How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Yes, I had taught my mother a lesson; and after the Sabarmati affair she never saw her Nadir-Qasim in the flesh, never again, not as long as she lived; but, deprived of him, she fell victim to the fate of all women in our family, namely the curse of growing old before her time; she began to shrink, and her hobble became more pronounced, and there was the emptiness of age in her eyes. (2.18.56)
Saleem says that all the women in his family grow old before their time, but what about Naseem? She gets bigger and more robust as Dr. Aziz gets older and older. He's got a selective memory, we guess.
Quote #8
'Women have made me; and also unmade. From Reverend Mother to the Widow, and even beyond, I have been at the mercy of the so-called (erroneously, in my opinion!) gentler sex. It is, perhaps, a matter of connection: is not Mother India, Bharat-Mata, commonly thought of as female? And, as you know, there's no escape from her.' (3.28.2)
Why is there no escaping from Mother India? We have the feeling that Saleem is referring to Indira Gandhi, but what do you think?
Quote #9
How are we to understand my too-many women? [...] Maya-Shakti mothers, but also 'muffles consciousness in its dream-web'. Too-many-women: are they all aspects of Devi, the goddess-who is Shakti, who slew the buffalo-demon, who defeated the ogre Mahisha, who is Kali Durga Chandi Chamunda Uma Sati and Parvati... and who, when active, is coloured red? 'I don't know about that,' Padma brings me down to earth, 'They are just women, that's all.' (3.28.20)
Bet you didn't think clothes about women would need this much explaining. Maya is Sanskrit for illusion, but it doesn't just mean fake or unreal. It refers to the world that we live in, which is true but not the truth. That's where the whole "muffles consciousness in its dream web" comes from. Shakti is the goddess that represents all creation and all change. All of the other goddesses are avatars (or other versions) of Maya-Shakti. So Saleem is saying that maybe there are so many women in his life because, while he wants to preserve and make things stay the same, women represent change and creation. What a mouthful.