At what time is the protagonist of 'Midnight's Children' born?

The protagonist of “Midnight’s Children,” Saleem Sinai, is born at midnight—specifically, at the moment India becomes independent on 15 August 1947.

Salman Rushdie links Saleem’s birth directly to the birth of the modern Indian nation. Saleem is therefore symbolically “the same age” as independent India, and the country’s political upheavals become intertwined with his personal story.

The timing also gives the novel its central magical-realist premise. Children born during the first hour after independence are said to possess unusual powers, with those born closest to midnight receiving the strongest abilities. Saleem can communicate telepathically with the other “midnight’s children.”

A common mix-up is to answer with the broader period—India’s independence—or with the date, 15 August 1947. Those are important details, but the question asks for the time, whose canonical answer is midnight.