Tag: Midnight’s Children

What happened in December

Words in Ideas is taking a little break for the Christmas season. We take this opportunity to show you what was published in December, so you don’t miss out on anything.
 


 

Photo by UNESCO

 
 
 
 

 

 


 

WEEK 51 | from 15 to 21 November

21.12.2025
Basketball fans, rejoice! Today is World Basketball Day! Share the love for your favourite sport with everyone.

20.12.2025
Proving that the United Nations is for everyone, the United Nations Global Compact is aimed at companies wishing to become more sustainable. For 25 years, these companies have been aligning their objectives with the UN to make the world a better place. Read the stories and learn how you can participate: https://unglobalcompact.org/

19.12.2025
Did you know that the United Nations University celebrated 50 years in 2025? Research and post-graduation training (including masters’ and doctoral degrees) have been developed and provided in four themes:
– Climate change and environment
– Peace and security
– Economic and social development
– Transformative technologies

18.12.2025
Arabic is one of six official languages of the United Nations. It is the official language of 22 countries located in Asia and Africa. It reflects a specific culture and bears history. A history of empires and international caravan trade, but also of poetry, arts, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. Discover it in today’s World Arabic Language Day.

17.12.2025
Zarazoga, in Spain, has set a strategic plan to turn the whole city, including their many UNESCO World Heritage sites, accessible to everyone (this means, accessible to people with disabilities). It’s a huge effort, which they want to be a success in five years’ time. You can read the Plan (in Spanish) here.

16.12.2025
Is the investment in women’s empowerment yielding results in Africa? Yes, says Norah Magero, an engineer who turned entrepreneur after taking training with UNIDO. Get to know her story and her vision about gender balance in her country.

15.12.2025
Building infrastructures more resilient to natural disasters has never been so paramount as it is today. Climate change is here and the fury of earthquakes, flooding, typhoons, and such is out there for everyone to see. The good news is that the ISO 22372: Guidelines for Resilient Infrastructure has been released, setting a new international standard for buildings. Learn more about it.

 

WEEK 50 | from 8 to 14 December

14.12.2025
Taxing the rich is a demand that is gaining momentum. “What if…. we abolished billionaires?”, questioned Al Jazeera to some experts. Read their answers here.

13.12.2025
The sports’ year 2025 in photos, by Reuters.

12.12.2025
In less than one year, Barcelona was hit by major flooding and an electricity blackout. The losses were especially heavy to SMEs. Instead of hoping it wouldn’t happen again (or simply blaming the government), small and micro entrepreneurs decided to do something to prevent it in the future. Hence, the “Strengthening the Disaster Resilience of SMEs” project. The aim is to identify possible disasters and implement measures to face them properly if they come to be.

11.12.2025
The news about a Swiss village that totally disappeared as a consequence of a major glacier collapse ran the world. Melting glaciers don’t only bury villages, they are also precious for many other reasons. In this year’s International Mountain Day, find out more about glaciers and their importance in the world.

Plus, check the Mountain Future Award 2025.

10.12.2025
In January this year, the island Santorini in Greece was shaken for a month by multiple earthquakes. Panic took over, especially because no one knew what was going on. Finally, scientists came up with the explanation.

09.12.2025
Looking for ways to finance nature-based solutions?
. Check the webinar “Unlocking Finance for Nature-based Solutions: Perspectives from Three Innovation Labs”, next December 10.
. Register in the festival “Insurance and Investment Opportunities for Nature-Based Transformations”, taking place February 3-5.

Also:

A must-listen!
Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

08.12.2025
From 8 to 12 December, the United Nations Environment Assembly will be in session for the seventh time. The theme for this year is “Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”.

Among many events and launches, the Gala of Hope will be a key point. Taking place on 10 December, it includes the announcement of the UN Champions of the Earth’s and the UN World Restoration Flagships’ 2025 winners.

 

WEEK 49 | from 1 to 7 December

07.12.2025
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been around for 80 years, regulating aviation worldwide, making sure it is safe and secure. Among many past, present, and future challenges, zero emissions is one of the most important. Celebrate the International Civil Aviation Day by learning more about it.

