Thanda Gosht / ٹھنڈا گوشت

by سعادت حسن منٹو

The story is about the communal violence of 1947. Ishwar Singh, a Sikh fails to make love to his mistress. She suspects him of infidelity and In a fit of jealousy she stabs her husband with his own dagger. While dying, Ishwar Singh admits his crime of attempted rape with an unconscious Muslim girl, who was actually dead.Hence the title "Cold Flesh".

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, India, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Literature

137 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1950

About the author

English: Saadat Hasan Manto

Hindi: सआदत हसन मंटो

Reviews

[Stephy Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could read Urdu. I know a lot was lost in translation.
Manto has written the brutal reality in a simple way, yet it will leave a chill down your spine.

[Adham Alif · Rating 4 out of 5]

এই সংকলনের গল্পগুলো ভালো লাগলো। মান্টোর অদ্ভুত আচরণের প্রভাব তার গল্পেও লক্ষণীয়। তবে তার গল্পগুলো যেভাবে পাঠক মানসে ধাক্কা দেয় সেই তীব্রতার ব্যাপারটাই সম্ভবত তাকে স্মরণীয় করে রেখেছে। বিখ্যাত গল্প "ঠান্ডা গোশত" নিয়ে মান্টোকে বেশ ধকল সইতে হয়েছে। এই নিয়ে বইয়ের শুরুতে লম্বা ঘটনা বর্ণিত আছে। এই লম্বা বিবরণ অতোটাও প্রয়োজনীয় বলে মনে হয়নি।

[Shinjini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literal Translation: “Cold Flesh”

This story is a product of the darkest time of modern Indian History, the Partition of India. It was a time of strife, terrible violence, and immense bloodshed. It was like the country was being ripped apart, limb by limb. People lost their peace, their minds, and their lives, thus paying the ultimate price.

Saadat Hassan Manto was more than half-a-century before my time and I would probably never have heard of him, had it not been for a movie coming out this year that is based on his life. I am so glad this movie has been made; otherwise, I would have missed out on the works of an absolutely incredible writer.

This story was originally written in Urdu and I usually pick up the original prose of a translated work if it’s in a language I can comprehend. Unfortunately, I understand Urdu but am unable to read it. I tried to look for an audiobook but couldn’t find one. Instead, I found both English and Hindi translations. Ultimately, even though my Hindi reading skills aren’t as good, I picked the Hindi one. Hindi and Urdu are ‘sister languages’ so hopefully I didn’t lose out on much of the story. It was a struggle and took me quite a while, but it was more than worth it.

Manto starts painting a picture of home life, an intimate landscape, partners in bed, deep in conversation. He doesn’t shy away from going into vivid descriptions to flesh out the characters and their thoughts. Manto actually faced trial for obscenity because of this book, though he was ultimately not convicted. In fact, he faced six trials over the course of his short career because at the time, writing about intimacy or violence was not common, especially in the Indo-Pak society.

What started as an intimate event, suddenly took a turn, when the woman, Kulwant Kaur, accuses her lover, Ishar Singh, of sleeping with another woman. What this conversation then progresses to, can only be described as shocking and terribly brutal. The fact that this was written during one of the most turbulent times of Indian history and that it dealt with such a taboo topic and ultimately saw the light of day, is nothing short of incredible. It is difficult to write about the story without spoiling it, so I must leave it at that.

The fact that Manto could write about something so real and deeply scarring, in such a simple way, with no extra fluff, adds credibility to him as a writer par excellence. His repertoire consists of other short stories, almost all equally shocking and painful, ending in a twist that would leave the reader breathless. He passed away long before his time, leaving quite a void in the world of Asian Literature, but with whatever little legacy he has left and by holding a mirror to society in his works, he has definitely made the world a better place.

[Rajni Sahota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devilish act is when you tarnish the dignity of the women but more devilish is that when the women is dead, this show that people lost their self conscious during partition and for this manto has to go to present in the court, being a disporic writer he show the world what people faces that time

[Ipsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

raw and fierce.

