Midnight's Children- Salman Rushdie (Part II)

 MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN (PART-2)

Writer:

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, typically set on the Indian Subcontinent.

Recently, Salman Rushdie was attacked in New York on 12 August 2022, based on a fatwa issued on Feb. 12, 1989, for his work ‘The Satanic Verses’ (1988). Read the news in detail CLICK HERE

Novel:

Midnight’s Children is the Second novel by Salman Rushdie. Midnight's Children sold over one million copies in the UK alone and won the Booker Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1981. It was awarded the "Booker of Booker" Prize and the best all-time prize winner in 1993 and 2008 to celebrate the Booker Prize's 25th and 40th anniversaries. In 2003 the novel appeared at number 100 on the BBC's The Big Read poll which determined the UK's "best-loved novels" of all time.

The novel basically is from Kashmir in 1917 to Bombay in 1977, it brings us through the ending of British rule, the birth of a nation, the Partition of India and Pakistan, later the war of independence of Bangladesh, and finally, the Emergency under the government of Indira Gandhi.

Amidst the torrents of history emerges the main character Saleem Sinai. The film begins with his grandfather Dr. Aziz (Rajat Kapoor) in Kashmir, examining his patient and future wife Naseem (Shabana Azmi) through a perforated sheet. Then comes the next generation of Saleem’s parents Amina (Shahana Goswami) and her husband Ahmed Sinai (Ronit Roy), moving to Bombay, giving birth to a baby boy at the stroke of midnight, the dawn of India’s independence on August 14, 1947. But baby Saleem is a changeling with another baby born at the same time, Shiva, by the hands of Mary (Seema Biswas) the nurse.

Themes and Symbols (if film adaptation is able to capture themes and symbols?)

Perforated sheet

The perforated sheet has symbolized the fragmented life of the characters throughout the novel. It symbolized not a whole view, a fragmented view, and also a material used to preserve the chastity and purity of female characters. Aziz falls in love with a perforated sheet and The perforated sheet makes one final appearance with Jamila Singer: in an attempt to preserve her purity.

Silver spittoon

Spittoon is a symbol of memory and memory loss. It was given to Amina as part of her dowry by the Rani of Cooch Naheen which was the only memory of the family with Saleem. But later this memory, spittoon gave him a memory loss. Spittoon was responsible for Saleem’s Amnesia. The spittoon is the symbol of a vanishing era, which, in retrospect, seemed simpler and easier.

Pickles

Pickles are a symbol of preservation and destruction. Saleem tries to preserve his stories in pickles and chutney. By telling his stories he is trying to preserve the dying man. This connection between pickles and the preservation of stories endures until the very end of the book.

Knees and nose

The knees and nose are the symbols of the power of Saleem and Shiva, the two firstborn midnight’s children who got changed in the hospital. Shiva is suspected of killing a string of prostitutes with his powerful knees, while Saleem uses his nose to discover the most decrepit prostitute in the city. Knees and nose—just like Shiva and Saleem, destruction and creation, faith and humility—are inextricably related. This symbolizes both power/ strength and weakness, creator (Saleem) and destructor (Shiva).

Saleem and Shiva

Shiva and Saleem are binary to each other. They are contemporary. Complete each other. As Yin Yang. Saleem in allegorical India and India story is incomplete without Shiva.

History and Individual

Reading Midnight’s children we can read a connection made by Rushdie of Saleem Sinai with the History of India. The section that Rushdie establishes between every personal event in Saleem's life and that of his family and the political and historical events that unfold in independent India is carefully maintained throughout the novel, even though sometimes it can sound a bit forced as in the latter part of the novel. The language riots of the 1950s, Indo- Pak war of 1971, and Indira Gandhi’s ‘Emergency” in 1975 all these India stories can be read through Saleem. Also, the story begins with Kashmir which even today is a ‘hot spot’. The parallel drawn between Aziz and Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. His parents, grandparents, and an aunt me killed on 23 September 1975, the day India's Airforce bombs Rawalpindi. The book is full of such demonstrations which connect Saleem and India.

