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Summary: Set in Old Delhi, it tells the story of the Das family and their estrangements and personal conflicts, paralleling the nation's post-independence developments. Relevance: The novel addresses issues of memory, nostalgia, and the challenge of reconciling with past traumas inherited from colonial rule.

Summary: A darkly humorous perspective of India’s class struggle in a globalized world, as told through the narrative of Balram Halwai, a village boy who becomes an entrepreneur. Relevance: It provides a modern critique of India's social and economic disparities that are in part consequences of its colonial past.

Summary: This novel explores how the tragic event of a young girl's death affects a family and highlights the social discrimination and complexities of the caste system in India. Relevance: It presents postcolonial critiques of cultural norms, political tensions, and the legacy of British rule in India.

Summary: The story of an Indian-American family and their struggle with cultural identity, revolving around Gogol Ganguli, who is torn between his Bengali heritage and American life. Relevance: It addresses the diasporic experiences resultant from colonial history and the ongoing struggle with hybrid identity in a postcolonial world.

Summary: This novel explores time and memory through the narrator's experiences and the lives of two families, one in Calcutta, India, and the other in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Relevance: It critiques national boundaries and the artificial divisions created by colonialism that linger in the postcolonial era.

Summary: Set before the Opium Wars, the novel follows a vast cast of characters aboard a ship bound for Mauritius, highlighting the socioeconomic impacts of the opium trade. Relevance: It examines the legacy of colonial economic policies and their lasting effect on societal hierarchies and individual destinies.

Summary: Exploring the lives of characters affected by a Nepalese insurgency and life in the US, the novel reflects on issues of globalization and postcolonial identity. Relevance: It illustrates the ongoing cultural conflicts and the impact of the colonial legacy on present-day inequities and the diaspora's experiences.

Summary: The novel narrates the story of Saleem Sinai, born at the stroke of India's independence, and traces the personal and political upheavals throughout his life, which mirror India's transition. Relevance: It deals with themes of identity, history, and the impacts of colonialism, partition, and independence shaping the subcontinent's destiny.

Summary: The novel weaves the stories of various characters in India during the time of the Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Relevance: It shows how colonial legacies shape socioeconomic conditions, political ideologies, and the struggle for survival and human dignity.

Summary: Relaying the horrific events of the partition of India in 1947, it tells the tale of a village that suddenly becomes part of Pakistan and the human ethics overwhelmed by the political catastrophe. Relevance: It provides a potent critique of the colonial legacy and the violent upheaval of partition.