not a review but this time I intend to maintain a diary of Midnight’s Children. Primarily because this was an impulse and logically, because it’s a huge book and worth an attempt at critical analysis. This being the first post of this series, it may seem messy , unclear and digressing from the points but let us tolerate a bit and help to make it better.

A little overview and a bit of thought –

Saleem Sinai, the protagonist is not yet born. We meet his grandfather , Dr. Adam Aziz , a Germany return a skeptic, vulnerable fellow. He is shown to have lost his faith while hitting the stony frost ground and losing three drops of blood. Anyhow, It doesn’t convince. Losing a faith or even an alteration can occur if there is already a space and cause for that. Author’s choice for diction itself proves it:

“One Kashimiri morning in the early spring of 1915, my grandfather Adam Aziz hit his nose against a frost-hardened tussock of earth while attempting to pray.”  

This highlighted word emphasizes the fact that he was attempting and not actually whole-heartedly, devoutly praying. There is a great difference in ‘praying’ and ‘attempting to pray’.

The character sketch of Adam’s friend Tai and his wife Naseem is quite interesting, as they present the other side of Adam’s attitude. They are quite attached to the past and traditional beliefs. Such as, Naseem does not bother if the Maulvi teaches their children to hate non-Muslims because her only concern is that the children should be given the religious education and Tai despises Adam’s medical kit (leather-bag) and its instruments because they are the symbols of outside unknown world with its unknown maladies.

In the beginning , the story goes along with the story of India’s struggle for freedom. The Muslim perspective might contribute the second dimension to the history. Let us see that …

(to be continued...)