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Mottled Dawn; Fifty Sketches and Stories of Partition by Saadat Hasan Manto
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First published May 1, 1997
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About the author
Saadat Hasan Manto
550 books1,115 followersSaadat Hasan Manto (Urdu: سعادت حسن منٹو, Hindi: सआदत हसन मंटो), the most widely read and the most controversial short-story writer in Urdu, was born on 11 May 1912 at Sambrala in Punjab's Ludhiana District. In a writing career spanning over two decades he produced twenty-two collections of short stories, one novel, five collections of radio plays, three collections of essays, two collections of reminiscences and many scripts for films. He was tried for obscenity half a dozen times, thrice before and thrice after independence. Not always was he acquitted. Some of Manto's greatest work was produced in the last seven years of his life, a time of great financial and emotional hardship for him. He died a few months short of his forty-third birthday, in January 1955, in Lahore.
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December 13, 2024
In a Nutshell: A compelling short story collection from one of the Indian subcontinent’s finest and most respected Urdu writers. All the stories, originally written in Urdu, are set during the Indo-Pak partition, which makes this a tough book to read. Heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, devastating. A genuine voice of those who lived through that ghastly period. Recommended if you can stand reading about the inhumaneness of humans.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most avid Indian (and I bet, Pakistani) readers know the name of Saadat Hasan Manto. Born in 1912 in the Punjab province (Then British India, present-day India), Manto was known for his powerful short fiction. He didn’t hesitate to include historically controversial topics such as lust and sex in his work. Many of his female characters are shown enjoying the act of intercourse, which might have created a furore amid conservatives those days.
Manto moved to Pakistan after the 1947 partition as he, a Muslim, found his writing skills less in demand in India. Unfortunately, he wrote screenplays in the film industry, and as the Pakistani movie industry was fledgling at that time, Manto struggled to find employment even in Lahore. This difficult period led to two things: a severe addiction to alcohol, and an immensely productive period of fiction & essay writing.
The introductory note by Pakistani-American author Daniyal Mueenuddin is the perfect way of getting to know about Manto and his life. Mueenuddin’s essay is eloquent and honest, sparing no efforts to let us know why Manto is so acclaimed. I simply loved this write-up. I wish I could say the same about the next write-up by Khalid Hasan, who translated these stories from their original Urdu. While his article is also strong, he includes spoilers for many of the stories. It would have been better if his note had been included at the end of the book. I stopped reading it after some paras because I didn’t want to know the endings of so many stories. I would suggest returning to Hasan’s note only after you complete the collection if you don’t wish to affect your reading experience.
This book has fifty entries, of which twenty are short stories, and the rest are micro-fiction sketches from Manto’s collection titled ‘Siyah Hashiye / سیاہ حاشئے’ (Black Fringe.) Most of the stories are on the briefer side. My paperback is only 170 pages long.
While there are many books that come under ‘partition fiction’, Manto’s voice is unique because he actually lived through the partition and even felt its aftermath, through the distancing he felt in India after the country was split so brutally. An informed reader might expect a greater emotional intensity to the narratives, focussing more on the Pakistani or Muslim experience, and pointing fingers at “the other side”. However, Manto isn’t reputed without a reason. His depiction of the partition is, without a doubt, the most brutal I have ever read, but it is also the most impartial. His stories depict the internecine massacre without any partiality or emotional involvement. His characters suffer, period. Whether they are Muslims or Hindus or Sikhs – the three primary parties connected to the partition violence, their fate is the same: suffering, destruction, loss, death. By focussing more on the people than on the places or beliefs, Manto ensures that we see the characters as humans instead of by their religious or national identities.
It goes without saying that the above approach leads to a stomach-churning experience. As it is, I find it tough to read partition fiction. I can’t believe the horrors that took place during an event worse than the holocaust in so many ways because the brutalities were committed not by the state network but by ordinary citizens. Imagine your neighbour turning into your foe overnight, just because certain idiots decided that cutting a country into three chunks merely by religion was a brilliant idea! Manto’s narratives depict the horror of those days without a filter, so if you think you would also want some positive stories of hope set during the partition, this isn’t the book for you.
I felt utterly traumatized after reading this collection. I knew beforehand I wouldn't be able to read too many stories from this set at a go. So I decided to read this simultaneously with another short story collection, which was a set of Christmas-themed horror stories. The fact that this book chilled my heart more than a gory horror anthology did, should speak volumes about the content.
