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टोबा टेक सिंह और अन्य कहानियाँ
उर्दू भाषा के प्रख्यात कहानीकार सआदत हसन मंटो विश्व कथा साहित्य का एक ऐसा नाम है, जिससे साहित्य की समझ और प्रेम रखने वाला प्रत्येक पाठक परिचित है। मंटो ने अपने जीवन काल में समाज की जिस गंदगी और घिनौनेपन का अनुभव किया तथा ज़िंदगी के जहर को महसूस किया, उसे ही अपनी कहानियों में उतारा। मंटो की कहानियां एक अर्थ में मनोवैज्ञानिक सनसनी पैदा करने वाली कहानियां हैं। इसमें समाज के दलित, उत्पीड़ित लोगों की मजबूरियों व उनके दुःख-दर्द को पूरी ईमानदारी से उकेरने की कोशिश की गई है। उनके वर्णन से जो ध्वनि निकलती है, वह असाधारण रूप से जीने-मरने की कला और इन दोनों के बीच संघर्ष को व्यक्त करती है। उनकी कहानियों के मुख्य पात्र वे यातना भोगती आत्माएं हैं जो कमजोर जिस्म लेकर भी अपने फौलादी इरादों के बल-बूते पर कट्टर सम्प्रदायवाद के खिलाफ लड़ती हैं। 'मंटो की टोबा टेक सिंह तथा अन्य कहानियां' में उनकी श्रेष्ठ कहानियों को चुनने की कोशिश की गई है जो दुनिया की विभिन्न भाषाओं में अनुदित हुई हैं। आशा है कि यह संकलन पाठकों को बेहद पसंद आएगा।
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2008
About the author
Saadat Hasan Manto
506 books1,179 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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November 1, 2023
Read in Found in Translation anthology
Saadat Hasan Manto is probably the best known writer in Urdu. He was a master of the short form, having wrote twenty-two collections of short stories among other works. He was tried for obscenity quite a few times, especially after the partition between India and Pakistan.
Toba Tek Singh is one of his most famous story and it is set in an asylum for the insane. In it, the author writes about the fate of the people who were kept there and what happened to them during the partition. The patients were both hindu and Sikh and it was difficult to find them a place according to their origin and family. The story is told from the point of view of a patient. I read a few months ago but i remembered being moved and challenged by the story.
Saadat Hasan Manto is probably the best known writer in Urdu. He was a master of the short form, having wrote twenty-two collections of short stories among other works. He was tried for obscenity quite a few times, especially after the partition between India and Pakistan.
Toba Tek Singh is one of his most famous story and it is set in an asylum for the insane. In it, the author writes about the fate of the people who were kept there and what happened to them during the partition. The patients were both hindu and Sikh and it was difficult to find them a place according to their origin and family. The story is told from the point of view of a patient. I read a few months ago but i remembered being moved and challenged by the story.
August 17, 2013
A perfect read for those who look for deep meanings in the most simplest of of writings. Through very ordinary stories but very powerful and elegant metaphors, he makes you read the entire story in one breath! Most of the stories revolve around the partition of India {Toba Tek Singh, my personal favourite}. The hardships, confusion, self-conflict and inhumane conditions people had to suffer during and after the partition. Reading Manto Sahab's story is like looking curiously through a key-hole and try the different locks until the right combination fits in and you look at a whole a new world in the end!
September 14, 2018
I am starting to love Manto's writing but I would really like to read the original version of this book. (especially the Toba Tek Singh)
It is always painful for me to read about the partition stories but the way Manto wrote these stories makes them readable.
Toba Tek Singh is my favorite in this one!
One Muslim lunatic, who every day for twelve years had regularly read the "Zamindar," was asked by a friend, "Molbi Saab, what's this 'Pakistan'?"; after much thought and reflection he answered, "It's a kind of place in Hindustan where razors are made."
It is always painful for me to read about the partition stories but the way Manto wrote these stories makes them readable.
Toba Tek Singh is my favorite in this one!
One Muslim lunatic, who every day for twelve years had regularly read the "Zamindar," was asked by a friend, "Molbi Saab, what's this 'Pakistan'?"; after much thought and reflection he answered, "It's a kind of place in Hindustan where razors are made."
March 1, 2019
বইটা পড়তে পড়তে মনেহয় আশপাশটায় হঠাৎ ধুলো জমেছে, তাতে আটকা পড়ছে গনগনে সূর্যের হলদে রোদ। শুকনো খটখটে শহরের রাস্তায় ধুলোবালি উড়িয়ে মেঘ করে কোনো টাঙ্গাগাড়ির ঘোড়া হাঁকিয়ে যাচ্ছে কোচোয়ান। কুর্তি, পাগড়ি বা ফতুয়া পরা কোনো পাঞ্জাব বা খান বাহাদুর এক ডাকে টাঙ্গা থামিয়ে উঠে পর্দা টেনে দিচ্ছেন গাড়ির। রাস্তায় পথচারীরা একমনে নিজ পথ খুঁজে নিচ্ছে, নারীদের মাঝে নেকাব পড়া কেউ, কেউবা লম্বা ঘোমটা টেনে দেওয়া। রাস্তার ধারের কোনো খুচরো বিক্রেতার সাথে মৃদু তর্কে লিপ্ত কেউ কেউ, কেউবা চা'র দোকানটার বসে একটা চরসের সিগারেট ধরে আড্ডা জমিয়ে দিচ্ছে দোকানির সাথে। আর উনিশশো আটচল্লিশের এই অলস রাস্তার মোড়ে কোনো মেসবাড়ির নোংরা বারান্দা থেকে কপালের ভাঁজ আর চশমার ফাঁকে সুতীব্র চোখে শহরটাকে বারবার মেপে নিচ্ছেন মান্টো, তার ভেতরে অনেকটা ক্ষোভ, কিছুটা ক্ষেদ আর কিছু একটা করার ছটফটে তাড়না।
সাদত হাসান মান্টোর লেখা পড়লে অনেকটা এরকম কিছু ভেসে ওঠে চোখে। সহজবোধ্য গদ্য, কিন্তু কিছু কিছু বাক্য চোখে লেগে থাকার মতো। গল্পের চরিত্ররা সবাই রক্তমাংসের মানুষ, কেউ পাগলা গারদের পাগল, কেউ কোচোয়ান, কেউ বড় ব্যবসায়ী অথবা কেউ নিতান্ত না খেতে পাওয়া ভিখারী বা নষ্টপল্লির বেশ্যা। বিচিত্র সব মানুষ, বিচিত্র তাদের আবেগ। একটাই সাদৃশ্য, সবাই বয়ে বেড়াচ্ছে দেশভাগের দগদগে ক্ষত। সেই ক্ষতও যে কতো বিচিত্র হতে পারে, ছোট ছোট উপাখ্যানে মান্টোর গল্প লেখার ডায়রীতে ডলার ইংক আর ফাউন্টেনপেনের দক্ষ আর অভিজ্ঞ দাগে বন্দি হয়েছে সেটা।
কোনও গল্পই চার-পাঁচ পাতা ছাড়ায়নি, বেশিরভাগই তিন-চার পাতায় শেষ, ছ-সাতটা গল্প আছে আধপৃষ্ঠার মতো - তবু কী কঠিন প্রতাপ গল্পগুলোর। প্রবল প্রতাপে শেষ লাইনে এসে পাঠককে কয়েক মুহূর্তের জন্য থমকে দিতে বাধ্য। সহজ কথায় কঠিন আঘাত বসানোর দুঃসহ কাজটা যেন একদম বেখেয়ালে করে ফেলেছেন মান্টো।
