Just as relevant today
As much we explore him there will always be a mystifying factor in his writings that leaves us in awe or utter shock. Some of his works may not be as magnetic in comparison to the more famous ones he authored, but his versatility and variety was no doubt unquestionable
On the eve of Manto’s 105th birth anniversary, Pakistan is in a state of crisis, tumult, hatred and intolerance. We cannot identify ourselves in a time where speaking the truth is as dangerous it has ever been and our associations define us. There is an existential fear that compounds our worries and defiance is considered a rebellious act worthy of condemnation. In times like these independent thinking can be linked to heresy and speaking out can be the cause of your downfall. It is a twist of fate that six decades after Manto’s death his writings retain a sense of freshness and reality they had depicted back then; only time and years have forged ahead, but the basic crux of societal hypocrisy remains the same. For me, his works have always had a distinctness to them, the subtlety and variety on display has always been mesmerizing.
Manto also thronged into the dark side of the human nature, and the animality that it exhibited under circumstances that may be termed “extraordinary” or “extreme”. Most of his works on partition were a depiction of human barbarity and cruelty, which anoints us with shivers and trepidation. Manto protruded into those remotest corners of the mind, where normal people wouldn’t even meander in. He reveals the complexities and confusion that besieges humans, which aren’t only horrifying but revealing. His works infused a sense of reality, yet one of the earliest publications, Aatish Paray, was more imbibed in idealism and represented the simplicity yet lacking the depth of the stories he wrote later. Stories like Dekh Kabeera Roya, Shaheedsaaz, Sahab-e-Karamat and others reflected societal practices and hypocrisies. He possessed this amazing ability to be diversified which remained his signature trademark till his death. To me, his short stories were unbelievably momentous in their material and message that they put across. They were a mix of outright truth and reality that were at times not digestible to the readers or something they could believe in.
Manto’s rebellious and renegade nature made him a hard person to tackle, with such intellectual arrogance at display, his co-writers never resisted from their diatribes. Joining All India Radio in Delhi during the early 1940’s he composed and wrote over 200 plays, which by many accounts are considered classics now. He was always at loggerheads with his colleagues, the lack of vivaciousness didn’t win him many admirers in the writing community. He jostled with the surroundings that were submissive and hypocritical in their practices, exceeding levels of tolerance allowed by society. The psychological impact of a story like Thanda Gosht left me in a delinquent state and in utter disbelief. The problem was not with Manto, but the readers who cannot separate their source of idealism from what the reality actually was. Manto pricked into the psyche of the intelligentsia and his haters who were detracted by his uncanny ability to come up with something unique. As according to Shahid Ahmad Dehalvi in 1953, when alcoholism had begun to take its toll on Manto, his conversation showed the same frankness: “Every word was steeped in sincerity, free from artifice. In his mind and ideas, there was no holding back, no deceptive covers. He had no desire to impress or be impressed. He had no fear of calling good good and bad bad.”
Manto sourced his stories from the various facets and couplets of life that existed and lay bare the stalk contrast he experimented with all the way through. His critics especially the intelligentsia chided him for some of those controversially penned stories which became an enigma, astutely laying bare what actually was happening rather than what supposedly wasn’t. As Manto contested about literature: “Literature is not a sickness, but rather a response to sickness. It is also not a medicine, literature is a measure of temperature, of its country, of its nation. It informs of its health and sickness.” Being a genius outright didn’t help matters as his intellectual arrogance always took precedence over his sub-conscience. The sensitivity and deep thinking that was instilled in his DNA couldn’t be ignored, since that what instigated him to delve into such precarious and delicate subject matters. In a famous speech in Jogeshwari College, Bombay in 1944 he said:” I am not seditious, I do not want to stir up people’s ideas and feelings. If I take the clothes off culture and society, then it is naked. I do not try to put clothes on, because that is not my job.”
A lot has been written about his abject financial state after coming to Pakistan, which could be summarised in this manner. As Manto’s writings became bolder, his opponents and critics targeted him venomously. From courting cases and controversies, and a lack of writing opportunities he was in dire financial straits. Interestingly, a reputed psychiatrist has delved into Manto as a mental case study, which to my eyes seemed shoddy and inadequately short of research. Citing from my own understanding, Manto was deprived of his livelihood and work opportunities. His avenue to earn a living had effectively been blockaded by the barrage of court cases, controversies and also not to blame his outspokenness that caused considerable consternation in the literary circles. My intention is not to wholly blame the society for this, a lot of flaws were very much present there in Manto. One thing, which Manto never hid, was what he really was and a dual persona was not his representation. Probably, he was one of those few writers who practiced openness in every given regard and never hid their frailties.
As much we explore him there will always be a mystifying factor in his writings that leaves us in awe or utter shock. Some of his works may not be as magnetic in comparison to the more famous ones he authored, but his versatility and variety was no doubt unquestionable. What we lack is the far sightedness and the courage to divulge more, making his writings available to a variety of readers and students that gives them a chance to be introduced to Manto. The challenge is not in tackling Manto’s stories and presenting them in a respective manner. What carries significance is to spread the message that his works portray, it’s after all reality that has mostly been depicted along with a fervour of human emotions and feelings. Manto’s legacy is encapsulating and ever alive, thanks to the legion of fans he has across the world. Recently, his works have been translated into the Croatian language, which is a testimony to him being as much alive and relevant as he was all those years ago.