As per my usual method, I tried to rate the stories individually. However, it is difficult to give star ratings when they are supposed to indicate our enjoyment of a story and I didn't "enjoy" any of the tales in this book. So my ratings are based more on the impact a story had on me. Some of the stories had the partition as an incidental idea or were a bit too lewd for my liking – these didn’t fare that well with me.
These were my top favourites of the twenty short stories:
The thirty micro-fiction tales that come after this are also mostly disquieting. They might be just a page long, and at times, even be a tale of just a couple of sentences, but they encompass a variety of moods such as sarcasm, irony, and tragedy. I loved most of these, but my favourite ones were ‘Division’, ‘The Benefits of Ignorance’, ‘For Necessary Action’, ‘Miracle Man’, ‘Mistake Removed’, ‘Warning’, ‘Losing Proposition’, and ‘The Garland’. Not going into individual story reviews as these are too tiny to be reviewed without spoilers.
All in all, an impactful OwnVoices story collection that is brutal, honest, unbiased, and tragic. Not to be picked if you are easily triggered. But a definite must for those wanting a potent collection on one of the worst geo-political decisions ever made and its devastating aftermath, the repercussions of which echo till date.
4.25 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most avid Indian (and I bet, Pakistani) readers know the name of Saadat Hasan Manto. Born in 1912 in the Punjab province (Then British India, present-day India), Manto was known for his powerful short fiction. He didn’t hesitate to include historically controversial topics such as lust and sex in his work. Many of his female characters are shown enjoying the act of intercourse, which might have created a furore amid conservatives those days.
Manto moved to Pakistan after the 1947 partition as he, a Muslim, found his writing skills less in demand in India. Unfortunately, he wrote screenplays in the film industry, and as the Pakistani movie industry was fledgling at that time, Manto struggled to find employment even in Lahore. This difficult period led to two things: a severe addiction to alcohol, and an immensely productive period of fiction & essay writing.
The introductory note by Pakistani-American author Daniyal Mueenuddin is the perfect way of getting to know about Manto and his life. Mueenuddin’s essay is eloquent and honest, sparing no efforts to let us know why Manto is so acclaimed. I simply loved this write-up. I wish I could say the same about the next write-up by Khalid Hasan, who translated these stories from their original Urdu. While his article is also strong, he includes spoilers for many of the stories. It would have been better if his note had been included at the end of the book. I stopped reading it after some paras because I didn’t want to know the endings of so many stories. I would suggest returning to Hasan’s note only after you complete the collection if you don’t wish to affect your reading experience.
This book has fifty entries, of which twenty are short stories, and the rest are micro-fiction sketches from Manto’s collection titled ‘Siyah Hashiye / سیاہ حاشئے’ (Black Fringe.) Most of the stories are on the briefer side. My paperback is only 170 pages long.
While there are many books that come under ‘partition fiction’, Manto’s voice is unique because he actually lived through the partition and even felt its aftermath, through the distancing he felt in India after the country was split so brutally. An informed reader might expect a greater emotional intensity to the narratives, focussing more on the Pakistani or Muslim experience, and pointing fingers at “the other side”. However, Manto isn’t reputed without a reason. His depiction of the partition is, without a doubt, the most brutal I have ever read, but it is also the most impartial. His stories depict the internecine massacre without any partiality or emotional involvement. His characters suffer, period. Whether they are Muslims or Hindus or Sikhs – the three primary parties connected to the partition violence, their fate is the same: suffering, destruction, loss, death. By focussing more on the people than on the places or beliefs, Manto ensures that we see the characters as humans instead of by their religious or national identities.
It goes without saying that the above approach leads to a stomach-churning experience. As it is, I find it tough to read partition fiction. I can’t believe the horrors that took place during an event worse than the holocaust in so many ways because the brutalities were committed not by the state network but by ordinary citizens. Imagine your neighbour turning into your foe overnight, just because certain idiots decided that cutting a country into three chunks merely by religion was a brilliant idea! Manto’s narratives depict the horror of those days without a filter, so if you think you would also want some positive stories of hope set during the partition, this isn’t the book for you.