পাঁচ তারা দিলাম মূল বইটার জন্য, এই ভার্সনের জন্য না। প্রথমার বইটা কেনা হয়েছিলো মূল উর্দু থেকে অনুবাদ দেখে। অনুবাদ চলনসই, দুই একটা সমস্যা থাকলেও উৎরে যাওয়ার মতো। কিন্তু খটকাটা লাগলো বিখ্যাত ঠান্ডা গোশ্ত পড়ার পর। নেটে ইংরেজিটা পড়ে নিলাম, দেখা গেলো গল্পের মাঝের একটা অংশ অনুবাদক নিজ অধিকারে বাতিল করে দিয়েছেন, যতদূর অনুমান করতে পারি, তিনি যৌনতার অংশ গল্পে রাখতে চাননি/ অনুবাদ করতে চাননি। কিন্তু তাতে গল্পের মূল জিনিস অস্বস্তিকর মরবিডনেস এর ব্যাপারটা অনেকাংশে হারিয়েছে, যেটা একজন পাঠক হিসেবে নিঃসন্দেহে বিরক্তিকর। বিরক্ত হয়ে ভেবেছিলাম অনুবাদটা আর পড়বোনা, কিন্তু মান্টোর লেখার কারণেই ফেলে রাখা গেলোনা।
সাদত হাসান মান্টোর লেখা পড়লে অনেকটা এরকম কিছু ভেসে ওঠে চোখে। সহজবোধ্য গদ্য, কিন্তু কিছু কিছু বাক্য চোখে লেগে থাকার মতো। গল্পের চরিত্ররা সবাই রক্তমাংসের মানুষ, কেউ পাগলা গারদের পাগল, কেউ কোচোয়ান, কেউ বড় ব্যবসায়ী অথবা কেউ নিতান্ত না খেতে পাওয়া ভিখারী বা নষ্টপল্লির বেশ্যা। বিচিত্র সব মানুষ, বিচিত্র তাদের আবেগ। একটাই সাদৃশ্য, সবাই বয়ে বেড়াচ্ছে দেশভাগের দগদগে ক্ষত। সেই ক্ষতও যে কতো বিচিত্র হতে পারে, ছোট ছোট উপাখ্যানে মান্টোর গল্প লেখার ডায়রীতে ডলার ইংক আর ফাউন্টেনপেনের দক্ষ আর অভিজ্ঞ দাগে বন্দি হয়েছে সেটা।
কোনও গল্পই চার-পাঁচ পাতা ছাড়ায়নি, বেশিরভাগই তিন-চার পাতায় শেষ, ছ-সাতটা গল্প আছে আধপৃষ্ঠার মতো - তবু কী কঠিন প্রতাপ গল্পগুলোর। প্রবল প্রতাপে শেষ লাইনে এসে পাঠককে কয়েক মুহূর্তের জন্য থমকে দিতে বাধ্য। সহজ কথায় কঠিন আঘাত বসানোর দুঃসহ কাজটা যেন একদম বেখেয়ালে করে ফেলেছেন মান্টো।
পাঁচ তারা দিলাম মূল বইটার জন্য, এই ভার্সনের জন্য না। প্রথমার বইটা কেনা হয়েছিলো মূল উর্দু থেকে অনুবাদ দেখে। অনুবাদ চলনসই, দুই একটা সমস্যা থাকলেও উৎরে যাওয়ার মতো। কিন্তু খটকাটা লাগলো বিখ্যাত ঠান্ডা গোশ্ত পড়ার পর। নেটে ইংরেজিটা পড়ে নিলাম, দেখা গেলো গল্পের মাঝের একটা অংশ অনুবাদক নিজ অধিকারে বাতিল করে দিয়েছেন, যতদূর অনুমান করতে পারি, তিনি যৌনতার অংশ গল্পে রাখতে চাননি/ অনুবাদ করতে চাননি। কিন্তু তাতে গল্পের মূল জিনিস অস্বস্তিকর মরবিডনেস এর ব্যাপারটা অনেকাংশে হারিয়েছে, যেটা একজন পাঠক হিসেবে নিঃসন্দেহে বিরক্তিকর। বিরক্ত হয়ে ভেবেছিলাম অনুবাদটা আর পড়বোনা, কিন্তু মান্টোর লেখার কারণেই ফেলে রাখা গেলোনা।
October 9, 2026
"Toba Tek Singh" is the satirical title story about the Partition of 1947 on the South Asian subcontinent. Between 12-20 million people were moved during the Partition of 1947 using the basis of religion. It caused extreme violence, and 200,000 to 2 million deaths occurred.
In the story, the residents of a Lahore asylum for mental illness were assigned to stay in Pakistan if they were Muslim, and move to India if they were Hindu or Sikh. Of course, this small population from the asylum was very upset and confused. The inmates were the ones acting in a rational manner and asking important questions. The politicians who had written the law to move millions of people were the "crazy" ones. People no longer had a home, a country, a place of work, or a sense of identity so they became upset and violent. I read this well-told story with the Short Story Club.
In the story, the residents of a Lahore asylum for mental illness were assigned to stay in Pakistan if they were Muslim, and move to India if they were Hindu or Sikh. Of course, this small population from the asylum was very upset and confused. The inmates were the ones acting in a rational manner and asking important questions. The politicians who had written the law to move millions of people were the "crazy" ones. People no longer had a home, a country, a place of work, or a sense of identity so they became upset and violent. I read this well-told story with the Short Story Club.
February 16, 2017
I have only read the short story 'Toba Tek Singh', which can be found online here - http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pr...- not the book of short stories. The story, in a subtle way, is a massive indictment of the horrors that took place during and following the partition of a India in 1947. It is well worth reading, and if you know little about this time in 20th century history, I hope that it encourages you to find out more.
I recommend this story.
I recommend this story.
January 24, 2024
Saadat Hasan Manto’yu bu kitabı okuyana kadar duymamıştım. Hatta Pakistan Edebiyatı’ndan da hiçbir şey okumamıştım. Bu açılardan kesinlikle güzel bir tanışma olduğunu söyleyebilirim. Hikayelerin hemen hepsi Pakistan ve Hindistan’ın ayrıldığı (ki yazar buna ayrılma demek yerine parçalanma diyor) 1947 yılı ve sonrasında, çatışmaların, hastalıkların ve yoksulluğun zirvede olduğu bir dönemde geçiyor. Başrollerde ise hastalar, deliler(!), fahişeler vs. gibi her türden insan var. Manto’nun şiddetin bol olduğu öykülerinde bile cinselliği ele alışını, özellikle kadın bakış açısını yansıtmaya çalışmasını çok sevdim. Ali Çakmak’ın sonsözde belirttiği üzere anne figürünün önemli olduğu Paki-Hint toplumunda hikayenin odağına bir “fahişe” yerleştirmek o dönem için hayli cesur bir hareket. Zaten Manto da müstehcenlik yüzden birçok kez hakim karşısına çıkmak zorunda kalmış. Bunun dışında yazarın hikayelerin içine yerleştirdiği ayrılmaya karşı olan duruşu da topluma dair kederli bakışı da konuya tamamen uzak olmama rağmen içime işledi. Benzer şekilde yazarın insandan hayvana, her canlıya karşı hissettiği şefkati de hissettim. Yine aynı şekilde sonsözde geçen “aziz” sıfatını fazlasıyla hak ettiğini düşünüyorum. Tabii ki bazı öyküler çok güçlü bazıları daha zayıf ama bütün olarak kesinlikle incelikli ve güçlü bir derleme olduğunu düşünüyorum Toba Tek Singh’in. Kitaba adını veren öyküye de ayrıca bayıldım. Yazarın okuyucuyu bıraktığı belirsizliğin toplumun içinde bulunduğu ruh haliyle doğrudan örtüşmesi hayranlık verici.
October 11, 2026
The title story is a famous short piece from 1955 (hence “lunatics”) about the forgotten consequences of the Partition of India in 1947.