[Yaser Awan · Rating 4 out of 5]

منٹو نے اپنی ایک تقریر میں بہت خوب کہا تھا کہ میں جو لکھتا ہوں فقط معاشرے کو ایک آئینہ دکھاتا ہوں۔ اب اس میں تمہیں جو کچھ بیہودہ نظر آتا ہے وہ تم ہی سے ہے۔ ٹھنڈا گوشت بھی ایسی ہی ایک کہانی ہے، جسے جتنی بار بھی پڑھا جائے انسان کے رونگٹے کھڑے ہو جاتے ہیں۔
یہ کہانی پاکستان اور ہندوستان کی تقسیم کے وقت بارے لکھی گئی ہے اور اس وقت دونوں اطراف میں ہونے والے مظالم پر ایک عام آدمی کی نظر سے روشنی ڈالتی ہے۔ یہاں منٹو کی ہی لکھی ہوئی ایک اور کہانی یاد آ گئی جس کا عنوان کھول دو ہے۔ مجھے اس کہانی اور ٹھنڈے گوشت میں ایک گہرا تعلق نظر آتا ہے۔مجھے بار بار یہ محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ منٹو جب بھی تقسیم کے بارے میں لکھتے ہیں تو ہندو مسلم مظالم کے درمیان میں موجود اس درمیانی لکیر کے بارے میں لکھ رہے ہیں جس میں انسان کا کوئی مذہب نہیں بس وہ حوس کا پیجاری ہے۔ ٹھنڈا گوشت ہمارے دل میں موجود حوس کے گہرے دبے ہوئے اور سیاہ راز اکھاڑ کے ہمارے سامنے لا کھڑا کرتی ہے۔ پھر وہ مال کا حوس ہو یا جسم کا، آنکھوں میں اترا ہوا خون ہو یا بدلے کی آگ میں مکروہ قہقہے لگاتا انسان، جو اپنی ذات میں کوئی بھی کہانی گڑھ لیتا ہے جو اسے اپنے کر یہ عمل کے ساتھ چین سے ذندگی گزارنے دے۔ پر کبھی کبھی یہ من گھڑت کتھا بھی اسے اپنے عمل یا دوسروں کے اعمال سے پیدا ہونے والے ذہنی انتشار سے نہیں بچا پاتی۔ پھر وہ پھولوں کی سیج پر بھی لیٹے تو آگ کا بستر معلوم ہوتا ہے۔
منٹو تفصیل میں جائے بغیر کہانی کا اختتام کر دیتے ہیں اور قارئین کو خود سے اس آتش فشاں کے دھانے لا کر چھوڑ دیتے ہیں جس کی تپش سے پڑھنے والا یقیناً جھلس جائے

[Camelia kongkon · Rating 3 out of 5]

গল্পের যেখানে তার নামের সার্থকতা এসেছে সেই পয়েন্টটুকু বাদে আর কিছুই তেমন মন কাড়েনি। অনুবাদের জন্য এমন হতে পারে। শুরু থেকেই একটা ধস্তাধস্তি অবস্থা। কি হচ্ছে কিছুই মাথামুণ্ডু টের পাইনি। শেষটুকু সুন্দর ছিলো। এন্ডিংটা বিশেষ করে

[Risha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book particularly, I liked his essays better than his short stories (although the stories were excellent, too).

[Sabita Bhattarai · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW

[Omar Faruk · Rating 2 out of 5]

খুব একটা ভালো লাগেনি। ভালো না লাগার জন্য অনুবাদটা অনেকটাই দায়ী।

[Mubashra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manto is an angel in a devil's attire- he fears no one in this world and he cannot help showing the evil face of the society in which we are living in the form of his stories. Thanda Gosht is a perfect example of this.

[Ali Ather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the most brutal and cynical stories I have read. Manto paints a picture of society so real and honest, characters that are trapped in their own thoughts, situations and desires. Each story leaves a bitter taste and makes you think about it long after.

[Badhon Sarkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

গল্পগুলো বোঝার জন্য মস্তিষ্ক দরকার৷

[francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the reading goals for 2024 is revisiting the authors i loved as a teenager. I have read so many of Manto’s short stories but due to his scandalous writing I wasn’t allowed to read it openly and eventually i stopped reading him bcs i was tired of hiding his books lmao.
This book had amazing collection of stories and also Manto’s personal anecdotes and the obstacles he had to face to publish thanda gosht.

[Mazia Qadri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up Manto as an act of rebellion. When I turned 16, i chose to expand the literature i consume; Manto was a famous writer but also the most controversial one. Naturally, I picked him. I picked up a short collection of his book to piss my parents off but mostly to see exactly why people hated him. The first story that i read was ‘thanda gosht’. I was surprised to see graphic language written in the early 90’s. It was shocking, but the more I read the more I understood how manto’s work transcends language. It is true not everyone can build an appetite for manto and their reservations are correct. Manto was a vulgar man, a fact he has never shied to admit. But it wasn’t his vulgarity that drew people but rather his unconventional ways. In a society where you are dictated to have certain opinions, mindset and views he dared to challenge them; fearlessly and boldly. His intent was not to promote what everyone loves to call ‘fahashi’ but rather hold a mirror to society letting them know that the fingers they point at others are not clean in the first place.