I felt utterly traumatized after reading this collection. I knew beforehand I wouldn't be able to read too many stories from this set at a go. So I decided to read this simultaneously with another short story collection, which was a set of Christmas-themed horror stories. The fact that this book chilled my heart more than a gory horror anthology did, should speak volumes about the content.
As per my usual method, I tried to rate the stories individually. However, it is difficult to give star ratings when they are supposed to indicate our enjoyment of a story and I didn't "enjoy" any of the tales in this book. So my ratings are based more on the impact a story had on me. Some of the stories had the partition as an incidental idea or were a bit too lewd for my liking – these didn’t fare that well with me.
These were my top favourites of the twenty short stories:
🩸 Toba Tek Singh: One of Manto's best-known stories, I had always been curious to try it. Reading it proved why it is his most acclaimed work. It started off as a normal tale, but ended in a way that left me stunned and heartbroken. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🩸 The Return: How is it possible to give 5 stars to a story that filled my heart with dread? This was tragic on every level. Brilliant writing, distressing plot. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🩸 The Assignment: The first story that made me wonder, "What have I got myself into!?" This messed up my head big-time. Can't remember the last time an ending alarmed me so much. I took a break of three days from the book after reading this tale. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🩸 The Last Salute: Captures the confused identities of the citizens of the two nations so well. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🩸 A Girl From Delhi: A story proving that humans are humans, regardless of religion. And corruption is corruption, regardless of religion. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🩸 The Great Divide: A different take on how to view the enemy. Thought-provoking! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🩸 Bitter Harvest: Broke my heart. Wish such things didn't happen, but humans, being creatures of passion, are often blinded by it, and this story proves it. 😔 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🩸 A Believer's Version: Written in the form of a confession, this stands out from the rest of the narratives. Not a typical partition story, but nonetheless, one filled with equal measures of passion and pain. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
The thirty micro-fiction tales that come after this are also mostly disquieting. They might be just a page long, and at times, even be a tale of just a couple of sentences, but they encompass a variety of moods such as sarcasm, irony, and tragedy. I loved most of these, but my favourite ones were ‘Division’, ‘The Benefits of Ignorance’, ‘For Necessary Action’, ‘Miracle Man’, ‘Mistake Removed’, ‘Warning’, ‘Losing Proposition’, and ‘The Garland’. Not going into individual story reviews as these are too tiny to be reviewed without spoilers.
All in all, an impactful OwnVoices story collection that is brutal, honest, unbiased, and tragic. Not to be picked if you are easily triggered. But a definite must for those wanting a potent collection on one of the worst geo-political decisions ever made and its devastating aftermath, the repercussions of which echo till date.
4.25 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
August 24, 2012
Khalid Hasan’s English is good and idiomatic and his translation fulfills the goal of readability in the target language. This seems to be the secret of the popularity of his anthology. A non-Urdu reader will be immediately impressed by the lucidity of his prose and his clever turns of phrase, and will be thereby tempted to trust his competence and judgment as a translator.
But when one compares his translations with the originals, one
is horrified by the kind of liberties he takes and the ways in which he
distorts the text. Hasan commits all the errors of an inordinately adventurous translator. He changes the titles of stories without any valid reason, leaves out large portions of the original, summarizes descriptive paragraphs and dialogues, changes the order of sentences, eliminates ellipses, flattens out uneven contours and cultural angularities of the original, and sometimes, though not as frequently, adds some copy of his own for the benefit of readers not acquainted with Indo-Islamic culture and the history of the Subcontinent. It will be my endeavor to substantiate these allegations with illustrations from his translations.
First, the change of titles. Hasan translates the title of the spine-chilling story "Thanda Ghost" as "Colder than Ice".
Secondly, the most serious of all Hasan’s errors is his omission of
large chunks of the original texts in his English translations. He leaves out not only sentences but whole paragraphs, indeed even pages, thereby doing great violence to the original text. For instance,
Magar usne kutton ki koi parva na ki aur hosh-o-havas qaim karne ki koshish karta hue ba-mushkil apne ghar pahuncha aur sari raat darawne sapne dekhta raha.
Hasan summarizes it thus:
Like a mad man, he ran out of the courtyard and into the dark
street.
Needless to say, Khalid Hasan overshoots his duties as a translator
who should resolutely resist the temptation to “improve upon” the original writer. He should not endeavor to expand, on his own, the textual structure of the original in his translation. Yazid is a symbol for Manto and not a convenient peg on which to hang either information about Islamic history or his knowledge about Shi‘a practices. Khalid Hasan’s translations of the pieces in “Siyah Hasiyeh” are more accurate and closer to the original precisely because the originals hold no scope for editing or additions, being themselves fragmentary and pared down to the bone.