Colonialism and neo- Colonialism in India

Midnight’s Children attacks British colonization and they were symbolized through the characters like Methwold. He is used as a symbol of evil and moral degeneration rather than a fully fleshed-out character. He is used as a symbol of colonization, exploitation, and demoralization in the novel. The seduction of Vanita in absence of her husband Winkee is a metaphor for appropriating and exploiting what rightfully belongs to another. How Britishers came to India and tried to exploit India. They controlled India and also tried to be an owner not only of land but people also.

Fragmentation, Migrancy, and Memory

This is not the main theme but the novel. The novel's narrative technique which is stories inside the stories presents us with the fragmentation in the novel. The novel is all about memory and loss of memory. The novel begins with Dal lake and ends in Pickles factory. The cracks and disintegration in the novel bring newness in the novel.

These are the themes and the symbols of the novel which are aptly described and adapted in the movie also. Cinematography has also beautifully captured all the symbols with the help of long and short shots and focus. The movie has held the essence of the novel through and in which its symbols and themes played an important role.

The texture of the novel (What is the texture of the novel? Well, it is the interconnectedness of narrative technique with the theme. Is it well captured?)

The texture is a word that is used to describe the combination of word choice, mood, and what the authorial lens focuses on in a piece. Looking at Midnight’s Children we see getting introduced to this novel is getting introduced to a new texture of the book. The book does not describe anything in chronological order. It oscillated between past and present and even sometimes the future through the dreams of Salem. The novel has a unique narratological style combining both Indian and western methods, including magic realism and first-person narration also. The novel captures India from 1915 to 1978. Adding to it, the novel has a wonderful connection between symbols and narration. The symbols indicate binary, negative, and positive aspects. E.g. symbol of a pickle- destroyer and preserver.

What is your aesthetic experience after watching the screening?

We had a wonderful movie screening of Midnight’s Children 2012 film directed by Deepa Mehta and screenplay written by the Author himself. We already had a background of the novel and the changes made in the novel and film adaptation. So we knew that it's not completely what is in the novel. But overall it was great, it brought the texture of the novel, and themes and symbols were aptly used in the film. It didn't have the complete storyline of the novel but it significantly gave the ideas and themes of the novel. The movie used the same dialogue as the movie, especially in the beginning. The ending in the movie and novel is different. But we can understand the difficulty of bringing the whole thing in motion is a difficult task.

Here is my learning outcome of S. Rushdie's novel Midnight's Children.

READ PART 1 OF THIS BLOG. CLICK HERE. 

I hope my blog is useful. Thanks for visiting. 

Short Story- An Astrologer's Day- R.K. Narayan

Hello readers! This is the response blog to Yesha Bhatt ma’am’s assigned task. This blog deals with R. K. Narayan’s short story An Astrologer’s Day from Malgudi Days, in this I am answering the questions based on the reading of the original short story and watching a short film based on it.

We watched a short film on An Astrologer’s day Prepared by Pocket Films on You tube; directed and produced by Sushant Bhat. CLICK HERE to watch the Movie

About the Author:

An Astrologer’s day is Written by R.K. Narayan, his full name is Rasipuram Krishna swami Iyer Narayana swami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001). He was a leading India author along with Aulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao. He was known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town Malgudi. A winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award (1960) and the Padma Vibhushan (2000), he was nominated for a term in the Rajya Sabha. His work ‘The Guide’ was adapted for the film. He contributed to Indian Literature around 15 novels along with 100 short stories.

He declared, "Only the story matters that is all … if a story is in tune completely with the truth of life, truth as I perceive it, then it will be automatically significant."

R.K. Narayan on a 2009 stamp of India

What is a short story?

A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood.

A short story is a voyage of discovery of self - discovery, self - realization for the character as well as a reader. A short story has to have a formal plot or structure. An ideal structure of a short story makes it interesting and true to life, it builds suspense and arouses reader’s curiosity. A good short story strives for a unity of effect - a "single effect" and must be complete in itself. Stories also convey psychological reality.