06.12.2025
The year 2025 in photos, by Reuters.

05.12.2025
Most of the food you eat every day comes from soil, especially if you are a vegetarian. Therefore, the quality of the soil should be a concern of yours. If soil quality deteriorates, food may become scarce. But think bigger: what about urban soil? This is the theme of this year’s World Soil Day. Read more about it here.

04.12.2025
While the world is discussing how to end the use of plastic, in Africa they are making it real. See how.

03.12.2025
Age is just a number. Confirm it with Odilon Martins, a rower who still trains daily and competes after 78 years. He is 96 and says his health comes from his sportive life. Check the report from Reuters.

02.12.2025
Libraries in Metro stations with plants growing on water? Yes, they exist in Poland, to fight screen time on smartphones. Check the report from the Deutsche Welle.

01.12.2025
The Future Generations Tribunal is a movement created by young people to defend the rights of the generations who haven’t been born yet, namely in what environment is concerned. Young people: get involved to fight for your rights. Older people: support this movement and let the youngest lead the way.

 

A book about India: “Midnight’s Children”, by Salman Rushdie

Having decided to become a writer after graduating from the university, Salman Rushdie was failing by all accounts. His first book had been a flop, but he was not willing to give up just yet. It was 1976 and Salman Rushdie was wondering what he would write about next. So, he thought about going back to his happy childhood. He booked a trip to India and made a tour through memory lane. Being born a few weeks before India became officially independent, he decided to base his new book on a boy born exactly at midnight on 15 August 1947. The result was the book “Midnight’s Children”, which was awarded the Booker Prize in 1981, the Booker of Bookers in 1994, and the Best of Bookers in 2008.

The story is told by a boy born at the exact time as his home country has acquired independence from its coloniser (the British Empire). Later in life, he decides to write the memories of his life, not taking anything out. Full disclosure: even the most shameful events would be recounted. Throughout the narrative, we learn how the boy’s life is closely connected to the first 34 years of India as a sovereign country. The tale starts in the paradisiac landscapes of Kashmir, when the boy’s grandfather meets the boy’s grandmother, at a time when the country is still under British administration. As the family grows, it moves around throughout India: Delhi, Bombay, and Pakistan.

In a unique style, the author, through the narrator’s voice, describes what is happening to the boy as he grows up, to his family, and to his country. It is a roller coaster of changes and emotions. After knowing the story of his grandparents and his parents, we get to know how the narrator’s childhood was in Bombay. At some point, we learn that a nurse dramatically influenced his fate at his birth, something that marked him later in life. In the meantime, he finds out that has a special power that he loses in exchange for physical improvement.

What looked like a bright future turned into a troubled present as the country descended into dark times. Conflicts and wars affect everyone one way or another, especially in what the schism between Pakistan and India is concerned. The narrator navigates his existence as he can, gaining allies and rivals along the way. He loses people, loses his home, loses everything; gets misplaced and misunderstood in a very Indian way. Indeed, his story could only happen in India to an Indian person. The ending is what is possible: happy or sad is up to the reader to decide.

In a nutshell, a wonderful journey through history and a magical story.

 
Suggestions:

 

QUIZ

1. How did Amina pay for the legal process?

    A. Didn’t pay – her lawyer worked for free this time.
    B. Sold her family jewels.
    C. Won the money on horse racing bets.

2. What was the narrator’s gift?

    A. Shiva had excellent fighting abilities.
    B. Saleem had the ability to read people’s hearts and minds.
    C. Parvati had the abilities of a true witch.

3. How the members of the Midnight Children’s Conference communicate between themselves?

    A. Via telepathy.
    B. Via post.
    C. Via telephone.

4. What happened in 1965?

    A. Saleem got married with a woman he didn’t love to look “more” Pakistani.
    B. Saleem lost his family, killed during the war between Pakistan and India.
    C. Saleem was expelled from his family and went to live in exile to another country.

5. With whom did the narrator married?

    A. Jamila, his greatest love.
    B. Padma, his greatest comfort.
    C. Parvati, his greatest supporter.

Check the solutions here.

 


 

Zarazoga, in Spain, has set a strategic plan to turn the whole city, including their many UNESCO World Heritage sites, accessible to everyone (this means, accessible to people with disabilities). It’s a huge effort, which they want to be a success in five years’ time. You can read the Plan (in Spanish) here.

Check the website daily to read the highlight of the day.