POSTCOLONIAL IDENTITY AND CULTURAL HYBRIDITY IN SALMAN RUSHDIE'S MAJOR WORKS

This research paper explores the "Rushdie Paradigm," positioning Salman Rushdie as the primary architect of the modern Indian English novel. By examining his major works, the study investigates how Rushdie redefines postcolonial identity through the lenses of cultural hybridity and the "Third Space." Using a theoretical framework built on Homi Bhabha’s concepts of liminality and Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, the paper analyzes the transition from national allegory to the global migrant experience. The methodology employs a qualitative literary analysis and a study of the "Indo-Anglian" idiom, focusing on three landmark texts. In Midnight’s Children, the analysis centers on the fractured self as a metaphor for a divided nation and the "chutnification" of history. The Satanic Verses is examined as a study of the migrant’s metamorphosis and the city as a site of translation. Finally, The Moor’s Last Sigh highlights the palimpsest of heritage, mourning the loss of multicultural pluralism. The findings suggest that Rushdie’s narratives act as a powerful counter-discourse to religious and nationalistic "purity." This research concludes that Rushdie’s literary journey marks a significant shift from Nationalism to Cosmopolitanism, ultimately legitimizing the hybrid voice as a vital, permanent fixture in 21st-century world literature.