I just disagree with the explanation and f metaphor. I think the explanation would be more realistic if it's done this way : Salim is Pakistan, Shiva is India, Parvati is Indira Gandhi other midnight's children are secularism because secularism is the value on which state of India was found at midnight and the nurse is britisher. Pakistan has influenced India's secular culture, cherish it , nourish it. But war changed everything. Secularism changed into provincialism etc. India also changed. In 1971 after liberation of Bangladesh Pakistan was devastated and hence Salim too is devasted by loss of family which resembles in toto the loss of east Pakistan. The child of Shiva and Parvati was emergency and that hurt Pakistan and secularism mostly. Here Salim s representation extends to indian muslims. Here's an example of such suffering at turkman gate in old Delhi "Turkman gate demolition and rioting - Wikipedia" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkman_gate_demolition_and_rioting Pakistan also suffered during emergency in India "Revisiting the 1975 emergency - Newspaper - DAWN.COM" www.dawn.com/news/1695947 "Pakistanis Fear Crisis in India Could Lead to Border Clashes - The New York Times" www.nytimes.com/1975/08/11/archives/pakistanis-fear-crisis-in-india-could-lead-to-border-clashes.html During this emergency secularism was hurt very brutally along with muslims by Indian state represented by Shiva. Hence surgical removal of magical power. Salim lost his family during indo pak war and dino indian war shows how Pakistan suffered from India. Loss of Indian muslim during sino indian war is described in this article "PAKISTAN AND THE SINO-INDIAN DISPUTE-I on JSTOR" www.jstor.org/stable/41392734 And so Pakistan also suffered during sino indian war of 1962. So the entire story is about how Pakistan suffered in the hand of India and Pakistan is shown as victim and India as attacker. This entire novel is anti indian and is not about Identity crisis but about defamation of India. This novel was misinterpreted by Indian media to hide true motive of Rushdie and to make a place for Rushdie among indian intellectuals which is really succesful. My personal suggestions is that the reality of midnight's children and Salman Rushdie as anti indian and pro Pakistani should be communicated to indian people.
I just disagree with the explanation and f metaphor. I think the explanation would be more realistic if it's done this way :
Salim is Pakistan, Shiva is India, Parvati is Indira Gandhi other midnight's children are secularism because secularism is the value on which state of India was found at midnight and the nurse is britisher.
Pakistan has influenced India's secular culture, cherish it , nourish it. But war changed everything. Secularism changed into provincialism etc. India also changed.
In 1971 after liberation of Bangladesh Pakistan was devastated and hence Salim too is devasted by loss of family which resembles in toto the loss of east Pakistan.
The child of Shiva and Parvati was emergency and that hurt Pakistan and secularism mostly. Here Salim s representation extends to indian muslims. Here's an example of such suffering at turkman gate in old Delhi
"Turkman gate demolition and rioting - Wikipedia" en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkman_gate_demolition_and_rioting
Pakistan also suffered during emergency in India
"Revisiting the 1975 emergency - Newspaper - DAWN.COM" www.dawn.com/news/1695947
"Pakistanis Fear Crisis in India Could Lead to Border Clashes - The New York Times" www.nytimes.com/1975/08/11/archives/pakistanis-fear-crisis-in-india-could-lead-to-border-clashes.html
During this emergency secularism was hurt very brutally along with muslims by Indian state represented by Shiva. Hence surgical removal of magical power.
Salim lost his family during indo pak war and dino indian war shows how Pakistan suffered from India. Loss of Indian muslim during sino indian war is described in this article
"PAKISTAN AND THE SINO-INDIAN DISPUTE-I on JSTOR" www.jstor.org/stable/41392734
And so Pakistan also suffered during sino indian war of 1962.
So the entire story is about how Pakistan suffered in the hand of India and Pakistan is shown as victim and India as attacker.
This entire novel is anti indian and is not about Identity crisis but about defamation of India.
This novel was misinterpreted by Indian media to hide true motive of Rushdie and to make a place for Rushdie among indian intellectuals which is really succesful.
My personal suggestions is that the reality of midnight's children and Salman Rushdie as anti indian and pro Pakistani should be communicated to indian people.
Thank you for the long and interesting comment. We are thrilled when we have people debating great books. 🙏