Thus what Khalid Hasan eventually presents to non-Urdu readers is a
truncated, reductive, and often unreliable version of Manto. His good
English effectively camouflages the lapses in his translations. But the
lapses are quite serious and defeat the very objective of translation.
If the objective is to introduce a writer of great talent and insight to those who do not read the language in which he wrote, the translator should take utmost care to minimize sacrifices and distortions. This calls for an attitude of respect towards the writer and the original text. The translator’s misplaced zeal should not lead him to import information in the attempt to add local color or exotic appeal. Likewise, it should not lead him to sanitize the text, cleaning out all seeming warts, angularities, and cultural nuances, because in the ultimate analysis these may have been the very qualities that made the writer and his texts distinctive in the original language.
But when one compares his translations with the originals, one
is horrified by the kind of liberties he takes and the ways in which he
distorts the text. Hasan commits all the errors of an inordinately adventurous translator. He changes the titles of stories without any valid reason, leaves out large portions of the original, summarizes descriptive paragraphs and dialogues, changes the order of sentences, eliminates ellipses, flattens out uneven contours and cultural angularities of the original, and sometimes, though not as frequently, adds some copy of his own for the benefit of readers not acquainted with Indo-Islamic culture and the history of the Subcontinent. It will be my endeavor to substantiate these allegations with illustrations from his translations.
First, the change of titles. Hasan translates the title of the spine-chilling story "Thanda Ghost" as "Colder than Ice".
Secondly, the most serious of all Hasan’s errors is his omission of
large chunks of the original texts in his English translations. He leaves out not only sentences but whole paragraphs, indeed even pages, thereby doing great violence to the original text. For instance,
Magar usne kutton ki koi parva na ki aur hosh-o-havas qaim karne ki koshish karta hue ba-mushkil apne ghar pahuncha aur sari raat darawne sapne dekhta raha.
Hasan summarizes it thus:
Like a mad man, he ran out of the courtyard and into the dark
street.
Needless to say, Khalid Hasan overshoots his duties as a translator
who should resolutely resist the temptation to “improve upon” the original writer. He should not endeavor to expand, on his own, the textual structure of the original in his translation. Yazid is a symbol for Manto and not a convenient peg on which to hang either information about Islamic history or his knowledge about Shi‘a practices. Khalid Hasan’s translations of the pieces in “Siyah Hasiyeh” are more accurate and closer to the original precisely because the originals hold no scope for editing or additions, being themselves fragmentary and pared down to the bone.
Thus what Khalid Hasan eventually presents to non-Urdu readers is a
truncated, reductive, and often unreliable version of Manto. His good
English effectively camouflages the lapses in his translations. But the
lapses are quite serious and defeat the very objective of translation.
If the objective is to introduce a writer of great talent and insight to those who do not read the language in which he wrote, the translator should take utmost care to minimize sacrifices and distortions. This calls for an attitude of respect towards the writer and the original text. The translator’s misplaced zeal should not lead him to import information in the attempt to add local color or exotic appeal. Likewise, it should not lead him to sanitize the text, cleaning out all seeming warts, angularities, and cultural nuances, because in the ultimate analysis these may have been the very qualities that made the writer and his texts distinctive in the original language.
July 10, 2021
These stories depict the times of the partition and communal riots during which many had to leave their homes and many were killed and injured.
Moreover, the stories tell who were suffering the worst. They describe the dilemma of wars where the soldiers nor the civilians did not understand what was going on and where they would end up the next moment.
The writing is flawless and the translation seems to be quite accurate as the writing delivered the stories with different kinds of emotions they were enveloped with.
49 stories with some in poetry/musings in all and each story told the fears, the cries and the inhuman image of what put the country and its people in such an ugly battlefield during those days.
I cried for the characters and their sufferings throughout the read. I say what's the point of enemies and friends when there's a war. We are made to kill each other for inanimate things and power. And I wonder what's the power in this?
Content warnings for assault, cruelty towards animals
My favourites include The Assignment, The Dog of Titwal (irony at its best!), The Last Salute, The Price of Freedom, Mozail, A Girl From Delhi, The Great Divide, A Believer's Version (the most thrilling read!), A Tale of 1947, Wages, Cooperation.
