The culturally and religiously diverse worlds of both India and Great Britain offer Rushdie a wealth of concerns and themes that consistently reflect and refract throughout his works.
Ahmed Salman Rushdie was born into the liberal and prosperous Muslim family of Anis Ahmed Rushdie and Negin Rushdie in Bombay, India, on 19 June 1947, the year Pakistan divided from India at the end of British colonialism in South Asia. Rushdie has said of the relaxed religious climate in his home, "Although I came from a Muslim family background, I was never brought up as a believer, and was raised in an atmosphere of what is broadly known as secular humanism." Despite the movements of Muslims north to Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs south to India, Rushdie's family remained in Bombay during his childhood. Although the family later resided in Pakistan, it is India, and most especially Bombay, which is home to Rushdie's complex vision. India, as large as all of Europe, contains one-sixth of the human race. Within this country exists one of the most diverse human cultures: fifteen major languages and innumerable others are spoken by Indians of varied backgrounds including Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Muslim, and Sikh.
