Among the writers of partition literature of the sub-continent, one of the most daring and prolific writers is Saadat Hassan Manto. He was born in a middle-class Muslim family in Ludhiana in 1912. He has narrated the first-hand experiences of the partition of India and Pakistan. His writings are replete with irony and satire. The partition process turned Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs against each other. There was a massive slaughter, bloodshed, rapes and murders during the movement of humanity in 1947.Although Manto was a renowned writer before partition in the sub-continent, but he became eminent because of his short stories regarding the brutality faced by humanity during partition.
Saadat Hassan Manto was a journalist, Indian film screenwriter and a short story writer. His stories also include ‘Black Margins’ which are known as ‘Sayah Hashiye’, and they consist of a few lines with intense messages. For example, ‘Out of Consideration’ is one of the black margins and it states, ‘Don’t kill my daughter in front of my eyes.’ ‘All right, all right. Peel off her clothes and throw her in with the other girls.’ Manto has propagated a powerful message and imagery through these two lines. The scathing humor or black humor is also prominent in his stories.
Manto is often alleged as an obscene writer because he did not hesitate even writing about the matters which were avoided by most of the writers of his time. He has written about prostitutes, rapes, alcoholic and sexual desires. Manto’s niece, Ayesha Jalal, who is a historian has written about him in her book, ‘The pity of partition.’ She says, ‘Whether he was writing about prostitutes, pimps or criminals, Manto wanted to impress upon his readers that these disreputable people were also human, much more than those who cloaked their failings in a thick veil of hypocrisy.’ A film has also been made on his life in Pakistan.
