Impersonating Manto- Kaif Taqvi's speech

Kahan se shuru karun, kaha pe karun khatam, inn lafzo pe hai lagaam ab kiski.

        

        Mai Manto, meri paidaaish Punjab ke tijaarati markaj Amritsar me 11th May 1912 ko hui. Bachpan hi se ghar ke maamlat me kuch is tarah se ghira ke bamushkil Inter ke imtehan paas kar saka. Waledain mohtarma se ijazat hasil karke sair-o-tafreeh ke lie Kashmir gaya. Aabo hawa ke tazgi se dil ko mazboot kia ke kisi bhi qeemat par aala talim hasil karke duniya aur duniya walo ko apni taraf jhukanuga. Ghar lautkar waaleda majeda se apna irada bayan kiya aur phir Aligarh aa gaya. Tabiyat ki azaadi aur aabo hawa ki tabdeeli ke sabab bimaar ho gaya aur aise hi wapas aa gaya magar kitaabe padne ka shauk badta gaya. Aur mene Rusi adab me dilchasbi dena shuru kar diya. Iske saath saath mene urdu akhbaaro me khidmat anjam dena shuru kia. Baaz aukaat mere articles ko saraha gaya, mere ahbab ne meri hausla afzai ke lie taareefo ke jumle bhi kahe, jisse likhne ke shauk me mazeed izafa hua. Me likhta gaya aur kabhi apne kaam ya tahreero se mutma-een nahi hua.

         Mai mazeed koshish karta raha. Mene likhne ki zarurat aise hi mahsus ki jaise ek jism khane aur peene ki zarurat mahsus karta hai. Agar mujse pucha jay eke me afsana kyu likhta hun to iska jawab hazir hai me afsana islie likhta hoon ke muje afsana nigaari ki sharaab ki tarah lat pad gai hai. Mai afsana nahi likhta balke afsana muje likhta hai. Chaliye ab apni zindagi ki kuch nashe-o-faraz apko batata chaloon.

Kaif Taqvi
MA Previous

          Jab Aligarh se wapas Amritsar aaya to haalaat mazeed abtar ho juke the. Waalid ke inteqaal ke baad maa ne tamaam jama punji behen ki shadi par badi saadegi se saari behnoi ke hawale kar di. Mere do bade bhai hame 40rp mah-ana diya karte. Mera jee chahta tha ke kahi bhaag jaun ya khudkushi kar loon islie jab Bombay se weekly newspaper Musawwir ke malik Mr. Nazeer ne muje khat likh kar Bomaby aa kar unke paper ki idaarat smabhalun to mene foran Bombay ke lie chal diya, mene ye bhi nahi socha meri walida Amritsar me aleki rah jaengi.

       Bombay me haalaat sakht hote gae aur mene film city me mulaazemat ki. Magar waha bhi haalaat durust na ho sake. Inhi haalaat me meri shaadi bhi ho gai jiske sabab kharach ka boj aur bad gaya.

         Unhi kuch saalo me mulk ke haalaat bigadna shuru ho gaye. Haalaat me tabdeeli hona shuru hui aur muje kai filme milna shuru ho gai. Ismat, Rajinder Singh bedi, aur Krishna jaise dost bhi bane. Lekin jab Hindustan batwaare ki awaaze baland hona shuru hui me mano ek ajeeb kashmakash me giraftaar hua. Ghanto betha yahi sochta ke is naye mulk ki kya aabo hawa hogi, waha ke adab me kya koi khaas change hoga. Ye sawal pareshaani ke alawa kuch aur na dete.

        Mere Pakistan me hijrat se kai ahbab azeez mujse khush na hue, magar me irado me mazboot raha.

Mene paksitan me apna pehla afsana Thanda Gosht likha, jiska muqadamma kareeb kareeb ek saal

chala. Phir ek silsila sa ban gaya meri tahreero ka. Dimaag me ek ajeeb si kaifiyat thi samaj nahi ata kya karun likhna chod doon ya beparwa ho kar yun hi qalam-zani karta rahoon.

        Aap mere haalaat ko afsana kah lijiye magar mere lie ye ek talakh haqiqat hai me apne mulk me apna sahi maqam talash nahi kar saka aur yahi wajah hai meri ruh bechain rahti. Ap muje adfsana nigaar ki hesiyat se jante hai aur adaalat muje fohash nigaar ki hesiyat se, hukumat muje kabhi communist khti hai to kabhi mulk ka boht bada adeeb, kabhi to mere lie rozi ke darwaze band kar diye jate hai to kabhi khol diye jate hai. samjh nahi aat koun hai ye Saadat Hasan Manto. Bas dil ko itmenan deta ke me kuch bhi hoon magar muje yaqeen hai me insaan hoon iska sabot ye hai ke mere andar achaiya bhi hai aur buraiya bhi, me sach bolta hoon lekin baaz waqaat jhoot bhi, namaaze nahi padta lekin sajde mene kai martaba kie hai… Mai Manto.