About An Astrologer’s Day:

An Astrologer’s Day is a short story from the collection Malgudi days by R.K. Narayan. It is a thriller and suspense story. It was the titular story of Narayan's fourth collection of short stories published in 1947 by Indian Thought Publications.

An Astrologer’s day deals with a Day’s event in an imposter’s life who earned his livelihood through his clever guessing. The setting of the story is a town, Malgudi which is located in South India, near to Madras. Astrologer’s life is a story of a man who ran from his native because of his delusion of murdering someone and pretended to be an astrologer. Due to the irony of fate he runs into a man to whom he thought of being murdered.

This short story brings darker psychological realities of human nature like hypocrites, shrewdness, vengeful nature and selfishness. Every character in the story goes through these feelings. It is the cleverness of an astrologer that he could fool the man in his search and misguide in such a way that he never has to face him again.

Further I will deal with the questions of the worksheet:

How faithful is the movie to the original short story?

The movie based on this short story we watched was prepared by pocket films as discussed before. The movie is hugely faithful to the short story but still we find many changes done in the movie. The storyline and the plot is wonderfully maintained along with the overall theme and sound.

Let's discuss the major and minor differences made in the movie:

Setting in the film and the description of the setting in the short story has minor changes like the description talks about nut vendors under whose lights Astrologers used to word after sunset and also ‘The place was lit up by shop lights’. But in the movie we don't find many shops around the astrologer’s place.

An Astrologer in the movie has not worn the saffron turban which is described in the original short story.

The movie also has the glimpse of a cat which can be interpreted as or read as a symbol of human nature. Astrologer’s deed or double standard of living life which is later revealed in the movie.

The unit of currency used in the short story is annas while the movie uses rupees.

The movie shows the astrologer's detailed conversation, his clever guessing with his one customer in the beginning of the novel and later various customers are shown as a montage. But the original short story has no such described conversation with any of this customer other than Guru Nayak.

The Movie has revealed the name and gender of the astrologer couple's child, they have a daughter named Chutki while the original short story denotes her/ him as a child only. The movie also gives the name to the wife, Usha, which is not mentioned in Original text.

Movie presents the wife, Usha on the screen twice while in the original short story once. Usha and Astrologer were spotted twice in the movie having a conversation. Once they had a conversation about their daughter and wife and discussed her whole day remembering their family and at last when astrologers disclosed his truth, the original story has only the second one.

Wife in the original story is described to be waiting on the door when the astrologer gets late. We don't find scenes this similar in movies.

The question also arises though the original short story doesn't reveal the region or state family belong to but we can interpret that the story is set in madras. It might be a Madrasi family but the movie used a Marathi family.

Last line of the original story is `Time to sleep," he said, yawning,and stretched himself on the pyol.’ and the movie has ‘tell Chutki abba uske liye mithai laya’.

But all these changes are accepted as it is the work of the movie to present more to the audience with the help of cameras and every literary maker has his own rights to produce whatever they want, it is free from the bondages.

After watching the movie, has your perception about the short story, characters or situations changed?

Yes, after watching the movie our perception for an Astrologer changes to some extent which can also be read in the original story but visual elements help us more to see precisely. Initially we feel An astrologer is doing this work because of greed of early earning or poverty but later we get an idea about his bad deed, his past. Along with two minor characters his wife and daughter are also grown.

There is no major change in short story’s perception the one scene or situation when suddenly astrologer’s refuses for the deal with Guru Nayak was a suspense while reading a short story but through movie the pause they used in the movie on the lightning of cigarette by Guru Nayak gave idea or cleared out the situation and fear of An Astrologer.

Do you feel ‘aesthetic delight’ while watching the movie? If yes, exactly when did it happen? If not, can you explain with reasons?

On the personal grounds the story provided a kind of relief but not aesthetic delight. We feel aesthetic delight when we see something closely related to our personal life but I don't find any such aspects in this story. I felt a kind of relief looking at the guilt of Astrologer and his precise/ intelligent escape from Guru Nayak. And yes I can feel aesthetic delight watching his real world of fake astrology in the movie.

