"Midnight's Children" Post 2b

'"I started off as a Kashmiri and not much of a Muslim. Then I got a bruise on my chest that turned me into an Indian. I'm still not much of a Muslim, but I'm all for Abdullah. He's fighting my fight."' (39). This quote intrigued me for several reasons. First of all, the image of a bruise turning someone into a different nationality is amusing in its absurdity, but the actual event has some interesting observations. While attending a supposedly peaceful rally, Aadam witnessed a defenseless crowd be gunned down by troops. He was lucky enough to escape because his doctor's bag escaped his hands and he was down on the ground before they started shooting, but this event profoundly impacted him. The horror and outrage at what he witnessed caused him to feel more connected with these people than ever before. This makes one reconsider different foreign policy moves. Sometimes, moves aimed to intimidate can be effective, but at least in Aadam's case, they encouraged him to connect more with the Indian cause and be willing to risk more for it, almost the opposite of the intention of the soldiers. The other interesting thing about this statement by Aadam is his comment about Abdullah "He's fighting my fight". I feel like this phrase is used often, but it seems to cliché-y and doesn't really mean much. Is he really fighting your fight? Shouldn't you be fighting your own fight? Is he representing you in your fight? I suppose its catchy, it just seems that people can take leaders blindly with this phrase without really thinking of what it represents.