Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 77
Rushdie: Haunted By His Unholy Ghosts 77 Midnight’s Children against the background of true historical events towards the end of the rule of the British Empire in India and of the Partition and formation of the new Muslim state of Pakistan. Names of true historical figures are also employed, like Ghandi, Jinnah, Mountbatten, Nehru, etc. Rushdie’s thoughts and views are clearly spelt out in this book. He has expressed gratitude to the British a number of times ( that’s the least he could do since the Arts Council of Great Britain had granted him a literary bursary and financial assistance with all his books!). An example of this appears as an Englishman, William Methwold, a central character in the book, is made to remark con- descendingly: ‘Hundreds of years of decent government, then suddenly up and off. You’ll admit we weren’t all bad: built you roads, schools, railway trains, parliamentary system, all worthwhile things. Taj Mahal was falling down until an Englishman bothered to see to it. And now, suddenly, independence. ’ ( pp. 95-96 ). Looking at the book more closely a great deal more can be re- vealed about Rushdie’s childhood, his influences, his base and ple- beian desires and his distinct mockery of religion. He gives a feeble excuse as to why he and so many others like him succumbed to Western ways in this statement : ‘In India, we’ve always been vulnerable to Europeans. ’ (p. 182). A brief insight into his childhood reveals the contempt for reli- gion at a very young age - religion was regarded as a pain and to be taken like a dose of ill-tasting medicine : ‘There was not much praying in our family ( except at Eid-ul- Fitr, when my father took me to the Friday mosque to celebrate the holiday by tying a handkerchief around my head and pressing my forehead to the ground ). ’ (p. 178). Prayer, the most important part of a Muslim’s conviction of faith, is given to ridicule and is almost regarded as a penance.