These stories will forever remain etched in my heart.
Moreover, the stories tell who were suffering the worst. They describe the dilemma of wars where the soldiers nor the civilians did not understand what was going on and where they would end up the next moment.
The writing is flawless and the translation seems to be quite accurate as the writing delivered the stories with different kinds of emotions they were enveloped with.
49 stories with some in poetry/musings in all and each story told the fears, the cries and the inhuman image of what put the country and its people in such an ugly battlefield during those days.
I cried for the characters and their sufferings throughout the read. I say what's the point of enemies and friends when there's a war. We are made to kill each other for inanimate things and power. And I wonder what's the power in this?
Content warnings for assault, cruelty towards animals
My favourites include The Assignment, The Dog of Titwal (irony at its best!), The Last Salute, The Price of Freedom, Mozail, A Girl From Delhi, The Great Divide, A Believer's Version (the most thrilling read!), A Tale of 1947, Wages, Cooperation.
These stories will forever remain etched in my heart.
October 4, 2015
There was looting and rioting everywhere and to them had now been added widespread arson.
Quite unmindful of it all, a man was waltzing down the street, a harmonium strung down his neck, and a popular song on his lips:
She went away to a far land
Breaking my heart
Never again will I love another,
Never again…
A young boy went running by, cradling dozens of packets of papads in his arms. He tripped slightly and dropped one packet. As he stooped to try and pick it up, an older man with an obviously stolen sewing machine on his head said, ‘Why bother to do that son? The road is so hot that your papads will soon turn into a crisp.
***
This is Manto’s partition – madness made terrifyingly normal.
Quite unmindful of it all, a man was waltzing down the street, a harmonium strung down his neck, and a popular song on his lips:
She went away to a far land
Breaking my heart
Never again will I love another,
Never again…
A young boy went running by, cradling dozens of packets of papads in his arms. He tripped slightly and dropped one packet. As he stooped to try and pick it up, an older man with an obviously stolen sewing machine on his head said, ‘Why bother to do that son? The road is so hot that your papads will soon turn into a crisp.
***
This is Manto’s partition – madness made terrifyingly normal.
April 1, 2012
While no story of the Partition can remain aloof from the bloodletting, rape, plunder and the ruthlessness of human beings in the name of religion, Manto brings alive the period through simple prose deeply rich in irony. The pointlessness of violence in the name of religion and patriotism simply stands out in each of these 50 sketches. Only wish Manto gets his due in this year of his birth centenary.
March 19, 2018
3.5 stars for this collection of stories,some of which I feel got lost in translation.
October 31, 2018
Manto's heart wrenching tales of the gory partition era make one shudder at the kind of cruelty humankind is capable of. At the same time, it gives a glimpse of some touching characters - Mozail who sacrificed her life to save her ex-lover's girlfriend or Sehai- the pimp who cared for his girls like his own daughters - who bring one's faith back to humanity. However much we may argue on who or what was responsible for the partition and the events that followed, the fact remains that it changed the human race in the subcontinent like nothing else.
Although some of the sketches towards the end are too subtle and sometimes difficult to interpret in their complete sense,it is a book which depicts the trials and tribulations of partition very realistically.
This being a translation, I can imagine to some extent how much of emotion and sentiments the original would have carried. It is sad to know that an author as great as Manto died in oblivion shattered by the turmoil of partition. It is perhaps the deep pain he carried in his heart that gave such feeling to each tale that pierces the reader's heart.
Although some of the sketches towards the end are too subtle and sometimes difficult to interpret in their complete sense,it is a book which depicts the trials and tribulations of partition very realistically.
This being a translation, I can imagine to some extent how much of emotion and sentiments the original would have carried. It is sad to know that an author as great as Manto died in oblivion shattered by the turmoil of partition. It is perhaps the deep pain he carried in his heart that gave such feeling to each tale that pierces the reader's heart.
February 14, 2017
Manto is truly a sensitive soul. When I started reading the book, I was amazed at how every chapter ended. Every story just leaves you hanging in there to grasp for breath, or to let you take in the gravity of the situation. He writes in the voice of a common man's struggle, or their journey during the Partition. He doesn't glorify the times, or belittle it. He only gives one a realistic view of the way of living during those difficult times. It's truly inspiring to be able to be able to empathize on a level like his.