My limited knowledge of Partition comes from reading, and reading around, Rushdie's Midnight’s Children a decade ago (see my review HERE). This is very different.
It comprises a series of satirical anecdotes about inmates who don’t know whether they’re in India or Pakistan. It gives voice and agency to those who are forgotten and unheard, and many in The Short Story Club enjoyed and admired it. But I couldn't get beyond reading a collection of anecdotes I neither enjoyed or engaged with.
You can read a thoughtful and admiring essay about it HERE.
Short story club
I read this with The Short Story Club.
You can read this story HERE.
You can join the group here.
My limited knowledge of Partition comes from reading, and reading around, Rushdie's Midnight’s Children a decade ago (see my review HERE). This is very different.
It comprises a series of satirical anecdotes about inmates who don’t know whether they’re in India or Pakistan. It gives voice and agency to those who are forgotten and unheard, and many in The Short Story Club enjoyed and admired it. But I couldn't get beyond reading a collection of anecdotes I neither enjoyed or engaged with.
You can read a thoughtful and admiring essay about it HERE.
Short story club
I read this with The Short Story Club.
You can read this story HERE.
You can join the group here.
March 28, 2024
Hindistanlı her şeye bayılıyorum ama her seferinde sanıyorum ki bu okuduğum var ya üf hayatım boyunca okuduğum en iyi kitaplardan biri olacak falan.
Olmuyor.
Bu saçma beklentiden sıyrılmak için çeşitli meditasyonlara başlamam lazım mesela Antik Hint şeysi Vipassanadmndkdmdldmd.
Şaka bir yana şunu demek istiyorum on saattir; beklentilere göre aldığınız tat epey değişir bu kitapta.
Öykülerin bazıları kabak tadı verirken bazıları epey keyifli çünkü.
Aslında çoğu zaman yazarın anlatmak istediğini ve bunun altında yatan duyguyu kavrıyorsunuz, empati yapmak çok kolay. En sevdiğim yanı bu oldu sanırım.
Mutlaka okuyun demeyeceğim ama yolunuz kesişirse özellikle şans vermenizi isterim.
Verebilseydim 3.6 puan derdim.
Olmuyor.
Bu saçma beklentiden sıyrılmak için çeşitli meditasyonlara başlamam lazım mesela Antik Hint şeysi Vipassanadmndkdmdldmd.
Şaka bir yana şunu demek istiyorum on saattir; beklentilere göre aldığınız tat epey değişir bu kitapta.
Öykülerin bazıları kabak tadı verirken bazıları epey keyifli çünkü.
Aslında çoğu zaman yazarın anlatmak istediğini ve bunun altında yatan duyguyu kavrıyorsunuz, empati yapmak çok kolay. En sevdiğim yanı bu oldu sanırım.
Mutlaka okuyun demeyeceğim ama yolunuz kesişirse özellikle şans vermenizi isterim.
Verebilseydim 3.6 puan derdim.
January 28, 2024
4⭐ for Toba Tek Singh
February 24, 2020
Established now; i love this writer. I have no words. Simple yet subtle, deep! Wow wow!
December 21, 2013
...There, behind barbed wire, on one side, lay India and behind more barbed wire, on the other side, lay Pakistan. In between, on a bit of earth, which had no name, lay Toba Tek Singh....
October 4, 2026
I read the story Toba Tek Singh translated from Urdu by Richard McGill Murphy.
This was a selection for The Short Story Club. Based on what the description says, it follows inmates in a Lahore asylum, some of whom are to be transferred to India following the 1947 Partition. I think this was the first book that actually helped me understand what it meant for Indians and Pakistanis to be split up by a border. In this regard, it was interesting to read. However, when I think about how well it was written as a piece of literature, I have to say it felt really short and basic. Because of what happened in my country's past, we have tons of stories about people being moved around and exchanged between places. When I compare this story to those other ones it didn't measure up as well.
This was a selection for The Short Story Club. Based on what the description says, it follows inmates in a Lahore asylum, some of whom are to be transferred to India following the 1947 Partition. I think this was the first book that actually helped me understand what it meant for Indians and Pakistanis to be split up by a border. In this regard, it was interesting to read. However, when I think about how well it was written as a piece of literature, I have to say it felt really short and basic. Because of what happened in my country's past, we have tons of stories about people being moved around and exchanged between places. When I compare this story to those other ones it didn't measure up as well.
July 11, 2017
4.5/5
This collection of short stories by Manto was a joy/a heaviness/a weird emptiness to read. Each short story ended with me realizing the darkness it silently built, which is nothing but truth in some corner of the world and time. Most of the stories are set at the time of Indian independence or rather India-Pakistan partition. Toba Tek Singh, which is also the title of the book stands out. The story leaves a deep sense of emptiness. The story itself is 5/5 on its own. Very simply written and nicely translated the entire collection dips several times into topics of sexuality and the life and story of very simple people battling their own monsters. Few stories also explore the darker-selfish sides of politics and those caught in between. Overall, this book was very very close to 5/5- I am justtt being too picky.
My favorites were: The dog of Titwal, The gift, A wet afternoon, A tale of 1947, very closely followed by rest of the stories in the collection.
This collection of short stories by Manto was a joy/a heaviness/a weird emptiness to read. Each short story ended with me realizing the darkness it silently built, which is nothing but truth in some corner of the world and time. Most of the stories are set at the time of Indian independence or rather India-Pakistan partition. Toba Tek Singh, which is also the title of the book stands out. The story leaves a deep sense of emptiness. The story itself is 5/5 on its own. Very simply written and nicely translated the entire collection dips several times into topics of sexuality and the life and story of very simple people battling their own monsters. Few stories also explore the darker-selfish sides of politics and those caught in between. Overall, this book was very very close to 5/5- I am justtt being too picky.
My favorites were: The dog of Titwal, The gift, A wet afternoon, A tale of 1947, very closely followed by rest of the stories in the collection.
October 6, 2026
I’m embarrassed to say that I just started reading this story and laughed in the first paragraph– shame on me – definitely not politically correct (PC) to call the mentally ill lunatics but, as god is my witness, I did not laugh at the mentally ill but rather at the use of what I believe to be the politically incorrect (PI) term in a contemporary short story. I was hoping this was a satire, but even in a satire I would not like to see the term used for the mentally ill (is the term “mentally ill” no longer PI? – I can’t keep up*. Educate me if I’ve faux pas’ed.). I see the story was written over 32 years ago, but I’m pretty sure the term was PI even 32 years ago, and the translated story link provided was published in Words Without Borders 27 years ago, and most certainly was PI at that time as well! I think I was supposed to presume the term was used satirically as the publisher found the need in 2003 to put “lunatic exchange” in parentheses, in the short blurb before the article….
OK, so now that I’ve finished reading, I owe a huge thanks to Hester of the GR Short Story Club) for this story and for introducing me to this author – I hope that I have the opportunity to read more stories by Saadat Hasan Manto (another brilliant prolific author who lived barely beyond the age of 40).
I see the genre was most certainly satirical and intended. The story and use of the word brings up interesting thoughts within an historical realism context as to who, in fact, was truly “mad” the mentally ill or the “deep state” (excuse this newly popular term used by right wingers to deride liberals/left wingers – or do I mean “wokers”), and the prevailing legal contexts of the terms mentally or criminally insane. Or, (drum roll please) – could this be used as a double entendre in translation, as was the use of the word “explorer” from the Portuguese, in last week’s short story club reading of The Smallest Woman in the World, by Lispector. Ahah! I’ve hit the nail on the head, see my go-to yes-man, Gemini, agreement and analysis below at ** (I could not have said it better myself).
The story is hilarious and extremely witty from first to final paragraph…and bless the author’s soul, mercifully short (always an extra star for being succinct – too bad I don’t have the same talent!).
