Page 62 - 31OCT2018E

OPINION
DILEMMAS
HUMRA
QURAISHI
The Delhi-based writer
and columnist’s books
include Kashmir: The
Untold Story. She co- I the challenges and pains he
authored a series of
writings with the late
Khushwant Singh and
her short stories are
part of anthologies.
The views expressed
are her own
62-63 Opinion Humra.indd 2 10/16/2018
LITERATURE
Today the world needs
a few men like Manto
From humanism to freedom of expression, from displacement to Hin-
du-Muslim unity — the fiery, blunt and bold writer Manto had ticked
all the right boxes without getting righteous, moralistic or pedantic
have been in love with Saadat my parents were born in Amritsar and
Hasan Manto’s writings right from my mother was the niece of Saifuddin
my teenage days when I had first Kichlu. I was born in Rawalpindi in 1932,
read his short stories. Stark, they hit! though on the eve of Partition I was holi-
And, as I read details to his strug- daying in Srinagar.”Of course, I had asked
him all those curiosity — laden queries
gles,
went through, I simply marvelled the about Saadat Hasan Manto-the ‘whys’ to
man’s survival prowess. Though, to be his friendship with prostitutes in Mum-
honest, at times, I would sit wondering bai , to his mental and emotional fragility,
the contradictions attributed to him; on to his near-poverty existence, to all those
one hand he was portrayed as a loving contrasts he seemed saddled with.
husband and doting father yet his visits And, this is what he had told me:
to prostitutes and sex workers were also “Saadat Hasan Manto was my father’s
played up. Somehow, something it did paternal uncle (chacha). I got close to
not seem to jell. Saadat Hasan Manto when I came down
Thankfully, some of that haze to to Lahore around 1953 to study law.
Manto got cleared in 2005, as it was He was already living there and I had
around that time I happened to meet and interacted with him regularly for two taken up by the non-elite and those It’s time that we Manto saheb.
interview his grandnephew, Abid Hasan years — till he died…. Regarding he being from the socially lower strata. But, after Isn’t it time that we salute this writer’s
Minto, when he had travelled to New mentally fragile, that’s just not true. No, his marriage he was devoted to his wife salute Manto’s courage... the stark idealism he carried
Delhi to attend a Progressive Writers’ not at all…he was not mad, on the con- and except for those alcoholic-related courage... the stark right through, till his last day. Maybe
Meet at the Jamia Millia Islamia. A senior trary very sharp and clever. It’s just that offshoots, he suffered from no other ‘Manto museums’ are setup in the three
advocate of the Supreme Court of Paki- he was an alcoholic and in those days disease or problems. Another fact stands idealism he carried cities in India he was associated with —
stan, also, the President of the National there were no de-addiction centres or out: he was severely affected when his right through, till Amritsar, Mumbai and Srinagar — so
Workers’ Party of Pakistan (NWP) and to- clinics for alcoholics, and anybody with only son died as a child. Though he had that the young and the upcoming writers
gether with those political frills, perhaps alcohol-related problems was dumped in three daughters but that loss played his last day. Maybe get that much needed inspiration after
the biggest frill — the fact that he was an asylum. And, regarding his name get- havoc and he was in deep sorrow. No, ‘Manto museums’ are reading his books, letters, works.
himself a well-known writer and critic. ting linked to prostitutes, I can say with it’s not the Partition chaos that affected In these dark times, Manto saheb is
And, at the start of that interview, with great confidence that he was absolutely him as much as the death of his little setup in the three needed. Desperate and urgent need of
much curiosity I asked him this crucial in love with his wife and greatly commit- son. Somehow till the end he couldn’t cities in India he was the day. His honesty, his forthrightness,
why- “Why did he, Abid Hasan Minto — ted to her. They were happy with each get over it and it had left him completely his blatant criticism of the rulers, his dis-
spelt his surname differently. Why Minto other, happily married till the very end. devastated…That was Manto.” associated with — trust of the system and all that it heaps
and not Manto?” She was also a Kashmiri like us and her Now that we have slowly realised Amritsar, Mumbai on the individual, his raw emotions and
He had detailed, “Manto is a Kashmiri family earlier shifted to Africa and later the genius of this exceptionally honest passions, his utter dislike of the rich and
surname. Saadat Hasan Manto was my to Mumbai. And that’s where they had writer, I hope more books are written and Srinagar — so mighty, his bonding with the common-
father’s paternal uncle. The surname met and married.” on him and several more films made on ers, his ability to see through the fake
Manto was too closely associated with Then why those endless tales of his him. Of course, Nandita Das has made that the upcoming and fraudulent, need to be focused on.
him, with one particular individual. My sexual flings with women of all shades? this wonderful film on him and the latest writers get that That ongoing and repeated focus on his
father had dropped the surname, but I To this Minto said, “Maybe before his book on him has just been launched- works.
chose to take it with a change in spell- marriage, whilst he was living in Mum- ‘Manto Saheb-Friends and Enemies on much needed Manto saheb has to be placed up
ing.” He had further said, “We are ethnic bai, he mixed around with all sections the Great Maverick( Speaking Tiger), yet inspiration after there. On the high pedestal.
Kashmiris… My father’s grandfather had and all levels of people. Also, there could the void stares and continues to stare…
shifted from Srinagar to Amritsar. In fact, be an underlying factor to it — he was There ought to be much more focus on reading his works LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM
TEHELKA / 31 OCTOBER 2018 62 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 31 OCTOBER 2018 63 WWW.TEHELKA.COM
12:49:13 PM 62-63 Opinion Humra.indd 3 10/16/2018 12:49:19 PM