After Manto, there is none like Manto
Once someone asked Saadat Hasan Manto, “why are you not
getting popular like your other colleagues?” He replied, “The future
generations will know the worth of mine”. He was so spot-on. His prophecy has
lived up to his expectations. Now his stories reverberate exceedingly in our
society.
His Stories has special relevance as they cherish diversity,
and reinforce belief in Humanism. If Manto were alive today, he would have
written about those who are victim to religious fundamentalism in the
sub-continent. Can you imagine as to how his words would have ripped apart the
fascist and ultra-nationalist mindsets of the sub-continent political leaders
who fill hatred in the hearts and minds of the people. The way he has portrayed
the character of women in his stories is unparalleled even today. He was a
feminist to the core even at that time when the Second Wave of Feminism was
kick-starting in the Western world. No one
has better written than Manto on the female subjects, according to Fehmida
Riaz- the renowned literary figure of Pakistan. This is the reason why she
remarked, “after Manto, there is none like Manto”.
Early on, Manto was influenced by French and Russian
literature and translated their many works. He also translated Victor Hugo’s
work. In the 1930s, he started to lean towards socialism and thereby wrote his
story on this subject, named “Inqilab Pasand”. However, his first story was “tamasha”
that was based on the horrific experience of Jalianwala Bagh. And his first book
of stories was “Aatish Paray”. As a matter of fact, he didn’t reach the climax until the partition
of the sub-continent that traumatized him. His characters are drawn from real
life. They are commoners-many of them form a lower strata of society- who
suffer the fate of decision taken by those in the upper echelons of power.
Manto happens to be the most well known and controversial
Urdu writer of the twentieth century. The latter part of his personality trait
came lately, precisely after the partition of the Sub-continent. As writers
tend to be sensitive, the communal rioting and tragedies during that period
shook the soul of Manto. Soon he transformed into another version of himself. His
writings then transcended the borders, cultures, and religions. He was just
like a cosmopolitan humanist who negated religious bigotry and refused to let
religious or cultural differences override the common notions of humanity. He raised the slogan of humanism at a time
when the sub-continent presented the picture of a boiling cauldron of religious
riots and acts of misogyny committed under the umbrella of communal honor.
By narrating stories of horror and despair, he seeks to point
out the much-needed absence of good. Dr. Zehra writes: “By narrating stories of
evil he desires to highlight the good not the evil. He is not narrating lust
for lust, coercion for coercion, oppression for oppression, sin for sin; but to
evoke a deeper understanding of the hidden agenda of a hypocritical society”.
Moreover, women Characters in his work are strong and unique. They appear
defiant and righteous, even though their circumstances are trenched in taboo and
social marginalization.
Several times,
Manto was prosecuted on the charge of obscenity in his work. For that reason, he
was despised by the literacy circle of that time. His stories like ‘Kaali
Shalwar”, “Thanda Gosht”, “Khol Do”, “Uuper Neeche aor Darmiyan” and so on were
the epicenter of criticism. but as a matter of fact, these stories not only unearth fundamentalism and
extremism of the communities of sub-continent but also the grave sufferings of
the women in the society and how they are used as sexual commodities.
He maintained that his stories are the mirror of the
society; if you hate his stories, you must also hate the society. He said, “who am I to undress the already naked
civilization, culture, and society? I cannot
even dress them, for it is not my business but tailors”.
Manto has left the world long ago, but his literary work
will be making him alive forever. He still dwells in the hearts of those people
who recognize him. He was right in saying, “and it is also possible that Saadat
Hasan dies, but Manto remains alive”. Truly, after Manto there is none like
Manto.
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