Midnight's Children prize winners in 1993 and 2008 to celebrate the Booker Prize 25th and 40th anniversary. In 2003, the novel was listed on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's "best-loved novels". It was also added to the list of Great Books of the 20th Century, published by Penguin Books. "Midnight's Children" is a loose allegory for events in India both before and, primarily, after the independence and partition of India. The protagonist and narrator of the story is Saleem Sinai, born at the exact moment when India became an independent country. He was born with telepathic powers, as
Luka and the Fire of Life this and that". The novel inspired a university animation competition in 2010. "Design Week" explained: "Sir Salman Rushdie’s new children’s novel, "Luka and the Fire of Life", will be brought to life through the animations of four Kingston University students. Rushdie was part of a judging panel which invited ten students from the faculty of art, design and architecture to present ideas for the book." The successful animations were to appear on YouTube and the Random House website. Rushdie, Salman. "Luka and the Fire of Life." New York: Random House, 2010. Print. Luka and the Fire of Life Luka and