Saadat Hasan Manto was a famous Indo-Pakistani writer, playwright and author. Manto created a distinct identity for himself with his non-traditional writing style. Let us look at some interesting facts about Saadat Hasan Manto, his personal life, writing journey and death.
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Biography/Wiki
Saadat Hasan Manto was born on 11 May 1912 in Papraudhi village, Samrala, Ludhiana, Punjab, British India. His nationality was Indo-Pakistani because he was in India before the partition of India and after the partition of India and Pakistan, his family moved to Pakistan and he became a Pakistani. He is famous for writing plays, novels, short stories, radio plays, essays and personal sketches in the Urdu language. Manto wrote extensively about the harsh realities of society and his writing style was largely non-traditional. Saadat Hassan was encouraged to read French and Russian writers by Abdul Bari Alig, a scholar and controversial writer; And from now on, start writing short stories. His life was full of struggle. Saadat Hasan Manto was prosecuted six times in both India and Pakistan on charges of immorality in his writings.
family and children
Saadat Hasan Manto was born in a middle-class Islamic family in the predominantly Sikh city of Ludhiana, British India, to Ghulam Hasan Manto and Sardar Begum. His father was a judge in the local court. He was ethnically a Kashmiri, and was so proud of being a Kashmiri that he once wrote to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that being ‘beautiful’ was synonymous with being a ‘Kashmiri’.
Childhood picture of Saadat Hasan Manto
Manto was a citizen of both India and Pakistan, as his family moved to Lahore city of Pakistan after the partition of India and Pakistan. In the year 1936, his parents had arranged his marriage with Safia Deen (later Safia Manto); Who was also born on 11 May, but four years after Manto’s birth, in 1916. In 1936 itself, Manto wrote an entire essay on his marriage, titled Meri Shaadi (My Marriage).
Saadat Hasan Manto with his wife Safia
Saadat Hasan Manto with his wife Safia
Saadat Hasan Manto with wife Safia (left) and sister-in-law Zakia Hamid Jalal
Saadat and Safiya had a son, Arif, who died in infancy. The death of their son devastated Saadat and Safia. After this they had three daughters, Nighat Manto, Nuzhat Manto and Nusrat Manto.
Saadat Hasan Manto with his daughters
Manto with wife Safia (left), sister-in-law Zakia Hamid Jalal and daughter Nighat in Mumbai.
Saadat Hasan Manto with his daughter
Saadat Hasan Manto’s daughters with Indian director Nandita Das (surrounded)
After the partition of India, Manto moved to Pakistan in January 1948. Initially, Manto opposed partition and, despite being a Muslim, refused to move to the newly formed Pakistan. One evening when he was drinking with his Hindu colleagues, one of them remarked—”If they had not been friends, he would have killed Manto.” The next day, Manto decided to leave the country and took his family to Lahore.
Division of India
livelihood
In 1933, at the age of 21, Saadat Hasan Manto’s life changed when he met Abdul Bari Alig, a scholar and controversial writer in Amritsar. It was Abdul Bari Alig who encouraged him to read French and Russian writers. He was so impressed by Abdul Bari that he decided to join Aligarh Muslim University. Manto did his graduation and post-graduation from Aligarh Muslim University.
Professor Abdul Bari Alig
Through the study of Western writers he learned the art of short story writing and at the age of 20 he translated French, Russian and English stories into Urdu. Manto’s first story was ‘Sarguzasht-e-Asir’ (A Prisoner’s Story), an Urdu translation of Victor Hugo’s ‘The Last Day of a Condemned Man’.
The Last Day of a Condemned Man by Victor Hugo
Generally Saadat Hasan Manto liked to write the entire story in one go. Most of his subjects were related to people living on the margins of society. While studying at Aligarh Muslim University, Manto joined the ‘Indian Progressive Writers Association’ (IPWA). It was here, at Aligarh Muslim University, that he wrote his second story ‘Inquilab Pasand’, which was published in ‘Aligarh Patrika’ in March 1935.