January 12, 2013
First I've read of this author, and I'm completely won over. His vignettes on Partition capture humanity (or the lack thereof) in a simple and unadorned way. Nothing sappy or weepy.
February 17, 2015
Imagine next week our government made an announcement. All Jews would now be required to move to the coastal states. Christians living in those states had to move immediately and would now live in the middle of the country. Pack up all of your things and leave immediately. Don't know anyone in the middle of the country? Too bad. Won't have a job, house, or know how you'll find food or water? Get moving anyway.
Oh, and by the way, there will be little in the way of law and order in the interim, and if you're a Christian - it's the Jews fault this happened. If you're Jewish, blame it on the Christians. Let your most base instincts reign free.
Can you even begin to contemplate how you'd survive? Think through what you'd do to prepare. Now take those plans and remove any that involve a car, Internet, or telephone.
The situation you now find yourself in is one that slightly resembles what happened when Pakistan was suddenly created out of lands that were part of India. In an instant, Muslims were now expected to move to Pakistan and Hindus to India. Refugee camps sprang up, but just as instantly widespread violence broke out.
And amongst it all lived Saadan Hasan Monto, who chronicles in fifty sketches and stories what it was like to be amongst the partition. Absolutely astonishing. I'd highly recommend reading it, with particular emphasis on the stories, "The Return," "The Assignment," and "The Last Salute."
Oh, and by the way, there will be little in the way of law and order in the interim, and if you're a Christian - it's the Jews fault this happened. If you're Jewish, blame it on the Christians. Let your most base instincts reign free.
Can you even begin to contemplate how you'd survive? Think through what you'd do to prepare. Now take those plans and remove any that involve a car, Internet, or telephone.
The situation you now find yourself in is one that slightly resembles what happened when Pakistan was suddenly created out of lands that were part of India. In an instant, Muslims were now expected to move to Pakistan and Hindus to India. Refugee camps sprang up, but just as instantly widespread violence broke out.
And amongst it all lived Saadan Hasan Monto, who chronicles in fifty sketches and stories what it was like to be amongst the partition. Absolutely astonishing. I'd highly recommend reading it, with particular emphasis on the stories, "The Return," "The Assignment," and "The Last Salute."
February 17, 2017
Glad I read this as my first by Manto. Truly, no other book on Partition has been put forth in such manner. One of the finest works I've ever read on Partition.
July 16, 2017
Manto is raw and truthful. He will make such an impression that you can't forget the picture of what he produced through his stories. 'A tale of 1947' is one of my favorites..
September 1, 2022
Partition literature occupied a portion of our final term reading and luckily Manto was there. As soom as I read Toba Tek Singh, I knew I found a new favourite author. I proceeded to get this collection and as expected, it filled me with all kinds of emotions. An apologetic and brutally real anthology of an event which still resounds in our hearts.
July 5, 2018
Saadat Hasan Manto's stories hit you like a punch in the gut - at first you feel like your stomach has dropped into an endless abyss, followed by a gasp for air that you try but it seems like the gasp is eaten up by the bottomless gut, never to return; and finally you feel the shooting pain that becomes centre stage in your mind while you forget for a while that you have not taken a breath for some time now, and the one you took in never came out.
The short stories are quite shameless and embarrass you. As a reader, you feel like you have been publicly stripped down to your humanness, with your flaws on display for all to see. It shows us the animalistic side of our nature, which often bubbles to the surface in times of war and riots. If someone would have written an apologetic letter to God lamenting the unstoppable rot that has become a part of humanity, this book would be it.
The short stories are quite shameless and embarrass you. As a reader, you feel like you have been publicly stripped down to your humanness, with your flaws on display for all to see. It shows us the animalistic side of our nature, which often bubbles to the surface in times of war and riots. If someone would have written an apologetic letter to God lamenting the unstoppable rot that has become a part of humanity, this book would be it.
January 7, 2017
I believe to have read over 30 books on Partition and the times around it but none unsettled me like this one. And that is when this is a translated version of the original writing in Urdu. I am glad I didn't read the original version though.
Set in the era around partition and animalistic emotions overflowing at that time, this anthology of stories comprises several notable stories by Manto; specifically 'Toba Tek Singh' and the very depressing 'The Return' or 'Khol Do'.