Does the movie screening help you in better understanding of the short story?

Yes, we find no major change in watching and reading short stories but what camera is able to say, it gives words to the silence, is not possible in reading the original story. And the best example of this which was easily understood in the movie was Guru Nayak’s introduction or his revelation as guru Nayak. In reading we just realized that something happened and the astrologer tried to pull off his deal but after watching the movie we realized that he tried to pull off because he saw guru Nayak’s face in light, lightening of cigarette, Nayak and decided to safeguard himself. This gave a clear reading of the story and An astrologer’s character.

Also in the short story An astrologer describes his past which doesn't seem too interesting but the movie presents it in flashback, black and white which is also fascinating.

Was there any particular scene or moment in the story that you think was perfect?

The perfect scene in the story as well as the movie is Nayak’s revelation to An astrologer. The scene is perfectly cinematographed adding to it it provides the moral and comprehension of the whole story. The flashbacks shown in the movie are also perfectly shown. I liked them too.

If you are the director, what changes would you like to make in the remaking of the movie based on the short story “An Astrologer’s Day” by R.K.Narayan?

If I would be the director of movie based on this short story the changes i would like to make is about the setting because, first, it is not according to short story and secondly as described it is a crowded place but in movie we feel in to be chaotic. I would also try to change lighting compared to this movie.

All the above answers are my personal interpretations. If you want to add or change something, write in a comment box. I hope it was useful to you thanks for visiting.

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Thinking activity on movie screening- Vita and Virginia

VITA AND VIRGINIA
ORLANDO

This blog is written in response to a post-viewing task of a Movie Vita and Virginia in connection to Novel Orlando by Virginia Woolf, given by Vaidehi Ma’am. In this blog I am answering the questions stated by ma’am in her blogs.

Vita and Virginia:

Vita and Virginia is a movie directed by Chanya Button, released in 2018. This movie talks about a Romance between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville. It is a biographical romantic drama adapted from the 1992 play Vita & Virginia by Atkins.

Orlando:

Orlando: A biography is a Biographical novel published in 1928. It is inspired from the life of Vita Sackville Woolf’s lover and a close friend. The book describes the adventures of a protagonist who changes sex from man to woman and lives for around 36 years only but story spans over 300 years.

How far do you feel that Orlando is influenced by Vita and Virginia’s love affair? Does it talk only about that or do you find anything else too?

When we see the relationship between Vita and Virginia we find that it was the time when the relationship between two females or male was not accepted by society. They wanted to change this relationship. It was questioning the gender identity there was no gender as the female and male. Vita and Virginia both are female, both are having their own individual neutral family, they are having their husband which is a normal family, normal relationship according to society. But they both are attracted towards each other and they get into a love affair which is not normal or accepted by the society. There comes a question about gender identity.

I interpret that this same question of gender identity is brought to light in Orlando as we see that In Orlando, protagonist Orlando's gender changes suddenly in the novel. First he is a male living the life of a male and in the other half of the novel he is changed into, he turns into the female gender and very precisely we can see that there is a lot of change by the society towards a female and a male protagonist. very clearly we can see that through the example of writing of the poem The oak tree, when Orlando was the male was writing the poem The oak tree the critics were ready to listen and were ready to write review on his that poem but once he turned into the female Gender and was writing the Oak tree she had to face the problem for its publication and acceptance.

So here looking at the concept of gender identity we can say that Orlando is influenced by Vita and Virginia as a love affair.

Who do you think is confused about their identity Vita or Virginia? Explain with illustrations.

Vita and Virginia both were celebrated female writers, Vita was more popular than Virginia. They both met at a party. Vita and Virginia both had homosexual relationship with each other in the time of 1920s where the sexual relationship of male that is a gay relationship was also a crime and in that period to female had homosexual relationship in a way. It was real daring, Vita and Virginia both were married to a male and had a happy married life.