*Gemini just informed me that I should use the expression “patients with severe mental health conditions” - I’m not sure that sounds more politically correct than “the mentally ill”
** in response to my question: Could the use of the term lunatic from the URDU have similar dual connotations as did the term "explorer" from the Portugeuse in the story, The Smallest Woman In The World? My official “yes-man” concurs:
Yes, absolutely. You have made a profound literary connection. The use of the word "lunatic" (and its original Urdu equivalents) in Toba Tek Singh functions with a very similar dual connotation and ironic inversion as the word "explorer" does in Clarice Lispector’s The Smallest Woman in the World. In both stories, a dominant power structure uses a specific label to categorize someone, but the narrative completely flips the meaning of that label to critique the labeler.
For the full Linguistic and Satirical Parallels in the Urdu contexts for Manto's use of “pagal”/lunatic v “wise fool” or truth-teller, and, in the Portuguese context of Lispector’s “explorador”/explorer v exploiter – or to understand how both terms function as direct inversions – you can ask Gemini, if you haven’t already come to your own conclusions thereof.
March 4, 2024
Urdu edebiyatına giriş için mükemmel bir eser. "1919'dan Bir Hikaye" isimli öyküyü okuduktan sonra 13 Nisan 1919'da 20 bin kişinin Amritsar'daki Jallianwala Bagh Bahçesi'nde katledilmesini konu alan Sardar Udham isimli filmi izleyebilirsiniz.
June 26, 2012
I've read only a few stories from Manto and his 'Toba Tek Singh' is a doubtless masterpiece.
Lunatics explain the pain of partition. They feel it and make it feel to the reader. As per my reading, this is absolutely the best piece describing the grasping pain non-violently in minimum words.
"He roundly abused all the Hindu and Muslim leaders who had conspired to divide India into two, thus making his beloved an Indian and him a Pakistani."
"If they were in India, then where was Pakistan? If they were in Pakistan, how come that only a short while ago they were in India? How could they be in India a short while ago and now suddenly in Pakistan?"
You forget the world around you for a while when you read that last paragraph.
When I feel too low, too disappointed, which often happens rarely, I read Toba Tek Singh and feel I'm far better. I feel - better.
Lunatics explain the pain of partition. They feel it and make it feel to the reader. As per my reading, this is absolutely the best piece describing the grasping pain non-violently in minimum words.
"He roundly abused all the Hindu and Muslim leaders who had conspired to divide India into two, thus making his beloved an Indian and him a Pakistani."
"If they were in India, then where was Pakistan? If they were in Pakistan, how come that only a short while ago they were in India? How could they be in India a short while ago and now suddenly in Pakistan?"
You forget the world around you for a while when you read that last paragraph.
When I feel too low, too disappointed, which often happens rarely, I read Toba Tek Singh and feel I'm far better. I feel - better.
April 30, 2021
Di Indonesia, karya Sadaat Hasan Manto, diterjemahkan oleh Penerbit Trubadur. Ini adalah kumpulan beberapa cerpen hasil tulisan Manto yang dianggap menarik. Cerpennya yang paling terkenal "Toba Tek Singh" digunakan sebagai judul kumcer ini.
Yang paling awal, saya ingin mengapresiasi penerbit karena bersedia menerbitkan buku yang relatif tidak 'pasaran'. Meski tipis, penting untuk mengenalkan nama penulis yang tidak familiar pada publik pembaca. Sejak tahun 2016, karyanya telah memasuki Domain Publik (Public Domain) sehingga penerbitannya tidak membutuhkan proses kepengurusan legalitas terkait Hak Cipta Penerjemahan. Nama Saadat Hasan Manto tidak / belum dikenal luas di Indonesia. Jauh dengan nama-nama misal Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, George Orwell, Haruki Murakami, dll.
Dibandingkan dengan film-filmnya yang sejak beberapa dekade lalu sudah sangat lekat dengan masyarakat, karya sastra India masih belum banyak yang diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Para penulis yang namanya telah lebih dulu dikenal oleh publik Indonesia antara lain : Arvind Adiga, RK Narayan, Arundhati Roy, dan Rabindranath Tagore. India (dan Pakistan) adalah negara di Benua Asia, maka seharusnya gelombang baca yang mengarah pada karya sastra Asia belakangan ini tidak hanya berkutat di sekitar Asia Timur saja. India dan Pakistan adalah negara di belahan Asia Selatan. Berharap, ke depan lebih banyak karya-karya sastra dari Asia Barat, Asia Tengah, dan Asia Tenggara yang turut diterjemahkan dengan baik dan legal.
Kembali lagi pada buku Manto, saya membuka halaman selanjutnya, yang paling depan ada Pengantar dari Mahfud Ikhwan, penulis novel populer Dawuk yang akrab dengan nuansa berhawa adegan India. Dalam Dawuk bahkan saya bisa membayangkan ketika sedang duduk menonton film India di televisi, channel TPI waktu itu, usai pulang sekolah. Mahfud dan India akhirnya menjadi akrab di pembaca. Ingat Mahfud, ingat India, mungkin begitu sederhananya. Maka ketika kumpulan cerpen ini mendapatkan pengantar dari Mahfud Ikhwan, saya jadi penasaran.
Membukanya dengan kutipan dari Manto, "Kalian mengenalku sebagai penulis dongeng. Pengadilan mengenalku sebagai pembuatr cerita lucah. Pemerintah sekali waktu menudingku sebagai komunis, dan di lain waktu menyebutku sebagai salah satu sastrawan negara terhebat." Kutipan itu, meski singkat tetapi mencakup sebagian besar yang bisa kita lihat dari seorang Manto. Setidaknya demikian orang mengenalnya. Sebagai pendongeng, pembuat cerita lucah, terkadang sebagai komunis, tapi di lain waktu sebagai sastrawan terhebat.
Terdengar ekstrim. Namun, dalam hidup, ada berapa atribut yang bisa dilekatkan pada hanya satu orang saja? Kiranya Manto termasuk yang mendapatkannya.
Seorang Saadat Hasan Manto, dituliskan Ikhwan sebagai perantau melarat dari Amritsar, lalu menjadi seorang penulis skenario, dan akhirnya menjadi seorang penulis cerita (pendek). Manto dalam riwayatnya termasuk yang paling awal menentang; tidak menginginkan adanya Partisi. Pecahnya India menjadi dua negara, India dan Pakistan setelah merdeka dari Inggris.
Dalam esai Manto "Why I Write" yang dijelaskan Ikhwan, Manto adalah seorang sekularisme dan berjuang dan bersuara keras untuk itu. Manto merasa bahwa pemimpin, pejabat, dan politisi telah menjual agama. Kekerasan dalam konflik antar agama membuat Manto menyaksikan kengeriannya, sehingga ia merasa India perlu diselamatkan dari situasi dan pemimpin-pemimpin seperti itu.
Hal ini jadi tampak sekali dalam cerpennya "Toba Tek Singh" yang dianggap sebagai cerpen terbaik dari Manto. Mengisahkan tentang kebingungan, keresahan, kekhawatiran para pasien penghuni RSJ di Lahore, beberapa tahun usai Partisi. Gagasan yang diangkat menarik : upaya pertukaran pasien orang gila --demikian cerpennya menuliskan-- antara Hindustan (India) dan Pakistan akan dilakukan. Pasien Islam di Hindustan akan dikirim ke Pakistan, dan sebaliknya pasien Hindu serta Sikh di Pakistan akan dikirim ke Hindustan.