Beautifully disturbing read. Recommended for tensile hearted.
Set in the era around partition and animalistic emotions overflowing at that time, this anthology of stories comprises several notable stories by Manto; specifically 'Toba Tek Singh' and the very depressing 'The Return' or 'Khol Do'.
Beautifully disturbing read. Recommended for tensile hearted.
March 10, 2012
I had heard of Manto and his plays during the college time and chanced upon this book on a visit to a book fair. The book depicts how the partition changed the lives and attitudes of people, how friends turn into foes and how religion suddenly comes at the forefront of everything. With exceptionally simple words, Manto depicts the gut-wrenching and heart rendering tales of the partition. He has brought to life the most traumatic episode in the history of India!
May 17, 2007
This is my absolute favorite book of all time. It's powerful, ironic, emotionally rigorous and intellectually engaging. It's basically a collection of short stories and sketches by one author about the partition of India and Pakistan, which if you don't know much about, you should! Please please read this book.
January 19, 2011
This book made me realise how the simplest of words, matter-of-fact prose can still be utterly heart-breaking, gut-wrenching. It is shocking and depressing, yet a revelatory account of the India-Pakistan Partition. Stories like 'The Dog of Titwal', and 'Toba Tek Singh' are haunting and unforgettable.
April 20, 2011
These stories are haunting, chilling, and touching. They portray wonderfully both the confusion and the inhuman fervor present at the time of partition.
January 14, 2019
The writing is just beautiful. The stories are just disturbing.
March 12, 2019
Really thought provoking, soul shattering stories to read. Some of the worst fears of communal violence is explored in this beautiful book with each story ending with hair standing on end climax.
November 27, 2025
gripping collection that proves why his work still feels startlingly fresh and relevant. Each story cuts straight to the human cost of Partition raw, unfiltered and emotionally charged yet written with Manto’s trademark clarity and razor sharp insight. Even decades later, his characters feel alive, his themes painfully real and his storytelling disturbingly close to our present. A powerful, haunting read.
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October 21, 2023This sucked so bad, like some of the stories were ok but none of them were memorable and ik for a fact that if some of them were decent they were 100% lost in the translation. Truly a shame Cus I wanted some good Indian/Pakistani literature but nope 0.5/5 Cus the cover is cute
August 15, 2023
Stunning and sometimes horrifying.
February 27, 2024
Why can't they understand that faith, belief, devotion, call it what you will, is a thing of the spirit; it is not physical. Guns and knives are powerless to destroy it.
Poignant subjects told in a very sober and elegant manner.
Poignant subjects told in a very sober and elegant manner.
June 10, 2020
truly damning, unsettling, frightening, and needed.
May 17, 2020
The only reason I give this 4 stars is because there were multiple stories where the english translation didn't seem to do justice to the intent Manto was trying to present. I'll have to redecide this after I read a hindi/urdu translation.
August 19, 2017
Taking a cue from Sadaat Hasan Manto, one of the most prolific short-story writers to emerge from the subcontinent, who described the murder of a ‘Muslim bastard’ called Mumtaz by a Hindu during the riots in his most famous short story Toba Tek Singh. He concludes that the murderer had killed only a human being and the murder had neither killed the ‘bastard in him’ nor his ‘Muslimness’. I would say this to the killers of freethinkers, that you neither kill their skepticism nor their knowledge-based pursuits; you just kill human beings. Enlightened people will still seek knowledge, will still show skepticism, will still question many beliefs accepted in society but never come out with meat cleavers to hack people who hold a contrary position because true knowledge does not teach anyone to become unduly defensive about his belief and counter that defensive nature with violently offensive actions.
In a perfect world
The eagle will fly with the dove,
John Lennon would be an old man in his seventies
Grey hair, round lenses settled on the bridge of his nose
Living and not dreaming of the words of ‘Imagine’.
In a perfect world
People will learn to live in harmony,
Race will have no role to play
Men will look at others with colorblind eyes
The color of earth will become the color of skin
No high brows, no untouchables
All standing on the same line for a bus ticket to a happy place.
In a perfect world
My neighbour will argue with me
But he will keep his arguments civil
Our swords will only fill our scabbards
Dissent will be a right for all
Doubt and contradiction will be wisdom
Self-righteousness will be abhorred
A tongue lashing will be the height of anger
But at the end of the day the adversaries
Will share a plate of biriyani while sharing happy memories.
