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Aadam Aziz’s Father
A wealthy Muslim woman who finances the Hummingbird’s political campaign. Her name roughly translates to “the Queen of Nothing” in English, and she is Aadam’s close friend and intellectual ally when the Reverend Mother refuses to discuss politics with him. Rani provides the lawyer and mullah, an Islamic advisor, when Aadam’s daughter, Mumtaz, marries Nadir Kahn, the Hummingbird’s personal secretary. She also gifts the couple a beautifully ornamented silver spittoon as a wedding gift, which the two spend countless happy hours playing hit-the-spittoon with. Rani is described as a pale woman who grows increasingly lighter as she suffers from an unknown illness, turning completely white by the time of her death, a phenomenon mirrored by postcolonial Indian businessmen. Rushdie’s depiction of modern Indians turning white underscores the lasting influence of British colonialism on postcolonial India.
Rani of Cooch Naheen Quotes in Midnight’s Children
The Midnight’s Children quotes below are all either spoken by Rani of Cooch Naheen or refer to Rani of Cooch Naheen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1: Hit-the-Spittoon Quotes
“I started off as a Kashmiri and not much of a Muslim. Then I got a bruise on the chest that turned me into an Indian. I’m still not much of a Muslim, but I’m all for Abdullah. He’s fighting my fight.”
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Explanation and Analysis:
Here, Aadam is professing his support for Mian Abdullah (a.k.a. the Hummingbird), a pro-Indian Muslim politician, who advocates against Partition. The Hummingbird attempts to unite Indian Muslims without the traditional dogma and purity of the Muslim League, who overwhelmingly support Partition and the creation of Pakistan. Aadam adamantly opposes the creation of Pakistan and claims it is “a country built for God,” and since he has turned his back on God, he doesn’t want to be anywhere near him. Because of this, Aadam supports the Hummingbird’s political platform. This quote also reflects Aadam’s conflicted identity. Kashmir is considered a separate Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi
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Rani of Cooch Naheen Character Timeline in Midnight’s Children
The timeline below shows where the character Rani of Cooch Naheen appears in Midnight’s Children. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1: Hit-the-Spittoon
...in politics. When Aadam wishes to discuss political happenings, he must go visit his friend, Rani of Cooch Naheen. Saleem notes that as his grandmother begins to age, she repeatedly refers...
(full context)
...tobacco into a receptacle from increasing distances. Saleem describes an old photograph of Aadam and Rani meeting the Hummingbird, along with his personal secretary, Nadir Khan, who enjoys writing poetry and...
(full context)
Book 1: Under the Carpet
...he is through he is compelled to blow his nose. The Convocation is broken and Rani falls ill, taking to her bed. The Muslim League secretly celebrates the fall of the...
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...lawyer and a mullah (a Muslim schooled in Islamic theology and sacred law) provided by Rani arrive in Aadam’s living room. In a secret ceremony, Mumtaz and Nadir are married. The...
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...playing hit-the-spittoon, using a beautifully ornamented spittoon given to them as a wedding gift by Rani, who is now dying. Reverend Mother continues her angry silence and begins to grow fat,...
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...again skips to 1945, to the very day that atomic bombs are dropped on Japan. Rani has since died, turning so pale and white that she could not be seen in...
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Book 2: How Saleem Achieved Purity
...knocked back by the power of the explosion, Amina’s old spittoon, her wedding gift from Rani, comes flying out of the fiery debris, striking Saleem on the back of the head....
(full context)
