Saadat Hasan Manto
is revered for articulating the chaos and madness that prevailed during and
after the Partition of the then India. His stories on human relationships make for a
fine commentary on the woes of materialism which decided the social relations
of his times and continue to do even now. Yet, the stories which remain
in the heart are the ones that reflect his angst and agony over the loss
inflicted by the Partition. Manto, like any honest creative artist, carries
within him the burden of pain. Manto’s stories, set in the backdrop of the
Partition, are important pieces of social documentation of the ordinary people
who suffered the negative impacts of the events which followed the partition; these are stories of events that have largely gone
undocumented by records. They do not contain the official facts and columns of
figure. But they are windows to the sufferings of ordinary people, going
about in their daily life and who were swept up in the madness of violence and
pain. The power of is his language is such that, his stories come to life and highlight the brutality and inhumanity of the acts that took place
during the Partition of India.
One of Manto's stories titled, "Toba Tek Singh" is a harsh satire on the tug of madness in both
India and Pakistan over religious differences. The lunatics of the asylum are
portrayed as being saner than the “sane” ones who indulge in the killing of
other people. Bishan Singh stands as a metaphor for all those nameless victims
who were forced to die homeless. Toba Tek Singh
stands up for a metaphorical safe haven existing in the minds of all those
uprooted people who had their sanity taken away and innocence
violated.
Similarly in another story, ”Khol do” a young girl, Sakina, is raped by young men of her community. War usually follows rape and abuse of women. Rape is commonly viewed by the society as a symbol of female degradation, female submission, and the stripping
of honour and humanity. In the story the rape is potrayed as a personal
traumatic experience that demolishes a woman’s sense of identity. The sensitivity
of Manto in writing about the physical and emotional violation of women is
commendable. Their final gesture of offering the body without resistance is in
fact the human act of helpless surrender. This helplessness is portrayed bluntly by
Manto as, “The girl offered no resistance” but the pathos brought out by
these words is almost palpable.
Manto’s
writings are important pieces pleading against violence, hostility and most
significantly against further divisions of any kind. The senselessness of
violence claims many innocent victims and his stories are a mouthpiece for millions who suffered during the Partition. The well crafted strokes of his pen drive to our hearts the viciousness of human passions better
than any writer of his time
M. A. Final
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