![]() But it's not just religion that gets such treatment – Rushdie turns his paradoxical gaze on the idea of the nation as well. Had Rushdie written a similar novel on the political situation under Narendra Modi with uncharitable insinuations at the style of governance, demonetisation, lockdown, the culture of platitudes and puffery, what fate would have befallen him? Saleem's use and abuse of scriptural authority, by turns playful, blasphemous, and reverential, points to his (and Rushdie's) desire to unsettle some of the easy dichotomies that entities such individuals as well as entire cultures employ to make sense of themselves. Can a writer, a poet or an artist be robbed of that right? He may be caught in the abstractions and vagaries of language, but the struggle is itself an expression of freedom and a vindication of the capacity of the writer's voice to shape reality. In telling both his own story and that of modern India, the narrator Saleem Sinai is confined by nothing but “the limits of his means”. The vision of India that emerges from it is more a product of the novelist's imagination than of the historian's search for truth, so much that it blurs the distinctions we often make between personal and public history, between private spirituality and communal religion. Rightfully, that novel, acclaimed as a major milestone in postcolonial literature, not only risked offending some readers, but also fiercely challenged our understanding of history, nationhood, and narrative. Rushdie's novel ponders over the history of India (and Pakistan, and Bangladesh) through several decades, introduces well over a hundred characters, and keeps those dazzling stories magnificently entwined. Saleem Sinai's life parallels the changing fortunes of the country after independence and the picture that comes out is not very flattering of India. But the novel is a family story first and a political allegory about India second: a glorious reinvention of the Bombay of Rushdie’s childhood, of his own family stories. Midnight's Children took its title from Nehru's speech delivered at the stroke of midnight, 14-15 August 1947. The work aroused a great deal of controversy in India because of its unflattering portrayal of Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay.Īlso read: Why India is silent on Salman Rushdie Foreshadowing the political turmoil that would embroil his later career (the 1989 fatwa of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini condemning him to death for his The Satanic Verses), Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sued Rushdie and his publisher for libel, forcing them to make a public apology. Salman Rushdie’s breakthrough 1981 novel, Midnight's Children that mounted scathing attacks on political dynasties, corruption, and the legacy of British colonialism, tempering it with abundant humour and self-deprecating jokes, gave serious offence to the ruling dispensation at that time. On Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a ‘clarion call’ to eliminate parivarvaad (dynastic politics) from the country. “To name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep.” And if rivers of blood flow from the cuts his verses inflict, then they will nourish him. The remnants of the old stone barbecue are still there though, way in the corner.“A poet’s work,” he answers. It was actually full of heavy brush when we bought the place, but my hard working hubby had cleaned most of it away by the time this picture was taken. This is the way the backyard looked before the pool and garden went in. Let's start with something colorful shall we? We did a lot of work, more than 90% of it was DIY, and today I am going to show you some of it. Granted, some of them were taken by the woman who bought the house from the original owners back in the 80's ~ we are the third owners of this gem ~ and she did do some minor renovations in between, but you'll get the idea. You see over the weekend, we were looking at old photos and I found a ton of house pictures. Taking pictures was not high on the list.Īlas, I've shared many, many after shots, but precious few befores. I was teaching preschool with two toddlers in tow, taking care of a new kitten and a one eyed cat, dealing with the contractors who framed the new kitchen, inspectors and delivery people on a daily basis.Īnd washing the dinner dishes in the bathroom sink. Unfortunately, when we renovated our 1920's cottage by the sea, I wasn't blogging. When it comes to home decor, remodels and DIY, before and afters are always a huge hit.Įverybody wants see that ugly duckling blossom into a beautiful swan.
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