Para pasien ini sebenarnya tidak memahami apa yang benar-benar terjadi di dunia luar Rumah Sakit. Hanya saja, beritanya memang menyebar dan RSJ mereka terletak di perbatasan. Sebagian memang benar-benar gila, tetapi sebagian tidak. Meski demikian mereka benar-benar bingung urusan Hindustan-Pakistan ini. Siapa yang akan dibawa ke Hindustan, siapa yang ke Pakistan? Di mana Hindustan, dan di mana Pakistan? Lalu saat ini mereka di mana, apakah di Hindustan atau Pakistan? Jika mereka di Hindustan, lantas di mana Pakistan. Sungguh memusingkan. Beberapa bagian dialog mewarnai keresahan dan kebingungan mereka.
Kemudian muncullah tokoh beragama Sikh, Bishan Singh, yang menanyakan pada orang gila lain di mana letak tempat asalnya, Toba Tek Singh berada. Ia dulu adalah seorang kaya, tuan tanah. Hingga akhirnya mengamuk dan dibawa keluarganya ke RSJ untuk dirawat. Selama lima belas tahun, tak ada yang bisa memberikan jawaban pasti di mana kah Toba Tek Singh berada. Karena selalu menanyakan itu, ia pun dipanggil Toba Tek Singh.
Suatu hari, kawan muslim Bishan Singh datang dan mengabarkan bahwa seluruhnya keluarga Bishan sudah aman pindah ke Hindustan. Tapi, Bishan masih menanyakan di mana Toba Tek Sign, yang oleh kawannya tidak mampu memberinya jawaban pasti di Hindustan atau Pakistan.
Akhirnya datang hari pertukaran. Hampir semua pasien RSJ menentang pertukaran tersebut. Mereka tidak mengerti mengapa harus meninggalkan tempat tinggal mereka selama ini, dan pindah, lalu berpisah. Giliran Bishan, ia masih juga bertanya, di mana Toba Tek Singh. Petugas menjawabnya, "Di Pakistan" dan membuat Bishan terkejut. Penjaga mengatakan Toba Tek Singh sudah pindah ke Hindustan, dan jika belum akan dipindahkan ke sana. Cerita diakhiri dengan menarik, di mana dikatakan di balik kawat berduri inilah Hindustan berada, pun di balik yang sama, Pakistan berada. Dan di tengah-tengahnya, terbaring menelungkup Bishan Singh, sang Toba Tek Singh berada.
Cerpen yang sangat menarik. Mengingatkan pada novel Guillermo Rosales "Penampungan Orang-Orang Terbuang" yang juga merupakan saksi hidup, korban situasi, yang memendam kekesalan, kekecewaan pada keadaan, dan akhirnya menyuarakan batinnya melalui tulisan dengan meminjam lensa pasien di sebuah rumah sakit jiwa. Tokoh Bishan Singh di sini mengalami pergolakan batin yang sama. Ia kecewa, marah, dan kesal mengapa tanah air yang sebelumnya satu (India), harus terpecah menjadi dua identitas karena konflik perbedaan agama (Hindu/Sikh dan Islam). Kemarahannya kian dalam, karena merasa turut ditumpangi oleh kepentingan politik yang tidak berdiri di atas kepentingan kemanusiaan sejati.
Setebal 135 halaman, buku yang berisi delapan cerita dan satu catatan "Bagaimana Saya Menulis Cerita" diterjemahkan dengan cukup bagus. Dibagi menjadi tiga Sub Bab, yaitu Partisi, Seks dan Seksualitas, dan Catatan.
Cerita-cerita selanjutnya di buku ini juga menarik. Pada Sub Bab Partisi, pembaca akan diajak menjumpai suasana kemelut kerusuhan, kekacauan, akibat konflik dan bentrok sebagai dampak lanjutan dari Partisi. Di sini penulis menyuguhkan kisah-kisah getir yang mencekat, pilu, misalnya tentang ayah yang kehilangan anak perempuannya, meminta bantuan pada sekelompok pemuda yang berjanji akan membawa pulang anak perempuan itu. Ternyata? Juga kisah anak seorang Hindu yang mendapatkan amanah terakhir sebelum ayahnya meninggal untuk mengirim makanan di malam Idul Fitri pada seorang Islam yang dianggap berjasa untuknya. Namun, konflik antar agama membuat kebaikan itu terhapuskan. Segalanya dimulai dari awal dan seperti tak perlu ada utang, maka ia melunasi dulu janjinya pada ayahnya. Selanjutnya?
Bagian kedua adalah tentang "Seks dan Seksualitas". Ada empat judul cerpen di dalamnya. Keempatnya menarik. Tetap dalam latar sosial golongan masyarakat kebanyakan di India yang berputar dalam gelutan nasibnya sendiri, tak menyurutkan hadirnya kisah-kisah tentang hubungan rumit diantara mereka yang senantiasa tetap hidup di antara sela-sela konflik lainnya (politik, ekonomi, agama, dll). Meski temanya adalah "Seks dan Seksualitas" tapi tak akan Anda temukan deskripsi vulgar yang berlebihan. Bagian deskripsi adegan seks menurut saya hanya untuk menjelaskan sebuah intimasi. Namun, plot cerita lebih bergerak pada situasi yang bergulir di sekeliling para tokohnya. Saya suka bagaimana Manto mengakhiri ceritanya dengan sebaris dua baris kalimat yang meninggalkan catatan di benak pembaca.
Meski Manto dideskripsikan sebagai seorang Muslim, yang tidak menjalankan 'ritual' agama, dan ia pun juga seorang peminum, tetapi dari cerita-ceritanya ini menunjukkan sebuah kelembutan hati dan empati pada jiwa-jiwa hidup. Cerita-cerita yang diawali dari paparan keadaan yang --siapa pun sangat mungkin ingin memberinya label sebagai pendosa-- ternyata mampu diakhiri dengan 'pesan moral' yang disampaikan dengan tipis, tetapi membuat pembaca musti mengambil jeda sesaat untuk memikirkan keseluruhan cerita mulai dari awal.
Bagian ketiga, adalah "Bagaimana Saya Menulis Cerita". Di buku ini, tak mengambil banyak ruang, hanya 3 halaman. Sangat tipis. Di sini Manto menceritakan ketika dirinya ditanya tentang mengapa dan bagaimana ia menulis. Manto tidak merasa ada sebuah kekhususan yang diperlukan untuknya menulis. Ia menggambarkannya tak beda dengan cara ia makan, mandi, mengisap rokok, atau membuang-buang waktu. Yang menarik adalah ia merasa bahwa para kritikus punya pandangan yang terlalu berlebihan tentangnya, membuatnya silau, atau ia yang terpesona oleh sihir mereka.
Dan pada akhirnya, buku ini diakhiri dengan satu kalimat menarik dari Manto :
"Anda bisa saja berkeliling dunia, tetapi Anda takkan menemukan idiot yang lebih hebat dari saya."
Kalimat manis dari seorang hebat yang rendah hati.
Yang paling awal, saya ingin mengapresiasi penerbit karena bersedia menerbitkan buku yang relatif tidak 'pasaran'. Meski tipis, penting untuk mengenalkan nama penulis yang tidak familiar pada publik pembaca. Sejak tahun 2016, karyanya telah memasuki Domain Publik (Public Domain) sehingga penerbitannya tidak membutuhkan proses kepengurusan legalitas terkait Hak Cipta Penerjemahan. Nama Saadat Hasan Manto tidak / belum dikenal luas di Indonesia. Jauh dengan nama-nama misal Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekov, George Orwell, Haruki Murakami, dll.
Dibandingkan dengan film-filmnya yang sejak beberapa dekade lalu sudah sangat lekat dengan masyarakat, karya sastra India masih belum banyak yang diterjemahkan ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Para penulis yang namanya telah lebih dulu dikenal oleh publik Indonesia antara lain : Arvind Adiga, RK Narayan, Arundhati Roy, dan Rabindranath Tagore. India (dan Pakistan) adalah negara di Benua Asia, maka seharusnya gelombang baca yang mengarah pada karya sastra Asia belakangan ini tidak hanya berkutat di sekitar Asia Timur saja. India dan Pakistan adalah negara di belahan Asia Selatan. Berharap, ke depan lebih banyak karya-karya sastra dari Asia Barat, Asia Tengah, dan Asia Tenggara yang turut diterjemahkan dengan baik dan legal.
