Bombay, Partition and Obscenity | Manto, who loved and lost

Saadat Hasan Manto – the name itself sparks multiple thoughts and emotions in the minds of the readers. The Urdu writer, who was once criticised and called out for his “naked” portrayal of society, is today loved and celebrated by many people. Manto once said that “If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked? I don't even try to cover it, because it is not my job, that's the job of dressmakers”. Manto is today widely read, his thoughts are debated upon and his stories are narrated through various mediums like theatre.

'Main chalta phirta Bombai hoon' | Manto and his Bombay

Manto dwelled in his stories and his stories were dipped in the flavours and textures of everyday lives that buzzed around his favourite city – Bombay (now Mumbai). Reading the stories of Manto is similar to watching the period of the 1930s and 40s in Bombay.

Speaking to WION about Manto's love for Bombay, writer, translator and literary historian Dr Rakhshanda Jalil says, “Manto said for himself “Main chalta phirta Bombai hoon”. He was the city flaneur who knew every bit of his city, and his intimate knowledge of Bombay — both the posh Bombay of the film industry and the dark underbelly— is amply reflected in the stories.”

If one traces the areas in which Manto lived and work, one would understand what shaped the Urdu writer and sharpened his sensibilities. To take away Bombay from Manto was similar to sucking out the soul – chawl residents, aspiring film actors, prostitutes, pimps, Pathans, thugs – from his stories.

But how can one fight one's destiny?

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'Only if Bombay could move to Pakistan' | Delusional hopes of a writer

One year after the partition, Manto boarded a ship from Bombay to Pakistan. His family had already relocated, and the writer had to make a forced decision to move to Lahore amid escalating tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the wake of partition.

The storyteller never came back to the city he loved, but definitely, took a part of it across the border where he lived for the rest of his short life. Manto had come to Bombay in 1936 where he got a job in the film weekly Mussawar, and in a short span of time, the city became what he called his “second home”.

"That piece of land had offered shelter to a family reject and it had said to me, ‘You can be happy here on two pennies a day or on ten thousand rupees a day if you wish,'" Manto had written in a letter to readers which was published in 1952.

Explaining Manto's dilemma while leaving Bombay, filmmaker Nandita Das, while speaking to the audience of The Asiatic Society, had quoted the writer as saying, “Ho sakta hai agar Bombay Pakistan chala jaye, toh uske piche piche main bhi chal padoon. (Only if Bombay could move to Pakistan, I will also move there for the city.)”

Partition and killings that followed left Manto heartbroken and the loss of Bombay left him with a feeling of betrayal, the city which according to him “sawaal nahin karta (does not question)”.

To those who wonder what would have been Manto's life had he stayed in Bombay, Jalil has this to say, “As for what would have happened to Manto, his life and oeuvre if he hadn’t gone to Pakistan, I ask you what would have happened to the Indian subcontinent if independence had come without the partition? It’s worth pondering over.”

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'Vo intizar tha jis ka ye vo sahar to nahin' | Faiz and Manto
 

The stories of Manto were a mirror to society, highlighting the darkness it hides in its underbelly. And many times, his stories were criticised and charged with accusations of obscenity and vulgarity. But such criticism never bothered Manto, except that one time when it came straight from Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

The incident is from about the time of the famous court trial of his story “Thanda Gosht” in Lahore. In those times, a poem written by Faiz ‘The Morning of Freedom’ touched everyone's hearts, including Manto, who had also recited its lines by heart “ye daagh daagh ujala ye shab-gazida sahar / vo intizar tha jis ka ye vo sahar to nahin (This scarred, scarred light, this night-stung dawn, / The one we were waiting for, this is not the dawn)”.

So, when Faiz appeared in court, Manto had his hopes up. Although, Faiz agreed that Manto cannot face the charge of obscenity, however, he did not agree that his stories matched the good literature.

Expressing his disappointment at Faiz's remarks, Manto said how better it would have been if Faiz would have considered his stories as “obscene”.

Manto died in January 1955. Even though death knocked on his doors earlier than anticipated, Manto was prepared. Six months before his death, he prepared the text of his own epitaph.

Today, those who remember and celebrate him can now hear Manto speak from his grave: “Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto and with him lie buried all the secrets and mysteries of the art of story writing. Under mounds of earth, he lies, still wondering who among the two is the greater story writer – God or he.”

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