In Midnight’s Children, Saleem, the protagonist, has been endowed with telepathic powers as a result of the unusual time that he was born, and these powers allow him to connect with one thousand other such children who were born at that hour. Besides Saleem, the readers are introduced to other characters as well, two of them being Shiva and Parvati, who are also endowed with mysterious powers as a result of being born at that particular time in India’s history. Saleem assembles all of these characters telepathically, and they attempt to understand the relevance of their gift.
The story is based on actual historical facts as well as fiction, and provides the readers with a great deal of insight into the lives of people who lived during the Partition of India. Midnight’s Children highlights the plight of the people and the problems faced by the leaders as well.