Shalimar the Clown

"Shalimar the Clown" is a 2005 novel written by Salman Rushdie, who famously authored "The Satanic Verses" and "Midnight's Children".

"Shalimar" was published in September 2005 and has attracted significant attention, comparable to his earlier publications, particularly "The Moor's Last Sigh" and "Midnight's Children". "Shalimar the Clown" derives its name from Shalimar Gardens, in the vicinity of Srinagar, one of several Mughal Gardens, which were laid out in several parts of undivided India when the Mughals reigned over the subcontinent. Shalimar is the name of one of the characters featured in the novel.

"Shalimar the Clown" was one of the finalists for the 2005 Whitbread Book Awards.

etting

The novel is based mostly in a small town in the Indian region of Kashmir. The town itself is imaginary, but it is located in an accurate geographic location not far from Srinagar.

In Rushdie style, the 1947 partition of India, the subsequent invasion by tribals from Pakistan-administered Kashmir reinforced by regular army units, and finally the India-Pakistan war that resulted in the partitioning of Jammu and Kashmir, all appear in the story. Similarly, the 1965 India-Pakistan war also appears.

The title refers to a character in the story, a Kashmiri villager named Shalimar, who performs a tightrope act for amusement.

Plot summary

The central character, India, is an illegitimate child of a former United States ambassador to India Maximilian Ophuls. Although a number of narratives and incidents in the novel revolve around Kashmir, the novel opens in Los Angeles, U.S.A. Max Ophuls, a U.S. diplomat who has worked in the Kashmir Valley, is murdered by his former chauffeur, Shalimar.

Several flashbacks take the readers to the past, and one learns that Shalimar, the clown, was once full of affection, love and laughter. He lived in the Kashmiri village of Pachigam. His skill on the tight rope earned him renown in his village and the name Shalimar the clown. At a young age, he falls in love with a beautiful Hindu girl, Boonyi. The village elders agree to the marriage and all seems fine, except that Boonyi doesn't want to remain stuck in this small village. Things come to a turn when Maximilian comes to the village and becomes enamored with Boonyi. With the help of his assistant he gets her a flat in Delhi, and an affair blooms. A scandal erupts when Boonyi gets pregnant and Max is forced to return. The child, India, is brought to England by Maximilian's wife. Shalimar was deeply in love with Boonyi and couldn't bear her betrayal. The rest of his life had as major purpose to take revenge on the people that were the cause of his unhappiness. For this purpose he joins up with various Jihadi organisations and becomes a renowned assassin. Maximilian, a hero of the French resistance movement in World War II, now becomes the American ambassador for counter-terrorism, a euphemism for covert operations. Shalimar reaches America and works as Max's driver for some time. He kills Max on the day he gives his notice. Shalimar is finally presumed killed by India who avenges her parents' death--but the end is actually a cliffhanger.

The story portrays the paradise that once was Kashmir, and how the politics of the sub-continent ripped apart the lives of those caught in the middle of the battleground.

Critical interpretations

A number of readers and critics feel that the title and the theme of the book is not exactly about Kashmir; nevertheless, Kashmir is certainly a reference point of the novel. Accordingly, the book is as much about Kashmir as "Midnight’s Children" was about the Emergency in India imposed in 1975 during Indira Gandhi's prime ministership, or "The Satanic Verses" is about Islam.

References

External links

*cite web | url = http://www.radionetherlands.nl/features/amsterdamforum/20060730af | accessdate = 2006-07-31 | title = Salman Rushdie and a story of paradise lost | author = Sarah Johnson | work = Amsterdam Forum | publisher = Radio Netherlands | date = 2006-07-26 – Interview with Rushdie about the book. Includes links to audio version of the interview.