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Ayah
A hartal is a peaceful mass protest meant to appeal to a government to reverse or eliminate controversial rulings or laws, and it often leads to the total shutdown of businesses, schools, and associated governments. The word hartal is Gujarati, the native language of the Indian state of Gujarat, and it is used to explain the closing of shops or warehouses to satisfy a demand. Mahatma Gandhi was the first to use the term to describe his anti-British general strikes, which protested the continued presence of the British in India. In Midnight’s Children, Aadam Aziz, a doctor, supports Gandhi’s hartal by administering medical assistance to those injured by British aggression during the protest. Additionally, Saleem refers to his grandmother Reverend Mother’s, refusals to speak or eat when she disagrees with her family as examples of a hartal.
Hartal Quotes in Midnight’s Children
The Midnight’s Children quotes below are all either spoken by Hartal or refer to Hartal. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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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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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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Hartal Term Timeline in Midnight’s Children
The timeline below shows where the term Hartal appears in Midnight’s Children. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 1: Mercurochrome
...a hotel in Amritsar because the trains are not running on account of Mahatma Gandhi’s hartal, and Naseem is growing increasingly irritated with the inconvenience. Aadam notices a young Indian soldier...
(full context)
During the hartal, Aadam remains in Amritsar treating those injured by rioting mobs in the street. He bandages...
(full context)
