Saadat Hasan Manto was an Indo-Pakistani playwright,
author, and novelist who was known for his non-conventional writing style. His
creations are magical words to the ardent readers of the Urdu language. In his
short-lived life of 42 years, he has produced over 22 collections of short
stories, three collections of essays, five series of radio plays, two groups of
personal sketches, a novel, and also a chunk of film scripts. His finest of
short stories were held in high regard that not only brought him success but
also put him behind bars.. He was a man who dared to talk about societal issues
and hard truths that no one dared to do and created awareness regarding them
through his words and creations. He was painfully affected by the partition of
India and vehemently opposed it. Most of his short stories and plays are based
on the atrocities and molestation faced by the countrymen, especially by women
and children in the days preceding the fateful announcement of the partition.
His graphic and realistic portrayal of societal issues cemented his reputation
to being one of the finest Urdu writers of the 20th century.
**Childhood & Early Life
Sadat Hasan Manto was born on 11 May 1912, in a Muslim
family, in Paproudi village of Samrala, in the Ludhiana district of the Punjab,
to Sardar Begum and Ghulam Hasan Manto.His father was a
judge in the local court
**Career
In 1933, , Mantocame across Abdul Bari Alig, a polemic
writer, and scholar in Amritsar that changed his life forever. Abdul Bari Alig’s
mentorship advocated Manto to know his true self and bring out his inner
talent. Abdul encouraged him to read French and Russian literature. From there
on, Manto was inspired by writers such as Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, Victor Hugo and
Anton.
It was only within the matter of a month that Manto
produced his first-ever Urdu translation, Victor Hugo’s ‘The Last Day of a
Condemned Man’. The Urdu Book Stall, Lahore published it as
‘Sarguzasht-e-Aseer’ (A Prisoner's Story). Doing so, he realized his
inclination, and then on started working in Masawat, a publishing house based
in Ludhiana.
From 1934, he started attending Aligarh Muslim
University that took his life in a new direction. Following that, he joined the
Indian Progressive Writers Association (IPWA). He met with the writer Ali Safdar
Jafri who bolstered his interest in literature and acclaimed his writing.
He wrote his second story, ‘Inqlaab Pasand’, which was
published in the Aligarh Magazine in March 1935.
In 1934, he came to Bombay and started writing for
magazines, newspapers, and scripts for the then Hindi film industry. He resided
in Foras Lane, in the very centre of Bombay’s red light district of
Kamathipura. His surroundings profoundly impacted his writings.
In early 1940, he accepted the job offer of writing for
Urdu service in All India Radio. This was a golden period in his career, as it
was proved to be quite rewarding to him. It was during this time, that he composed over four collections
of radio plays, ‘Teen Auratein’ (Three Women), ‘Janaze’ (Funerals), ‘Manto Ke
Drame’ (Manto’s Dramas) and ‘Aao’(Come).
Alongside, he also continued with his composition of
short stories and completed his next collection, ‘Dhuan ( Smoke), followed by
the title ‘Manto Ke Afsane’ and his first topical essay collection, ‘Manto Ke
Mazamin’.
Meanwhile, due to difference of opinion with the
director of the All India Radio, poet N.M. Rashid, he resigned from his job and
returned to Bombay in 1942 and again resumed his work with the film industry.
He wrote screenplay for films such as ‘Chal Chal Re Naujawan’, ‘Mirza Ghalib’,
‘Shikari’ and ‘Aatth Din’.
Some of his notable short stories that were composed
during this phase were ‘Bu’, ‘Dhuan’ printed in ‘Quami Jang, Bombay in February
of 1945.
He stayed in Bombay till the partition of India in
1947. In January 1948, he moved to Lahore, Pakistan, with his wife and
children against his intentions, as the brutality of partition and communal
riots forcedhim to do so.
After arriving in Lahore, he connected with prominent
intellectuals like Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, Ahmad Rahi, Nasir Kazmi and Faiz ahmad
Faiz. They used to sit down together in the iconic ‘Pak Tea House’, and engage
themselves in passionate literary debates and political arguments.
In 1950, Manto wrote a series of essays, entitled “Letters
to Uncle Sam’, where he expressed his concerns on local and global issues.He
predicted of a future as depicted in one of the essays, when literature,
poetry, art and music, every form of expression would become censored.
**Controversy
Saadat Hasan Manto was accused of obscenity in Pakistan
and India. He faced the trial
**Major Works
Toba Tek Singh’ (1955) published in Urdu, narrates the
story of inmates residing in a Lahore asylum, who are to be shipped to India,
following the partition of 1947. The story is a heart-wrenching satire on the
relationship existing between Indis and Pakistan.
Thanda Gosht’ (1950) is a compelling short story that
depicted a brutal picture of the 1947 communal riots. The story is about the
Sikh Man who is stabbed by his mistress during sex when he admits to raping the
corpse of a Muslim girl. Hence, it is synonymous with the title, which means
‘cold flesh’. Manto underwent a trial in criminal court for this story.
**Family & Personal Life
In 1936, Sadat Hasan Manto’s parents arranged his
marriage to Safia Deen, later changed to Safia Manto. He penned down an essay
entitled ‘Meri Shaadi’(My Wedding) dedicated to his marriage.
Safia gave birth to a son, Arif, who died in his
infancy. The death of their newborn son, pained Safia and Saadat to the very
core.
Thereafter they had three daughters, Nusrat Manto,
NIghat Manto and Nuzhat Manto.
He became increasingly addicted to alcohol in his later
years, which ultimately led to cirrhosis of the liver. He passed away on 18
January 1955 due to multiple organ failure, in Lahore, Pakistan, at the mere
age of 42 years. He was survived by his three daughters and his wife Safia.
**Legacy
The Government of Pakistan posthumously awarded Manto
Nishan-e-Imtiaz on 14 August 2012.
On January 2005, Manto’s 50th dealth anniversary, his
face was commemorated on Pakistani Postage Stamp.
Danish Iqbal’s portrayed the distinguished writer in a
whole new light through his play ‘Ek Kutte Ki Kahani’, on the eve of his birth
centenary.
Two films entitled ‘Manto’ has been made based on his
life, one in 2015 by Pakistani director Sarmad Khoosat and a Bollywood film in
2018, by Nandita Das and starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
**Trivia
His favorite dish was Gaajar Ka Halwa (An Indian dessert
made of grated carrots).
He liked to write with Sheaffer pens.
He preferred wearing Gold embroidered shoes most of the
time.
Bombay was his revered destination.
He preferred to complete a story entirely in one sitting.
Just a few months before his death, Manto wrote his epitaph, which would have
been read as, “Here lies buried Saadat Hasan Manto in whose bosom are enshrined
all the secrets and art of short story writing. Buried under mounds of earth,
even now he is contemplating whether he is a greater short story writer or
God.” It was never imprinted on his tombstone later on.
