A memorial library in the name of renowned Urdu short story writer, Saadat Hassan Manto has been dedicated to him in his birthplace in Paproudi, Ludhiana district of Indian Punjab.
The library is set for inauguration in January next year and envisions the legacy of a writer who is synonymous with his writings on Partition and still remembered across both Pakistan and India.
On the centenary of Manto’s birthday celebrations in 2012, his daughters Nighat, Nuzhat and Nusrat had visited Paproudi village and received a raving welcome from the locals who said they are “saade pind deeyan dhiyan (daughters of our village).”
Manto’s writings always stirred controversy, but were recognized as marvels of ingenuity and reality they portrayed. His stories have been translated into Japanese, French and recently in Croatian and he has been subject of several research theses by various students in the US and UK besides also being depicted on the cinematic screen by Sarmad Khoosat biopic in 2015.
Currently renowned Indian actor Nandita Das is bringing the Manto movie to cinemas starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in early 2018. Also, a television series is being telecast on Manto on Geo Entertainment channel.
More than sixty-two years after his death, Manto still keeps that aura of awe amongst the readers and garners media interest unlike any other of his contemporaries.
