Remembering Manto: Was he an obscene writer?

Saadat Hasan 'Manto' - the controversial writer who traversed the South Asian subcontinent, having lived and worked in India before moving to Pakistan post the partition remains an enigma, decades after his death.

"Manto writes rubbish. People say that Manto is obscene but if you start reading Manto, you cannot leave the story unfinished." These are words Manto used to describe himself. He scribbled it on a book, striking off the publisher’s opinion of him, which read: "Prominent and best writer of our times."

Who was Manto? What was he trying to tell his readers? After 111 years, the process of interpreting him continues…

'Fahash nigar', the Urdu words that literally translate to obscene writing, usually prefix Saadat Hasan Manto's name. As controversy by its very nature garners more eyeballs, even today a couple of his stories like 'Kali Shalwar’, Bu', ‘Upar, Neeche Aur Darmiyan’ and ‘Thanda Ghosht’ are popular over the others. Why?

“People have given a verdict after reading a few of Manto’s stories. While the writer has touched every part of society through his work which is relevant even today,” says Jameel Gulrays, an advertising professional, who has penned jingles for products like Maaza, Amul, LIC, and many more and is a promoter of the Urdu language and literature.

Does viewing his writing with horse blinds do justice to his body of work?

'People were unfair to Manto'​

Most who know Saadat Hasan Manto as an obscene writer will have rarely read his satirical pieces. Gulrays has been running a movement called ‘The Other Side of Manto’ in which he highlights work that he believes the masses have ignored. He says stories marred by controversies are read and the others have gone unnoticed.

While walking down the streets of Delhi, he says, he saw a book titled ‘Manto Ke Ashleel Afsaane’ and was amused by how a couple of the writer’s stories still hold a position similar to that of a villain in a movie.

Gulrays feels Manto was branded in a certain fashion that his reputation still remains tarnished even after death. “I was once invited to a school to deliver a lecture and I decided to narrate stories written by Manto. On learning about this, the principal was worried and checked with me if it was appropriate for students.”

That day, the octogenarian read one of his favourite stories - ‘Deewana Shayar’. Of course, it all went well, and no complaints came from the authorities or stakeholders involved.

‘Manto was never trying to be the hero’​

“Performing to his writing is intoxicating, it's a slow fade into the story,” says Sahil Vaid, a theatre actor, who has played prominent roles in Hindi movies. Having performed on 'Tetwal Ka Kutta' on stage in over 60 shows, the actor speaks of a deep emotion that the writer has woven into his stories.

And this particular one is an episode between the Indian and Pakistani soldiers, and how a dog, who was proclaimed a traitor for one army, later became a martyr to the other in the cross-border fire. "Manto was extremely pained by the India-Pakistan partition and that reflects in his writing after 1947. Be it 'Tetwal Ka Kutta', 'Toba Tek Singh' or 'Aakhri Salute’,” Vaid says.

‘In ‘Aakhri Salute’, Subedar Rab Nawaz and Subedar Ram Singh were childhood friends. After the Partition, they went on to become enemies as they were posted in different armies. And as fate had it, Nawaz accidentally pulls the trigger and Singh dies, but in his friend’s arms. While breathing his last, it's a Pakistani soldier who gives his final salute to an Indian soldier.

“There's a line in 'Toba Tek Singh' which roughly translates to how an asylum inmate tears up, while hugging his companions as he knew that the longing to see his friend again will never get over. If asylum inmates can feel compassion, why can't those in high places understand it?”

Failed in Urdu​

Manto is known for his work in Urdu. But in school, he failed the subject. Well, school is no benchmark or a stepping stone to success. But in any case, Manto did not fare well in the language, at least on the marksheet. "Probably, he did not know how to give exams, he may have written things beyond his teacher's expectation," Gulrays says.

Vices and regret​

Safia bore the brunt of being the writer’s wife and with that came a strong opinion that it is better not to write. The family had to silently ground themselves, yet be closer to reality even after his demise.

“My mother’s experience of life as a writer’s wife was far from pleasant,” wrote Manto's daughter Nuzhat Arshad, who was seven when her father passed away on January 18, 1955. In her piece ‘My Father, Saadat Hasan Manto’ published in a collective‘ wrote, she highlights how his generosity towards the poor left the family in a dire situation, struggling to make ends meet.

The writer’s drinking habit in his last days made him sell his stories for meagre five or 10 rupees. His daughter also mentions how a ‘Hindustani’ writer approached them to bring out a collection of Manto's unpublished work and then disappeared with the script. For all the work that was published after the writer’s death, her mother did not receive any royalty.

The judge reasoned his judgment... But after Manto's demise​

'I confess to my crime. Kindly announce your judgment without any delay.' In 1953, Manto was summoned to court for ‘Upar, Neeche Aur Darmiyan’. Meh.di Ali Siddiqui was to hear the case and give a verdict. Manto, who was ill at the time, confessed to the crime.

All this while the judge was asking him to take a seat. The judge pronounced the verdict with a penalty of Rs 25. "Even today," Manto said, "society itself is obscene. All I do is represent its essence. It is entirely understandable that people with ugly faces vent their anger at the mirror."

The writer had asked for a reason and the judge couldn’t convey that in time. After Manto’s death, he decided to pen it. "In the opinion of the law, this subject is not beneficial for society, despite it being factually correct. Law also recognises the fact that instead of appreciating the beauty and nuances of differences that creep into the sexual acts of people from different classes, the majority of people would distort it so such an extent that it would degenerate into mere sexual gratification…"

The last leg​

‘Noor Jahan-Suroor Jahan’ is a story penned by Manto after moving to Pakistan. “On reading this, a friend, Ibrahim Jalees, asked him why he wasn’t writing stories like Gopi Nath anymore," says Gulrays, while talking about the writer's last days.

Manto responded that people don’t want to read them anymore. Stories on movie stars sell more. “Manto had begun writing stories below his standards,” says Gulrays. In this day and age, the line that differentiates obscene content from acceptable is blurring, or maybe it is just high tolerance. At a time when some stories dragged Manto to court, today, we watch and read similar content with no qualms, on our phones. The magic of time, or irony, is certainly a reality.

*Quotes of Saadat Hasan Manto, Nuzhat Arshad, Mehdi Ali Siddiqui and Ibrahim Jalees are from the collective 'Manto Saheb: Friends and Enemies on the Great Maverick

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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