Manto Exposed 'vanity' Of Society Thru His Writings

Saadat Hasan Manto, considered one of the finest 20th century Urdu writers, exposed vanity of society, especially after independence in 1947

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Jan, 2019 ) :Saadat Hasan Manto, considered one of the finest 20th century urdu writers, exposed vanity of society, especially after independence in 1947.

Bahuddin Zakariya University former dean of languages and known writer, Dr Anwaar Ahmad, said this while talking to APP in connection with Manto's 64th death anniversary on Friday.

He said that Mnato termed 'vanity' top obscenity in his writings in 1955, which are worth reading, adding that this ailment is a common phenomenon in our society even today.

The academician said that when India was turning the direction of our rivers before Partition, Manto wrote two short stories named 'Yazeed' and 'Shaheed Saaz'.

When people read him in former president's era, they felt that the great short story writer was still alive, Dr Anwaar said and added that though it was not possible to end vanity even today, this menace could be minimised by our actions and discourse which is the real message of the writer.

Manto was against sugar-coated writings, and he always exposed whatever bitter realities of life he observed around him, through his writings.

Replying to a question, former dean said that Ahmed Nadeem Qasimi had very beautifully wrote about Manto that Britishers were very cunning as they did not sue him on his political short stories when he had authored 'Naya Qanoon' in 1939, which was a satire on the 1935 Act.

They knew that if he was sued, he would turn out to be a rebellious (Baghi) in his future writings against them, he said adding that his first short story was 'Afsana'.

To another question, Dr Anwaar said that Manto tried to find motherhood in courtesan as he wanted to convey that society had forced them to act as they did. His six short stories are considered most beautiful and powerful works, he added.

Manto produced 22 collections of short stories, a novel, five series of radio plays, three collections of essays, two collections of personal sketches. Manto was known to write about the hard truths of society that no one dared to talk about. He is best known for his stories he penned immediately after independence in 1947.