According to me I feel in both, Vita was more confused about her identity she had various love affairs with various people. We also find in the movie that in the beginning her mother was questioning her or in a way scolding her for being eloped with a man named Violet. Vita was also mother of two children, we also found that her own as husband had other extramarital affairs, Vita already had love affair with Violet, was a wife of a man, was a mother of two children and yet she had homosexual relationship with Virginia and in the movie itself we saw that after Virginia he also her she also had sexual relationship with another lady with whom he entered into the exhibition. Through that we can read that she had various relationships with male and females. She herself was perhaps confused that to whom she was in a relationship a male or a female also she was married and was playing the role of wife in the eyes of society and also she was a mother of two children. through the behavior of Vita we can feel that she herself is confused that what she wants in her personal relationship she wants to have a a ideal family relationship also and wants to have a fantasy homosexual relationship also not only homosexual, she is also having an extramarital affair with a man which clearly suggests that Vita is confused in herself.

What is society’s thought about women and identity? Do you agree with them? If Yes then why? If not then why?

In a view of society it is generally accepted that every woman or a female should play her role genuinely and her own gender roles should be her own priority. Doing something out of the box is not appreciated by society at first. the traditional role of a female is to look after the family, look after the husband and children and to complete the household work and today women are coming out of the traditional home and stepping out of the house for earning money for having her own stability and being independent but still today society expect that it's ok if women is working outside the house but she should look after the family first. If a family is in trouble or has functions, the woman is expected to leave his work and give priority to the house. Even if she is earning, earning turns to be a second priority and it is completely opposite for the man. For men earning is still a first priority and household work or house looking after the home is secondary.

In short, according to me, in the eyes of society women are expected to play their traditional gender roles which is not correct today. The world is advancing, society should widen its view and happily accept and support females working and should help to make a free from traditional roles. Conditioning of the mind should be changed and should be explained that you are also equal to the men and she has all the Independence to do what she wants to.

What are your views on Gender Identity? Would you like to give any message to society?

Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (or rarely, both or neither). Gender identity is the major issue in our nation. society is not ready to accept their children or their relatives in any other Gender than male and female. It is necessary to understand for everyone that it is natural and it’s not in their hands. We can understand that it is not easy to accept the truth of transgender but if they are we should support them. today our nation has made a section about its permission and its allowance but still we find that they are there are people who are not ready to accept it or look at the transgender sex with surprise. Being an individual and Society we should support them, accept them and should make them feel that they are one of us, normal people not an exceptional case.

Today much of Attempts are made by literary writers, filmmakers, TV serial makers to open the eyes of the society and to normalize this thing about transgender. we had a TV serial named ‘Shakti' talking about transgenders; serial name the 'Kaisi Yeh Yaariyan' which had a character who was homosexual and was not accepted by her mother. This attempt made by the directors and producers are a good step towards a good Society for such people who are ignored in the society.

Write a note on the direction of the movie. Which symbols and space caught your attention while watching the movie?

In the movie Vita and Virginia we get to see where Virginia is very much in a disturbed and she is running out of the house and lots of black birds are flying over her. She visualizes blackbirds coming towards her and striking her. This scene was a strong scene that attracted my attention and I think it was symbolizing the mental stability of Virginia. it was symbolizing her loneliness and depression. I interpret this scene as showing the mental illness of Virginia Woolf.

Virginia Woolf suicide is considered to be the most artistic suicide. In the movie we find a scene where she is standing near the river bank and looking at the water. I personally feel that scene symbolizes her suicidal thoughts after being tired of her own indecisiveness and mental illness which was also creating troubles for her husband.

In the movie we also have a scene where Virginia and Vita are meeting for the first time and the camera is moving towards the leaves and the plants which are growing faster. It might be symbolizing the growing feelings, attraction between the two, Vita and Virginia.

Vita and Virginia" had to be made into a Bollywood Adaptation, who do you think would be fit for the role of Vita and Virginia?

If Vita and Virginia would be a Bollywood adaptation I would select Priyanka Chopra in the role of Virginia Woolf And Alia Bhatt in the role of Vita Sackville.

Thank you for visiting. I hope this blog was useful to you. Please share your views about gender identity in the comment section.

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