Saadat Hasan Manto’s revolution choice
Then, in 1941, he joined the ‘Urdu Service of All India Radio’, where he published four collections of radio plays – ‘Aao’, ‘Manto Ke Drame’, ‘Janaze’ and ‘Teen Moti Auratne’.
Saadat Hasan Manto’s radio plays
Saadat Hasan Manto’s three pearl women
Manto also wrote short stories like ‘Dhuan’, ‘Manto Ke Afsane’ etc. His first collection of essays was ‘Manto Ke Mazameen’.
Saadat Hasan Manto’s smoke
In 1942, due to some differences with the director of All India Radio, he left his job and returned to Bombay, and again started working with the film industry, which was his best phase in screenwriting, he ‘ Gave films like ‘Shikari’. ‘Aath Din’, ‘Mirza Ghalib’ and ‘Chal Chal Re Naujawan.’
Hunter (1946)
Eight Days (1946)
Chal Chal Re Naujawan (1944)
Mirza Ghalib (1954)
In 1947, he moved to Lahore, Pakistan with his family. While in Lahore, Manto associated with many prominent intellectuals including ‘Nasir Kazmi’, ‘Faiz Ahmed Faiz’, ‘Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi’ and ‘Ahmed Rahi’. These intellectuals used to gather at the prestigious ‘Pak Tea House’ of Lahore and engage in spirited political debates and literary debates.
Pak Tea House, Lahore
In the early 1950s, Manto wrote an essay titled ‘Letters to Uncle Sam’ about Pakistan’s fortunes in international relations. In one such essay, he predicted a future where everything – music and art, literature and poetry – would be censored. In another letter to Uncle Sam, he wrote, “You will not believe, Uncle, that despite being the author of 20, 22 books, I do not have a house to live in.”
Saadat Hasan Manto’s letter to Uncle Sam
Controversy
Saadat Hasan Manto faced trial for obscenity in India and Pakistan; For his writings (‘Dhuan,’ ‘Boo,’ and ‘Kali Shalwar’) he was imprisoned thrice in India (under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code before 1947) and thrice in Pakistan (under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code after 1947). ) for his writing (“Khol Do,” “Thanda Gosht,” and “Upper Neeche Darmiyan”). However, he was fined only in one case.
Death
Manto became addicted to alcohol, which became the cause of his death. He died of multiple organ failure due to excessive alcohol consumption in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan on 18 January 1955 at the age of 42.
About six months before his death, Manto had written his epitaph, which read, ‘Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto and with him lie all the secrets and mysteries of the art of story writing. Beneath a heap of mud, he lies, still wondering who among the two is the greater storyteller – God or he.’ However, it was never used on his mausoleum.
Epitaph of Saadat Hasan Manto
After Manto’s death his life story became the subject of intense introspection and discussion.
Awards and Recognitions
- On 14 August 2012, the Government of Pakistan posthumously awarded him ‘Nishan-e-Imtiaz’.
Nishan-e-Imtiaz
- On the occasion of his birth centenary, Danish Iqbal’s stage play ‘Ek Dog Ki Kahani’ presented Manto from a new perspective.
- On the 50th anniversary of his death in January 2005, Manto was commemorated on a Pakistani postage stamp.
Postage stamp of Saadat Hasan Manto
- In 2015, a Pakistani biographical drama film titled ‘Manto’ directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat was released.
- In 2017, a Bollywood film was made with the same title directed by Nandita Das and starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the role of Manto.
Favourite Things
- Saadat Hasan Manto loved to eat Gajjar Halwa (an Indian sweet made from carrots).
- He liked to write with a silver-capped Schaeffer pen.
- Manto liked to wear gold embroidered shoes.
- His favorite place was Bombay, present day Mumbai.
fact
- Saadat Hasan Manto also smoked and drank alcohol.
Saadat Hasan Manto smoking
- Reading, writing and traveling were his hobbies.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn