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‘Where do we belong?’: Exploring the absurdity of partition through selected

short stories of Sadaat Manto Hasan

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‘Where do we belong?’: Exploring the Follow Us

absurdity of partition through selected Search

short stories of Sadaat Manto Hasan
Junaid Shah Shabir
TH E BL OG

The partition of the Indian subcontinent was an iniquitous act that created a
humanitarian crisis at a very large scale and led to the perpetual division of people along Drunk Q & A with Zachary
Steele and The Weight of
seemingly irreconcilable communal lines. This study explores the absurdity and
Ashes, a novel
incongruity of partition through two short stories Toba Tek Singh and The Dog of
November 17, 2021
Tithwal by Saadat Hasan Manto. The essay reads the two works as a depiction of
Drunk on Ink is a blast
absurdity and madness on the part of the executioners of the partition and portrays its interview series by Soniah
dark and inhumane side. These works of fiction satirize the act of partition and showcase Kamal author of the novel
caricatures of the people who planned and paved the way for the implausible splitting of Unmarriageable an NPR Code
Switch and New York Public
a community. These writings also elicit the reader’s shocked response to the absurdity
Library Summer Reads Pick, a
of partition which forced people to choose nations when they had no idea why such
People’s Magazine Pick, a
choices were important, or even, how to choose. In both stories, ordinary human beings Financial Times Readers’ Best
are made unwitting perpetrators of crimes, fighting a war of which they have little Book, and starred reviews in

understanding. Publishers Weekly, Library

Journal, Shelf Awareness and
Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-55) is the most significant cultural icon in the world of Urdu more. Soniah’s interviews
include Chimamanda Ngozi
short stories. Influenced first by writers like Oscar Wilde, G. B. Shaw and Victor Hugo
Adichie, […]
(whose works he translated into Urdu), Manto has also been compared to Guy de
m o re. . .
Maupassant, Somerset Maugham, D.H. Lawrence, O. Henry for his magnificent craft of
Drunk on Ink Q & A with S.
blending realism and symbolism together to chronicle the social and political happenings
Kirk Walsh and ‘The Elephant
of his time. Since he belonged to the Progressive Writers Association, it is obvious that of Belfast’, a novel
his pen wouldn’t have romanticized or painted the narration in colours; rather he October 11, 2021
produced art that was true to life and depicted the social and political realities of the Drunk on Ink is a blast
times he lived in. His themes were largely social, before the partition of the interview series by Soniah
Kamal author of the novel
subcontinent, when he would debunk the hypocrisies of the society that he lived in by
Unmarriageable an NPR Code
talking about what was otherwise seen as taboo. He exposed the pretences and moral
Switch and New York Public
standards set by society by exposing social restrictions in his writings. Soon after Library Summer Reads Pick, a
partition, Manto could not help but vehemently criticise this inhumane act of bifurcating People’s Magazine Pick, a

a big nation into two and butchering the collective consciousness of the people into two Financial Times Readers’ Best
Book, and starred reviews in
unjustified halves – the ‘us’ and ‘them’. While not slipping into simple narrations of facts
Publishers Weekly, Library
and incidents, Manto skilfully brings forth a different perspective that not only Journal, Shelf Awareness and
acquaints readers about the collective trauma suffered by millions at the time of more. Soniah’s interviews
partition but also lets his readers dive into the psychological realm of his characters to
depict the hidden realities which historians could not showcase. His stories are timeless

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1/14/23, 7:26 PM ‘Where do we belong?’: Exploring the absurdity of partition through selected short stories of Sadaat Manto Hasan | Jaggery

and are still of crucial importance for scholars in that they help in “generating an include Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie, […]
understanding of the significance of partition violence, not in explaining a ‘holocaust’ . . .
m o re. . .
but in touching its complex topography, in reading its silences” (Severns. 200-201).
Perhaps there can be no other way of commemorating this legend than quoting his own Drunk On Ink Q & A with
Savannah Johnston and
epitaph that he wrote some months before his death, to mark his grave:
‘Rites’, short stories

Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto and with him lie buried all secrets and mysteries of the October 4, 2021

art of short story writing… under tonnes of earth he lies, still wondering who among Drunk on Ink is an interview
series by Soniah Kamal author
the two is the greatest short story writer; God or he. (Sandhawalia: 2015)
of the
novel Unmarriageable, a
Manto’s writings criticise as well as resist the idea of nationalism that had gained pace in
parallel retelling of Jane
the then- Indian subcontinent. Manto possessed a rare gift of imagination that allowed
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
him to create timeless fiction which would interweave human emotions with political and and set in contemporary
social appraisal in such a profound way that readers are always left in awe. Urdu Pakistan. Savannah Johnston

literature has witnessed no other short writer who could create characters that are true is an enrolled member of the
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
to life and portray the dark side of human consciousness while maintaining an artistic
Her work has appeared in Gulf
distance. Coast, HTMLgiant, and
Gravel, among others. She
Toba Tek Singh (1955) displays Manto at his artistic height. It would not be a mistake
lives in New York City. […]
to call the story one of the best political satires of all times which not only makes the m o re. . .

reader aware of the insanity of partition but also engages them in the very action of the
Drunk on Ink Q & A with
tale. To use a lunatic asylum as a microcosm of a nation to bring forth the insanity that
Sonora Jha “How To Raise a
the people of the newly formed countries were driven into and satirize the insane act of Feminist Son‘’, essays/memoir
partition showcases Manto’s craft and talent. He uses the lunacy of the inmates to October 4, 2021

mirror the lunacy of the external world and employs characters from different walks of Drunk on Ink is a blast
interview series by Soniah
life –ranging from a farmer to an engineer – to add different dimensions to the story.
Kamal author of the
The main character Bishan Singh is a symbolic representation of the loss, pain,
novel Unmarriageable, a
heartbreak, confusion, and chaos experienced by the people who helplessly witnessed parallel retelling of Jane
their motherland being torn apart. He symbolizes both the people and their mental state Austen’s Pride and
simultaneously. In a very few pages, this iconic piece of literature reveals the Prejudice and set in
contemporary Pakistan
psychological effects of partition, the arbitrariness of borders, the madness of the act
SONORA JHA, PhD, is an
and the helplessness of people.
essayist, novelist, researcher,
and professor of journalism at
First published in 1987, The Dog of Tithwal is yet another masterpiece of Manto that
Seattle University. She is the
uses symbolism and imagery to depict yet another disastrous effect of the partition author of the novel Foreign,
which was the loss of identity and sense of belonging. While in Toba Tek Singh Manto and her op-eds and essays
shows the insanity of partition through the lens of the ‘insane’, The Dog of Tithwal have appeared […]
m o re. . .
portrays the savage and brutal face of man when unmasked. Set in the mountains of
Tithwal (between India and Pakistan) in “pleasant” summer days, the story is a Drunk on Ink Q & A with Ilana

microcosmic view of the hatred filled confrontation between the people of the newly Masad and ‘All My Mother’s
Lovers’, a novel
formed states. The Indian and Pakistani soldiers are frustrated at not being able to kill
July 15, 2021
each other even though they exchange firing for hours together on a daily basis as they
Drunk on Ink is a blast
hunker down, waiting for the slightest sign of trouble. This frustration and thirst to spill interview series by Soniah
blood makes them kill a friendly dog who is caught between the two military posts of Kamal author of the
opposing countries and struggles to find companionship with one of the two military novel Unmarriageable, a
parallel retelling of Jane
groups.
Austen’s Pride and
Wrapped in heart wrenching episodes, Manto employs natural imagery in The Dog of Prejudice and set in
contemporary Pakistan Ilana
Tithwal and communal harmony at a microcosmic level in Toba Tek Singh to convey
Masad is a queer Israeli-
the message of the commonality of human beings. In Toba Tek Singh, the inhabitants in
American writer of fiction,
the asylum are the epitome of community brotherhood and harmony where people of nonfiction, and criticism. Her
different religions coexist peacefully. Manto uses this community inside the asylum to work has appeared in The

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frame an opposing mirror image of the world outside the asylum that was hell bent on New Yorker, New York Times,
LA Times, Washington Post,
dividing humanity on religious and communal lines. When this rigmarole of partition left
NPR, StoryQuartlerly, Tin […]
the inmates in chaos and confusion, one inmate climbed a tree and fixed himself on a
m o re. . .
branch. On being asked to climb down by the guards, he declares, “I wish to live neither
in India nor in Pakistan. I wish to live in this tree” – when fed up with worldly chaos and
bewilderment, man seeks refuge in the nature to which he originally belongs. The R EC EN T C OMMEN TS
organic connectivity between people of Pakistan and India is further brought out in
natural imagery. The weather which “was extremely pleasant”, the air “that was heavy Santosh on “I am a die-hard romantic,

with the scent of wildflowers”, and the nature that “seemed to be following its course, unabashedly indulging in childhood
memories”, says Dr. Santosh Bakaya,
quite unmindful of the soldiers hiding behind rocks” was shared not only by the soldiers
Poet, Author of ‘Where Are The Lilacs?’
serving two different nation states but also by the people living in those states. By
Ashok Chowkulkar on Republic Day,
reminding men of the nature which they share and find refuge in, the story ridicules the
2014
unfounded act of partition in the very first paragraph. Manto, as a vocal social critic,
Aranyam kashyap on Drunk On Ink Q
viewed not only the idea of partition as irrational but also called the people supporting and A with Aruni Kashyap and ‘There Is
and helping divide a nation into two either as criminals or just mad. The ‘insane’ Bishan No Good Time For Bad News’, poetry

Singh in Toba Tek Singh is one such example of a person who stands in stark contrast collection

to the ‘sane’ people outside who proclaim themselves the rightful cartographers and Sangeetha Bhaskaran on Love Language

proceed with dividing people on communal and regional lines. Manto packs the agony, Maya Hayuk on Lilla Dent

suffering, trouble, perplexity, stupefaction, trauma, and devastation caused to people by

partition in this one character. As Foucault notes in Madness and Civilization, “madness BL OG AR C H IVES

creates its own meaning in an attempt to find the truth.” (Foucault 30). The characters
in many such stories of partition have to necessarily go through ‘madness’ and ‘insanity’ November 2021

to explore truth and remain sane amid chaos, disarray, and pandemonium. Bishan October 2021

Singh, who is later famously called Toba Tek Singh, holds up a mirror to a vile and self- July 2021

serving society. In his poem ‘Toba Tek Singh’ the famous Urdu poet Gulzar rightly June 2021

says: April 2021

February 2021
I’ve to go and meet Toba Tek Singh’s Bishan at Wagah
January 2021
I’m told he still stands on his swollen feet Where Manto had left him, December 2020

November 2020
/He still mutters: Opad di gud gud di moong di dal di laltain
October 2020
I’ve to locate that mad fellow/ Who used to speak up from a branch high above: “He’s September 2020
god He alone has to decide – whose village to whose side.”1 February 2019

January 2019
In The Dog of Tithwal, Manto employs the symbol of a dog to expose the pent-up sense
December 2018
of anger and frustration of soldiers who are waiting to wage war on those who were their
November 2018
brothers just days before. The brutal treatment of the dog by Indian and Pakistani
October 2018
soldiers portrays the helplessness of the people who had to go through unthinkable
August 2018
trauma due to partition and its ensuing violence. The story throws light on how innocent
and naive people were first compelled to don an imposed national identity and later July 2018

asked to prove this forced identity. The work also ridicules those who wanted to thrust June 2018

identities on naïve people and enjoyed unleashing terror and madness upon them. May 2018