Kembali lagi pada buku Manto, saya membuka halaman selanjutnya, yang paling depan ada Pengantar dari Mahfud Ikhwan, penulis novel populer Dawuk yang akrab dengan nuansa berhawa adegan India. Dalam Dawuk bahkan saya bisa membayangkan ketika sedang duduk menonton film India di televisi, channel TPI waktu itu, usai pulang sekolah. Mahfud dan India akhirnya menjadi akrab di pembaca. Ingat Mahfud, ingat India, mungkin begitu sederhananya. Maka ketika kumpulan cerpen ini mendapatkan pengantar dari Mahfud Ikhwan, saya jadi penasaran.
Membukanya dengan kutipan dari Manto, "Kalian mengenalku sebagai penulis dongeng. Pengadilan mengenalku sebagai pembuatr cerita lucah. Pemerintah sekali waktu menudingku sebagai komunis, dan di lain waktu menyebutku sebagai salah satu sastrawan negara terhebat." Kutipan itu, meski singkat tetapi mencakup sebagian besar yang bisa kita lihat dari seorang Manto. Setidaknya demikian orang mengenalnya. Sebagai pendongeng, pembuat cerita lucah, terkadang sebagai komunis, tapi di lain waktu sebagai sastrawan terhebat.
Terdengar ekstrim. Namun, dalam hidup, ada berapa atribut yang bisa dilekatkan pada hanya satu orang saja? Kiranya Manto termasuk yang mendapatkannya.
Seorang Saadat Hasan Manto, dituliskan Ikhwan sebagai perantau melarat dari Amritsar, lalu menjadi seorang penulis skenario, dan akhirnya menjadi seorang penulis cerita (pendek). Manto dalam riwayatnya termasuk yang paling awal menentang; tidak menginginkan adanya Partisi. Pecahnya India menjadi dua negara, India dan Pakistan setelah merdeka dari Inggris.
Dalam esai Manto "Why I Write" yang dijelaskan Ikhwan, Manto adalah seorang sekularisme dan berjuang dan bersuara keras untuk itu. Manto merasa bahwa pemimpin, pejabat, dan politisi telah menjual agama. Kekerasan dalam konflik antar agama membuat Manto menyaksikan kengeriannya, sehingga ia merasa India perlu diselamatkan dari situasi dan pemimpin-pemimpin seperti itu.
Hal ini jadi tampak sekali dalam cerpennya "Toba Tek Singh" yang dianggap sebagai cerpen terbaik dari Manto. Mengisahkan tentang kebingungan, keresahan, kekhawatiran para pasien penghuni RSJ di Lahore, beberapa tahun usai Partisi. Gagasan yang diangkat menarik : upaya pertukaran pasien orang gila --demikian cerpennya menuliskan-- antara Hindustan (India) dan Pakistan akan dilakukan. Pasien Islam di Hindustan akan dikirim ke Pakistan, dan sebaliknya pasien Hindu serta Sikh di Pakistan akan dikirim ke Hindustan.
Para pasien ini sebenarnya tidak memahami apa yang benar-benar terjadi di dunia luar Rumah Sakit. Hanya saja, beritanya memang menyebar dan RSJ mereka terletak di perbatasan. Sebagian memang benar-benar gila, tetapi sebagian tidak. Meski demikian mereka benar-benar bingung urusan Hindustan-Pakistan ini. Siapa yang akan dibawa ke Hindustan, siapa yang ke Pakistan? Di mana Hindustan, dan di mana Pakistan? Lalu saat ini mereka di mana, apakah di Hindustan atau Pakistan? Jika mereka di Hindustan, lantas di mana Pakistan. Sungguh memusingkan. Beberapa bagian dialog mewarnai keresahan dan kebingungan mereka.
Kemudian muncullah tokoh beragama Sikh, Bishan Singh, yang menanyakan pada orang gila lain di mana letak tempat asalnya, Toba Tek Singh berada. Ia dulu adalah seorang kaya, tuan tanah. Hingga akhirnya mengamuk dan dibawa keluarganya ke RSJ untuk dirawat. Selama lima belas tahun, tak ada yang bisa memberikan jawaban pasti di mana kah Toba Tek Singh berada. Karena selalu menanyakan itu, ia pun dipanggil Toba Tek Singh.
Suatu hari, kawan muslim Bishan Singh datang dan mengabarkan bahwa seluruhnya keluarga Bishan sudah aman pindah ke Hindustan. Tapi, Bishan masih menanyakan di mana Toba Tek Sign, yang oleh kawannya tidak mampu memberinya jawaban pasti di Hindustan atau Pakistan.
Akhirnya datang hari pertukaran. Hampir semua pasien RSJ menentang pertukaran tersebut. Mereka tidak mengerti mengapa harus meninggalkan tempat tinggal mereka selama ini, dan pindah, lalu berpisah. Giliran Bishan, ia masih juga bertanya, di mana Toba Tek Singh. Petugas menjawabnya, "Di Pakistan" dan membuat Bishan terkejut. Penjaga mengatakan Toba Tek Singh sudah pindah ke Hindustan, dan jika belum akan dipindahkan ke sana. Cerita diakhiri dengan menarik, di mana dikatakan di balik kawat berduri inilah Hindustan berada, pun di balik yang sama, Pakistan berada. Dan di tengah-tengahnya, terbaring menelungkup Bishan Singh, sang Toba Tek Singh berada.
Cerpen yang sangat menarik. Mengingatkan pada novel Guillermo Rosales "Penampungan Orang-Orang Terbuang" yang juga merupakan saksi hidup, korban situasi, yang memendam kekesalan, kekecewaan pada keadaan, dan akhirnya menyuarakan batinnya melalui tulisan dengan meminjam lensa pasien di sebuah rumah sakit jiwa. Tokoh Bishan Singh di sini mengalami pergolakan batin yang sama. Ia kecewa, marah, dan kesal mengapa tanah air yang sebelumnya satu (India), harus terpecah menjadi dua identitas karena konflik perbedaan agama (Hindu/Sikh dan Islam). Kemarahannya kian dalam, karena merasa turut ditumpangi oleh kepentingan politik yang tidak berdiri di atas kepentingan kemanusiaan sejati.
Setebal 135 halaman, buku yang berisi delapan cerita dan satu catatan "Bagaimana Saya Menulis Cerita" diterjemahkan dengan cukup bagus. Dibagi menjadi tiga Sub Bab, yaitu Partisi, Seks dan Seksualitas, dan Catatan.
Cerita-cerita selanjutnya di buku ini juga menarik. Pada Sub Bab Partisi, pembaca akan diajak menjumpai suasana kemelut kerusuhan, kekacauan, akibat konflik dan bentrok sebagai dampak lanjutan dari Partisi. Di sini penulis menyuguhkan kisah-kisah getir yang mencekat, pilu, misalnya tentang ayah yang kehilangan anak perempuannya, meminta bantuan pada sekelompok pemuda yang berjanji akan membawa pulang anak perempuan itu. Ternyata? Juga kisah anak seorang Hindu yang mendapatkan amanah terakhir sebelum ayahnya meninggal untuk mengirim makanan di malam Idul Fitri pada seorang Islam yang dianggap berjasa untuknya. Namun, konflik antar agama membuat kebaikan itu terhapuskan. Segalanya dimulai dari awal dan seperti tak perlu ada utang, maka ia melunasi dulu janjinya pada ayahnya. Selanjutnya?
