Picture Singh’s Search for Recognition
Midnight's ChildrenThis flow traces Picture Singh’s life as a performer, mentor, political voice, and aging artist confronting a rival.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Bearing strength in each eventdecreasingA Public Performer
Charm as a Living
Art
Picture Singh earns fame as a snake-charmer and is celebrated as the Most Charming Man in the World.
Voice
He also uses performances to speak about inequality and socialism to crowds in Delhi.
A Mentor’s Shelter
A Father for Saleem
Refuge
Picture Singh welcomes the fugitive Saleem and gives him a place in the moving slum.
Attachment
Saleem treats him as the last in a series of substitute fathers and political guides.
Politics and Doubt
The Organizer Hesitates
Advocacy
Picture Singh performs political snake-dances and imagines leading the dispossessed.
Self-Doubt
A heckler mocks his promises, and the Emergency pushes him toward silence.
A Rival Appears
The Contest Begins
Challenge
A paan-wallah tells Picture Singh that another snake-charmer is better.
Response
The old performer travels to Bombay, fearing that age has made him second-best.
Victory and Exhaustion
The Last Great Performance
Contest
Picture Singh defeats the Maharaja of Cooch Naheen in a prolonged snake-charming contest.
Aftermath
He collapses after winning, revealing the cost of preserving his title and giving Saleem a final companion.
Before 1971
1971 to 1973
1973 to 1975
After Saleem’s return
August 1978
