Book 1

Chapter 1: The Perforated Sheet

Introduces Aadam Aziz, a Kashmiri doctor educated in Germany. He accidentally injures a patient and vows never to operate again — a decision shaped by an early incident involving a perforated sheet.

Chapter 2: Mercurochrome

Aadam marries Naseem (codenamed "Reverend Mother"), and they witness political unrest in Agra, including Gandhi’s hartals and communal violence.

Chapter 3: Hit-the-Spittoon

Naseem’s health fluctuates; political tension escalates. Secretly, her daughter Mumtaz falls for revolutionary Nadir Khan.

Chapter 4: Under the Carpet

Mumtaz and Nadir marry in secret while he hides in Aziz’s basement. After Nadir leaves her, Mumtaz eventually remarries Ahmed Sinai and becomes Amina.

Chapter 5: A Public Announcement

Amina saves someone from communal violence and learns she’s pregnant. A mystic foretells her child will mirror the newborn Indian nation.

Chapter 6: Many-headed Monsters

Political unrest intensifies. Saleem highlights the blurry line between “truth” and “reality” as a metaphor for the chaotic era.

Chapter 7: Methwold

The Sinai family moves into the colonial Methwold Estate in Bombay. They had mimicked British customs until the Independence.

Chapter 8: Tick, Tock

At midnight on August 15, 1947 (India’s independence), two babies (Saleem and another) are born. Midwife Mary Pereira swaps their name tags — a fateful switch.

Book 2

Chapter 1: Love in Bombay

Saleem, entering adolescence, develops telepathy and tries impressing Evelyn Burns—ending in chaos during a language protest.

Chapter 2: My Tenth Birthday

Saleem’s telepathic powers peak; he launches the Midnight Children’s Conference to connect with other kids born at independence.

Chapter 3: At the Pioneer Cafe

Saleem spies on his mother and discovers her secret relationship with Qasim (formerly Nadir Khan), causing emotional turmoil.

Chapter 4: Alpha and Omega

A geography teacher bullies Saleem over his nose, and a hospital visit leads to a blood test revealing he isn’t biologically part of his family.

Chapter 5: The Kolynos Kid

Saleem moves in with his uncle Hanif; there he witnesses familial tensions and grows closer to understanding his powers.

Chapter 6: Commander Sabarmati’s Baton

The family relocates to Pakistan. The power dynamics shift and Saleem’s sister Jamila begins her journey toward stardom.

Chapter 7: Removements Performed by Pepperpots

Amid political unrest, Jamila becomes famous, while Saleem grapples with identity and belonging in a new homeland.

Chapter 8: Jamila Singer

The 1965 India–Pakistan war results in tragedy: Saleem’s family dies, and he is struck unconscious—beginning his drift into military life.

Chapter 9: How Saleem Achieved Purity

Saleem’s telepathy reaches its full potential; he tries to reunite the Midnight Children before memory loss in war erases his identity.

Chapter 10: War & Amnesia

The trauma of battle leaves Saleem with amnesia; he is recruited as a soldier in the Pakistani army, closing Book Two.

Book 3

Chapter 1: The Buddha

In the Pakistani army, amnesiac Saleem is known as the “man-dog” or “Buddha” and participates in brutal military actions in Dacca.

Chapter 2: In the Sundarbans

Saleem deserts with three soldiers gets lost in the jungle, and regains his memory after a snake bite.

Chapter 3: Sam and the Tiger

Parvati-the-witch reunites with Saleem using a ritual; they escape Dacca as the war ends and head back to India together

Chapter 4: A Wedding

Saleem marries Parvati. A magical pregnancy involving Shiva sets the stage for future political fallout.

Chapter 5: Midnight (Emergency)

During Indira Gandhi’s Emergency (1975–77), Saleem and other Midnight’s Children are rounded up, sterilized, and silenced by the regime.

Chapter 6: Abracadabra

After the Emergency ends, Saleem returns to Bombay, marries Padma, raises Parvati’s child, and begins writing his memoirs.