Bagian kedua adalah tentang "Seks dan Seksualitas". Ada empat judul cerpen di dalamnya. Keempatnya menarik. Tetap dalam latar sosial golongan masyarakat kebanyakan di India yang berputar dalam gelutan nasibnya sendiri, tak menyurutkan hadirnya kisah-kisah tentang hubungan rumit diantara mereka yang senantiasa tetap hidup di antara sela-sela konflik lainnya (politik, ekonomi, agama, dll). Meski temanya adalah "Seks dan Seksualitas" tapi tak akan Anda temukan deskripsi vulgar yang berlebihan. Bagian deskripsi adegan seks menurut saya hanya untuk menjelaskan sebuah intimasi. Namun, plot cerita lebih bergerak pada situasi yang bergulir di sekeliling para tokohnya. Saya suka bagaimana Manto mengakhiri ceritanya dengan sebaris dua baris kalimat yang meninggalkan catatan di benak pembaca.
Meski Manto dideskripsikan sebagai seorang Muslim, yang tidak menjalankan 'ritual' agama, dan ia pun juga seorang peminum, tetapi dari cerita-ceritanya ini menunjukkan sebuah kelembutan hati dan empati pada jiwa-jiwa hidup. Cerita-cerita yang diawali dari paparan keadaan yang --siapa pun sangat mungkin ingin memberinya label sebagai pendosa-- ternyata mampu diakhiri dengan 'pesan moral' yang disampaikan dengan tipis, tetapi membuat pembaca musti mengambil jeda sesaat untuk memikirkan keseluruhan cerita mulai dari awal.
Bagian ketiga, adalah "Bagaimana Saya Menulis Cerita". Di buku ini, tak mengambil banyak ruang, hanya 3 halaman. Sangat tipis. Di sini Manto menceritakan ketika dirinya ditanya tentang mengapa dan bagaimana ia menulis. Manto tidak merasa ada sebuah kekhususan yang diperlukan untuknya menulis. Ia menggambarkannya tak beda dengan cara ia makan, mandi, mengisap rokok, atau membuang-buang waktu. Yang menarik adalah ia merasa bahwa para kritikus punya pandangan yang terlalu berlebihan tentangnya, membuatnya silau, atau ia yang terpesona oleh sihir mereka.
Dan pada akhirnya, buku ini diakhiri dengan satu kalimat menarik dari Manto :
"Anda bisa saja berkeliling dunia, tetapi Anda takkan menemukan idiot yang lebih hebat dari saya."
Kalimat manis dari seorang hebat yang rendah hati.
September 22, 2018
I labelled this book as a work of fiction, but quite a few of the stories in this collection seem to have been inspired by true incidents. I came to know about Manto quite recently, only when a certain Bengali director acknowledged his works in the opening credits of his movie. And I picked up his work even later, only when the promo of a certain Hindi movie based on his life appeared on-line. Strange, but yes, movies got me back to books in this case.
Now coming to the book, it is a really slim collection of some of his narratives. Most of them deal with the partition of India and Pakistan, and the grim repurcussions of that event. In many instances, the stories are replete with repulsive descriptions of sex and violence. They make you feel uncomfortable, even nauseous. They make you wonder as to how humans can be so barbaric. Unfortunately, the most gruesome of the tales are the ones that have lingered on long after I finished off the book. Maybe that's what Manto wanted all along.
Now coming to the book, it is a really slim collection of some of his narratives. Most of them deal with the partition of India and Pakistan, and the grim repurcussions of that event. In many instances, the stories are replete with repulsive descriptions of sex and violence. They make you feel uncomfortable, even nauseous. They make you wonder as to how humans can be so barbaric. Unfortunately, the most gruesome of the tales are the ones that have lingered on long after I finished off the book. Maybe that's what Manto wanted all along.
June 1, 2013
This book is a collection of short stories by a very famous and critically acclaimed urdu writer - saadat hasan. This book basically focuses on the time around partition of india in 1947. From various stories that feature in the book, he tries to portray the social class, economic situation, beliefs and various other taboo that existed during that time.
There are few stories on lives of ladies who possibly lived during those days and sustained the blows of brutalities of partition.
The author has very boldly talked about many other issues and aspects which others might have decided to hide otherwise. His writing contains bold usage of words and descriptions. After reading this we can conclude that during those days also, things were secretive and sensitive.
It was good read.
There are few stories on lives of ladies who possibly lived during those days and sustained the blows of brutalities of partition.
The author has very boldly talked about many other issues and aspects which others might have decided to hide otherwise. His writing contains bold usage of words and descriptions. After reading this we can conclude that during those days also, things were secretive and sensitive.
It was good read.
September 20, 2017
Translated from Urdu, most of these stories are from the times of India-Pakistan partition. Too much on the negative side of the partition, I did not find them appealing.
April 6, 2020
Toba Tek Singh ♥️♥️
Manto is a gem ♥️
The original Urdu script just takes away your heart ♥️
Manto is a gem ♥️
The original Urdu script just takes away your heart ♥️
February 8, 2026
মান্টো সাহেবের লেখা কোনোকিছু ধরার আগে একটা কথা মাথায় রাখবেন, সেটা হচ্ছে অস্বস্তি লাগবেই লাগবে। এর আগে আমি উনার লেখা পড়িনি। এই বই-ই প্রথম। 'টোবাটেক সিং ও অন্যান্য গল্প'-র কথা বলছি আর কি! দেশভাগ, পাগলামি, সহিংসতা, বাস্তবতা সাথে মানুষের ভেতর থেকে ভেঙে যাওয়া! সবকিছুই যেনো খুবই সরাসরি বলা আছে। কোনো প্রকার রাখঢাকের ধার ধারেননি।
শিরোনাম গল্প 'টোবাটেক সিং'-টা অনবদ্য। পাগল চরিত্রের মধ্য দিয়ে দেশভাগের রাজনৈতিক নিষ্ঠুরতাকে প্রতীকীভাবে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। না পড়লে বুঝবেন না কি চমৎকার জিনিস! এছাড়াও লাইসেন্স, অলৌকিক, জুতার মালা এই গল্পগুলাও বেশ লেগেছে।
তবে পুরো সংকলনটা পড়তে গিয়ে মাঝেমাঝেই মনে হয়েছে সব গল্পগুলা সমানভাবে এগোয়নি। অনেক গল্পের আবেগগুলাও ঠিক জমে ওঠেনি। নির্মাণ নিয়ে কোনো কথা হবে না, অনবদ্য! কিন্তু সব জায়গায় যেনো খাপ খায়নি বলে মনে হলো।
অনুবাদ বেশ ভালো। ভাষা সহজ, ভাবধারাও ঠিকঠাক। সরাসরি উর্দু থেকে অনুবাদ করা হয়েছে। মান্টো সাহেবের সাথে বেশ ভালো তাল মিলিয়েই এগিয়েছেন জাফর আলম।
সবমিলিয়ে, বেশ ভালো। তবে, অসাধারণ বলতে পারছি না। কিছু গল্প দীর্ঘদিন মাথায় থাকবে এই ব্যাপারে সন্দেহ নাই। বাকিগুলা এভারেজ, বিলো এভারেজ!
এইতো!