In a perfect world
Well
Who am I kidding?
Nobody wants perfection!
Of all the perfect stamps minted
We look for the one with a printing mistake.
We thrive on imperfection
‘Cause imperfection is we
Maybe that was the grand design;
A fixed game is a boring game.
In a perfect world
The eagle will fly with the dove,
John Lennon would be an old man in his seventies
Grey hair, round lenses settled on the bridge of his nose
Living and not dreaming of the words of ‘Imagine’.
In a perfect world
People will learn to live in harmony,
Race will have no role to play
Men will look at others with colorblind eyes
The color of earth will become the color of skin
No high brows, no untouchables
All standing on the same line for a bus ticket to a happy place.
In a perfect world
My neighbour will argue with me
But he will keep his arguments civil
Our swords will only fill our scabbards
Dissent will be a right for all
Doubt and contradiction will be wisdom
Self-righteousness will be abhorred
A tongue lashing will be the height of anger
But at the end of the day the adversaries
Will share a plate of biriyani while sharing happy memories.
In a perfect world
Well
Who am I kidding?
Nobody wants perfection!
Of all the perfect stamps minted
We look for the one with a printing mistake.
We thrive on imperfection
‘Cause imperfection is we
Maybe that was the grand design;
A fixed game is a boring game.
April 29, 2025
Manto's writing is very purposefully ambiguous and leaves readers to think over what has just happened. The stories in Mottled Dawn are often terribly sad, but paint realistic pictures of Partition tragedy and violence. Notable stories: Toba Tek Singh, Mosail, The Return, The Assignment, The Dutiful Daughter, Colder than Ice, Dog of Titwal, A Girl from Delhi, Bitter Harvest, A Tale of 1947 (!!!)
December 21, 2019
How do you write about a book that had you thinking for hours just after reading 7-8 pages. Yes, that's what Manto does! Every. Single. Time. I finished reading 'Mottled Dawn' yesterday and I still am thinking about the stories. Partition, warfare, women being abducted, rapes, religion, caste, colour, identity crisis, and most importantly the hatred that was so deep-rooted and that was newly found, all of this has been discussed and been brought to notice in such a great manner that you will be moved. .
I loved what I read but more so, I was moved. My favorite stories from the book are 'The Woman in the Red Raincoat', 'The Price of Freedom' 'A Girl From Delhi', 'The Dutiful Daughter' and 'The Assignment'. What I loved about these stories was how Manto uses common human emotions such as love and the wish to receive love, the hot headedness during youth, the desperation amongst people for India's freedom, a father's wish to reconcile with his daughter, and a mother's faith that her daughter isn't dead as something that serves the basis for his stories. This book is just another Manto masterpiece and something that you should definitely read. I promise you won't regret. .
Manto dreamt of a nation, of a place where people no matter what caste, class, religion, colour, tribe or what ever they belonged to, we're seen as humans first. Of a nation where there wasn't hatred but respect for everyone who was different, where someone was not called an infidel when they just couldn't follow something their religion preaches, of a nation where just raising a voice against something that's wrong didn't make you an anti-national. However, 'Manto's dream remains a dream'. Manto's stories reveal the truth out loud and I don't really think much has changed since the time he wrote this .
I loved what I read but more so, I was moved. My favorite stories from the book are 'The Woman in the Red Raincoat', 'The Price of Freedom' 'A Girl From Delhi', 'The Dutiful Daughter' and 'The Assignment'. What I loved about these stories was how Manto uses common human emotions such as love and the wish to receive love, the hot headedness during youth, the desperation amongst people for India's freedom, a father's wish to reconcile with his daughter, and a mother's faith that her daughter isn't dead as something that serves the basis for his stories. This book is just another Manto masterpiece and something that you should definitely read. I promise you won't regret. .
Manto dreamt of a nation, of a place where people no matter what caste, class, religion, colour, tribe or what ever they belonged to, we're seen as humans first. Of a nation where there wasn't hatred but respect for everyone who was different, where someone was not called an infidel when they just couldn't follow something their religion preaches, of a nation where just raising a voice against something that's wrong didn't make you an anti-national. However, 'Manto's dream remains a dream'. Manto's stories reveal the truth out loud and I don't really think much has changed since the time he wrote this .
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