The life and time of writer and playwright Saadat Hasan Manto were the same as ours for his stories depict similar social norms and vices prevailing during his era that is also evident today.
What Saadat Hasan Manto did as a writer was brought to fore everything he thought was wrong with society. He narrated such incidents, moments and thoughts in short stories having a reality-based foundation which every reader could relate themselves with. While the characters were fictional, their feelings, actions, and opinions about themselves and their society were as true as they could be. Manto brilliantly used his stories as a mirror to tell readers the problems that were evident but seldom talked about. Born on May 11, 1912, in Ludhiana, Punjab, British India, Manto always questioned what was taboo during his time.
Considered as one of the most prolific Urdu writers, Manto’s expression and style was simple yet impactful. He would take a topic, create a story out of it, put characters in it, create a dialogue, instil his views through the characters and present it to the readers without any wordiness nor glamour. The product would be a story that would be closer to reality and true in essence. Manto’s depiction of the society and its norms, cultures, traditions, thoughts and opinions stand true today as they were decades ago.
While affecting the thought process of hundreds of thousands of readers in the subcontinent, Manto’s place in Urdu literature has been controversial for he opted to write on topics that labelled him a rebel and in some cases a lunatic. He was charged for obscenity but this never led him to abandon the writer within.
He did have the nerves to talk about nationalism and identity crisis which affected millions during partition in 1947. He also had the audacity to question the lives of prostitutes and those associated with them. While he was considered a rebel, all Manto did was to translate the society in words that aptly depicted the social consciousness of his time. Despite a plethora of Indian writers doing their best to disseminate their thoughts in story form, no one has been able to depict the life of India and its inhabitants, their fears and hopes, as Manto was able to portray. His narrative was often times too dark but it did have substance and with it stories that are still a classic. Manto seldom explained his ideas. He always showed the thought of the character, which in turn would echo the social norms and question the topics that no one dared talk about.
While affecting the thought process of hundreds of thousands of readers in the subcontinent, Manto’s place in Urdu literature has been controversial for he opted to write on topics that labelled him a rebel and in some cases a lunatic. He was charged for obscenity but this never led him to abandon the writer within
One of Manto’s short stories, ‘Naya Qanoon’ reveals the story of Mangu, a tonga walla, who feels excited upon the implementation of the Government of India Act, 1935. He felt he would be free from the British oppression and that prosperity will reign supreme. He even washed his horse cart because the new law was coming and that life will become great. Mangu even thinks that this new constitution will give everyone equal rights.
Some other popular stories by Manto include ‘Tithwal ka Kutta’, which mocks the vainness of war by showing the life and then the death of Jhun Jhun, a dog, that sparks outrage between the Indian and Pakistan soldiers. ‘Toba Tek Singh’ is another one of Manto’s classics dealing with the trauma or partition. ‘Thanda Gosht’ shows how partition created monsters out of those who had a first-hand experience of being part of it.
‘Kaali Shalwar’ tells the story of Sultana, a prostitute who is disillusioned but has her own aspirations of life. The story is about creating an identity and maintaining relationships. Seasoned actor, Sarmad Khoosat played the role of Manto in the writer’s biopic, which was a critically acclaimed production. The story showed everything that people wanted to know about Manto the writer and Manto the man.
Ismat Chughtai, in her memoir of Manto, Kaghazi hai Pairahaan, says, “His stories unsettle us because they take us to the darker, brutal corners of our psyche, to desires repressed and ugliness that settles.”
The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]