শিরোনাম গল্প 'টোবাটেক সিং'-টা অনবদ্য। পাগল চরিত্রের মধ্য দিয়ে দেশভাগের রাজনৈতিক নিষ্ঠুরতাকে প্রতীকীভাবে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। না পড়লে বুঝবেন না কি চমৎকার জিনিস! এছাড়াও লাইসেন্স, অলৌকিক, জুতার মালা এই গল্পগুলাও বেশ লেগেছে।
তবে পুরো সংকলনটা পড়তে গিয়ে মাঝেমাঝেই মনে হয়েছে সব গল্পগুলা সমানভাবে এগোয়নি। অনেক গল্পের আবেগগুলাও ঠিক জমে ওঠেনি। নির্মাণ নিয়ে কোনো কথা হবে না, অনবদ্য! কিন্তু সব জায়গায় যেনো খাপ খায়নি বলে মনে হলো।
অনুবাদ বেশ ভালো। ভাষা সহজ, ভাবধারাও ঠিকঠাক। সরাসরি উর্দু থেকে অনুবাদ করা হয়েছে। মান্টো সাহেবের সাথে বেশ ভালো তাল মিলিয়েই এগিয়েছেন জাফর আলম।
সবমিলিয়ে, বেশ ভালো। তবে, অসাধারণ বলতে পারছি না। কিছু গল্প দীর্ঘদিন মাথায় থাকবে এই ব্যাপারে সন্দেহ নাই। বাকিগুলা এভারেজ, বিলো এভারেজ!
এইতো!
November 29, 2020
The stories speak for themselves, and remain powerful and relevant years later. Unlike others, I also found the translation perfectly serviceable.
Like many authors of his generation, Manto grapples with the profound disillusionment with the national projects of India and Pakistan given that both were revealed as a lie by the events of Partition. The texts are refreshingly frank in their treatment of sex, death, atrocities, and violence — there’s a reason both the pre and post independence state found his work sufficiently threatening to bring him up on blasphemy charges multiple times.
Like many authors of his generation, Manto grapples with the profound disillusionment with the national projects of India and Pakistan given that both were revealed as a lie by the events of Partition. The texts are refreshingly frank in their treatment of sex, death, atrocities, and violence — there’s a reason both the pre and post independence state found his work sufficiently threatening to bring him up on blasphemy charges multiple times.
June 25, 2017
I picked up this work of Manto more out of curiosity than anything else, a local radio channel had run a month long feature on Manto and I just wanted to see what was the hype all about.
Some of the hype was certainly justified, Manto's writing is very provocative in nature and certainly not for the faint at heart. His stories cover topics that are almost certainly not discussed in polite company and he doesn't shy away from highlighting the dark side of human nature. Manto's caliber as a writer is on full display in his collection of short stories and while you may end up being scandalized, you certainly won't end up being bored of what is on offer.
Manto lived in pre-independence era and his stories are usually set in the same backdrop however instead of focusing on the politics of the era, he sticks to the society and humans so there won't be much of British bashing or nationalism at display.
The only possible complaint I have with this collection is Manto's obsession with sex and prostitutes. Sure, I can understand that these topics make for compelling stories, seeing them again and again in every story only dulls the impact of what is otherwise a great collection.
Some of the hype was certainly justified, Manto's writing is very provocative in nature and certainly not for the faint at heart. His stories cover topics that are almost certainly not discussed in polite company and he doesn't shy away from highlighting the dark side of human nature. Manto's caliber as a writer is on full display in his collection of short stories and while you may end up being scandalized, you certainly won't end up being bored of what is on offer.
Manto lived in pre-independence era and his stories are usually set in the same backdrop however instead of focusing on the politics of the era, he sticks to the society and humans so there won't be much of British bashing or nationalism at display.
The only possible complaint I have with this collection is Manto's obsession with sex and prostitutes. Sure, I can understand that these topics make for compelling stories, seeing them again and again in every story only dulls the impact of what is otherwise a great collection.
October 13, 2018
This was the first piece of Hindi literature I've read since passing 10th standard. Even though my speed was barely middling, the whole affair was worth it. This is not the cruel injustice of a lifetime a la Roy or the fantastic lament of Rushdie, but it is an epitome of Indian literature nonetheless. Starting off with highly depressing stories of the partition, to the stories of Bombay's prostitutes which made him infamous, all the way to fascinating tales about banal insecurities that lead people to unimaginable ends, he somehow finds a way to round it off in a rather poignant way with a story about vagabond actors and derelict writers in Pune, and their Mummy.
I'd highly recommend it for someone trying to get back to reading Hindi literature(I'm not quite sure if this is the translated to Hindi version or the Urdu version itself, as the language seems very natural to someone living in Bombay in the 40s), but be ready for intensely personal shit.
I'd highly recommend it for someone trying to get back to reading Hindi literature(I'm not quite sure if this is the translated to Hindi version or the Urdu version itself, as the language seems very natural to someone living in Bombay in the 40s), but be ready for intensely personal shit.
June 14, 2013
Saadat Hasan Manto is an amazing writer and when it comes to describing partition and the pain, he becomes unbeatable. Toba Tek Singh is a masterpiece from him.
The story dates back to the time of Indo-Pak partition and takes you to a mental asylum where Toba Tek Singh (a name given by his inmates) lives.
People in that asylum have their own perspectives for this partition. It is when both countries' governments decide to exchange madmen on the basis of their current nationality.
What happens next makes you realize that despite of not being in his senses, Toba Tek Singh is more sensible than the governments of both the newly built countries.
The writer does not try to make you understand each and everything but the message reaches you through this madman called Toba Tek Singh. A very emotional story and a must read!!
The story dates back to the time of Indo-Pak partition and takes you to a mental asylum where Toba Tek Singh (a name given by his inmates) lives.
People in that asylum have their own perspectives for this partition. It is when both countries' governments decide to exchange madmen on the basis of their current nationality.
What happens next makes you realize that despite of not being in his senses, Toba Tek Singh is more sensible than the governments of both the newly built countries.
The writer does not try to make you understand each and everything but the message reaches you through this madman called Toba Tek Singh. A very emotional story and a must read!!
September 26, 2012
When I picked up the book, it was the name Toba Tek Singh that led me to believe that I was going to read some quaint simple Indian stories. What it actually had was completely different - and I guess not having any background on Manto was a big part of not knowing what to expect.
However, though the initial few stories were unsettling, I really liked almost every story after the first few once i got the hang of Manto's way of writing.
Though he wrote in urdu, the english translation of his stories is very well done and seems to maintain the every aspect, thought and feeling.
Good idea to check out more on Manto on wiki :-)
However, though the initial few stories were unsettling, I really liked almost every story after the first few once i got the hang of Manto's way of writing.
Though he wrote in urdu, the english translation of his stories is very well done and seems to maintain the every aspect, thought and feeling.
Good idea to check out more on Manto on wiki :-)
September 19, 2018
5 stars for Manto's stories
3 stars for the translation
I have colloquial knowledge of Hindi and Urdu (which is essentially the same language at spoken level – literary Hindi and Urdu draw on Sanskrit and Arabic-Persian respectively). After having read M. Asaduddin's criticism of Khalid Hasan's translations of Manto's stories, I listened to Toba Tek Singh in Urdu. Hasan's translations fail to capture the subtle nuances, the immediacy, the essence of Manto's prose. Thankfully, most of Manto's stories are available online on Youtube in either Urdu or Hindi.
3 stars for the translation
I have colloquial knowledge of Hindi and Urdu (which is essentially the same language at spoken level – literary Hindi and Urdu draw on Sanskrit and Arabic-Persian respectively). After having read M. Asaduddin's criticism of Khalid Hasan's translations of Manto's stories, I listened to Toba Tek Singh in Urdu. Hasan's translations fail to capture the subtle nuances, the immediacy, the essence of Manto's prose. Thankfully, most of Manto's stories are available online on Youtube in either Urdu or Hindi.
July 30, 2014
"There, behind barbed wire, on one side, lay India and behind more barbed wire, on the other side, lay Pakistan. In between, on a bit of earth, which had no name, lay Toba Tek Singh."
Toba Tek Singh is the only story I've read in this collection and it beautifully captures the madness that was the partition. But even in the breadth of this short story, I could sense the nuance I was missing by reading the English translation. If you can, read the original.
Toba Tek Singh is the only story I've read in this collection and it beautifully captures the madness that was the partition. But even in the breadth of this short story, I could sense the nuance I was missing by reading the English translation. If you can, read the original.
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