The Best of Manto — A Timeless Addition to My Library
The Best of Manto, translated by Jai Ratan and published by Unistar Books, is the latest addition to my library. The book’s designing and printing are commendable, but what makes it truly valuable is the opportunity it offers to revisit the literary world of Saadat Hasan Manto, one of the most fearless and unconventional storytellers of the Indian subcontinent.
I had earlier read Mantonama in Hindi, and some of Manto’s dialogues, read many years ago, are still etched in my memory. One of them goes:
“मंटो के दिमाग में इतने अफ़साने हैं कि यदि कोई उसे बोतल में बंद करना चाहे, तो मंटो की जगह बोतल बंद हो जाएगी।”
This witty observation captures something of the extraordinary abundance of stories that inhabited Manto’s mind.
No doubt, Manto was unceremoniously expelled from the fraternity of the newly emerging Progressive Urdu writers. He was also hauled up before the courts several times on the heinous charge of peddling pornography through his writings. Yet, neither rejection nor legal prosecution could silence his pen. He continued to portray society as he saw it, exposing its hypocrisy, moral contradictions and uncomfortable truths without fear or compromise.
Manto also has a significant connection with Punjab. Born in 1912 into a Kashmiri family in the Ludhiana district, he received his early education in Amritsar and spent some time at Aligarh Muslim University. After a brief stint with All India Radio, he moved to Bombay in 1937. Following Partition, he left Bombay in 1947 and migrated to Lahore, where he continued his literary journey.
Manto was, undoubtedly, a born storyteller. The art of storytelling seemed to come to him naturally. His stories were not merely products of imagination; they reflected his penetrating understanding of human nature and his ability to look beyond the respectable surface of society. He gave a voice to people and realities that many preferred to ignore.
His life was marked by controversy, but his literary legacy has endured. The very stories that once invited prosecution and condemnation continue to invite discussion, reflection and admiration.
To discover more about Manto, his extraordinary journey, his writings and the circumstances that shaped his literary genius, one must read The Best of Manto.
Frankly Speaking, some books simply occupy space on a bookshelf; others open windows into the minds of extraordinary individuals. This book promises to do the latter.