“‘Even dogs will now have to decide if they are Indian or Pakistani’, one of the soldiers April 2018

observed.” Manto calls the act of partition a game which the people at the helm of affairs February 2018

enjoyed playing at the cost of human lives, and that led to a huge psychological trauma January 2018

borne by innocent masses: December 2017

November 2017
It soon became a game between the soldiers, with the dog running round in circles in
August 2016
a state of great terror. Both Himmat Khan and Harnam Singh were laughing
May 2016
boisterously. The dog began to run towards Harnam Singh, who abused him loudly
April 2016

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and fired. The bullet caught him in the leg. He yelped, turned around and began to run December 2015
towards Himmat Khan, only to meet more fire, which was meant to scare him. ‘Be a November 2015
brave boy. If you are injured, don’t let that stand between you and your duty. Go, go, September 2015
go,’ the Pakistani shouted. (Manto. 24) August 2015

July 2015
The dog is a symbolical representation of the confused people who struggled to make
May 2015
sense of partition but were still caught up in a quandary when it came to decide which
April 2015
‘country’ they had to show loyalty to. For many who wanted to stay but were forced to
March 2015
migrate or wanted to migrate but felt compelled to stay behind, the decision was heart
January 2015
wrenching.
December 2014
While history can only convey superficial events, art dwells deep into the human psyche November 2014
to bring out truths which cannot be factualized. Manto blends facts with realistic fiction
October 2014
to document the depth of human suffering caused by the partition of the subcontinent in
September 2014
a way that historians have failed to do. According to Sandhawalia, Manto “crafted stories
August 2014
that gave more immediate and penetrating accounts of those troubled and troubling
July 2014
times than most journalistic accounts of partition. He excelled in capturing the human
June 2014
dimensions of a nation being butchered in the name of religion”. This just makes us ask
May 2014
whether Manto was a better historian.
April 2014
Both these stories, like all other works of Manto, evoke pity, fear, and despair in readers March 2014
as the characters not only criticise the foolishness of the partition plan and execution but February 2014
also resist the act of being split by an external agency against their own will. Throughout June 2013
Toba Tek Singh, Bishan Singh keeps on asking ‘Where is Toba Tek Singh?’ which is May 2013
relatable to every single person affected by partition and can be interpreted as people April 2013
seeking their identity and place. At the end, Bishan Singh resists the soldiers’ urge to pin
him down and dies in no man’s land, with India on one end and Pakistan on the other.
C ATEGOR IES
Similarly, the dog in The Dog of Tithwal, kept running between both borders, not unlike
the humans who were as confused and traumatized. Art

Ask the Unicorns

The literary responses to the partition of the Indian subcontinent are major sources to
Blog
revisit partition politics and violence. Manto’s short stories are inarguably some of the
Department
best portrayals of the pain and horror of this painful chapter. His fictional narratives
draw our attention to the tremendous impact of psychosocial suffering caused to the Editorials

masses during and after the act of partition that remains underexplored in historical and Essays

journalistic accounts. Fiction stands true to life and depicts reality in ways that not only Fiction

acquaint the audience with what had happened but forces them to shake the fragile Issues

walls surrounding their comfort zone. Poetry

Reviews
References

Foucault, Michel. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of META

Reason. Trans. Richard Howard. London: Tavistock Publications, 1971. Print

Log in
Manto, Saadat. Kingdom’s End and Other Stories. Translated by Khalid Hassan.
Entries feed
Verso, 1987
Comments feed
Sandhawalia, Jasmine. “Manto’s undivided people & divided us.” The Tribune, 05
WordPress.org
Sep. 2015, https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/manto-s-
undivided-people-divided-us-129280. Accessed 09 Oct. 2021

Severns, Keith. Witnessing Violence: Perspectives on Sa’adat Hasan Manto’s “Khol

do” and Rajinder Singh Bedi’s “Lajvanti”. Annual of Urdu Studies vol. 13 (1998).

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Junaid Shah Shabir is just an ordinary human being with extraordinary ambitions. He is Stum
presently pursuing graduate study in English Literature at NM State University, USA.
Through the short fiction and poetry, that he seldom finds himself writing, he tries to
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speak truth to the power and bear witness to the plight of ordinary people in
contemporary occupations and political conflicts.

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