I have heard people say that he promotes violence and immorality in society. To address that, it is common for the ‘messenger’ to be blamed for faults that he is highlighting in the first place. How many times have you been made out a villain just because you spoke out against an injustice that was carried out in front of you? It is like society’s way of punishing you for choosing to show people that what they have been doing is unjustified and wrong. punished for highlighting something so wrong and vulgar but also something that no one would dare speak out on.

The best part (this will be controversial) about manto’s writings is how he ends his stories. They are not happy endings that people look for, which I like- because manto can be a ‘fahash’ (vulgar), manto can be ‘badtameez’ but he is no liar. He calls it the way he sees it. His endings end the way stories used to end in real life. Manto did not like the idea of partition, he wanted muslims, sikhs and hindus to live together in harmony and his writings reflected that (toba tek singh etc). His stories are a retelling of how humans in bad times (like partition) can forsake their religion, morals, values and humanity in general. He shows the side of humans that we do not want to look at or accept. In the face of calamity, all is forsaken and all is forgotten.

Manto will therefore remain my favourite writer. Whats funny is that sometimes i hate manto for what he has written but at the same time i cannot abandon his writings since they rob you of all hope people love to cling to. I like that. In a world filled with people shitting rainbows and optimism, you can count on manto to share the ugly realities of human nature and the world without disappointing you, conveying it in a way that is a little surprising. Manto conveys that and in a way he is sending out a message especially targeted to the Asian audience who loves nothing more than to meddle in other people’s affairs, is quick to point fingers, shun others, and inflict violence, pain and torture at the slightest offence. Simply put, Manto conveys ‘live laugh and love’ which is hilarious (if you have a dark sense of humour) considering his stories convey the opposite. But hey, not for everyone. I will continue suggesting him, reading him and sometimes, getting into heated debates defending a man i would have hated being in the same room with lol ;)

[Maaz Saleem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really sure how to rate it, I know someone who loves Manto and I wanted to rate him higher for her but then I wouldn't be honest w my feelings. I have no problem in him being graphical or using unconventional language but my problem is with the message of the stories.

I enjoyed the stories they were beautifully written and it felt as if I were a part of the stories and watching them unfold right in front of my eyes. However, I do have strong reservations, in my opinion it was an irresponsible writing for the times he was living in as the stories had all the elements of eliciting vengeful and aggressive emotions in the readers. Majority of the characters were taking the law in their own hands.

For example in Goli when the husband asks his wife if he could marry the paraplegic girl the wife threatens to shoot him if he dared to. In Thanda Gosht Kalwant Kaur kills Ishar Singh, and in Basit I get that Manto was only narrating what was happening in his surroundings but he left all these stories at such a note where it feels like that hes normalizing it, that its normal to lie to the susralis and hide the fact that your daughter is expecting, that its normal to murder someone, that its normal to secretly bury a premature baby and for the husband to accept the fact that he was cheated into the marriage and that its ok for him to have to live with this bitter truth for the rest of his life and that it's ok for him to endure all of that just to keep his mum happy, imagine the mental torture, and Manto left the story like they lived happily after all of that. No way.

I dont know I think he could have done a better job I am sure he was more than capable of it. I am not sure how he could have narrated these stories responsibly and with a bit more consideration but for me there was an absolute need for that.

I have read all the positive reviews about it and that is why I am doubting my opinion on the book but I will try to be honest with my feelings and rate it fairly.

But then again you might have different opinions and that is ok I respect that.

[Amogha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I can't read Urdu and don't read Hindi well, I had to rely on the English translation of this story which goes under the title 'Cold,like ice'.

Behind veils of sophistication, hides an animal deep within you. Who better than Manto to paint the grey minds of human beings? The intensity of Lust, jealousy, desires are hard to capture for any normal writer but Manto dips his fingers right into the core of such feelings and smears the colors right onto our faces.
We would be foolish to think that people exist in black and white and that rioters only don ugly capes of savagery. We believe that their hearts are made only of stone. Their hearts are most definitely solid, but like Manto has shown in his story, the hearts are as solid as ice. Beyond a point, fear grips them and they too, melt.

Note : Read this as part of a flash readathon by BB book-club on Manto's 104th birth anniversary.

[مومنہ❀ · Rating 3 out of 5]

☆☆☆٭
مکتبہ جدید لاہور کے شائع کردہ اس ایڈیشن میں افسانوں کے ساتھ
ساتھ منٹو کا ایک مضمون "زحمت مہردرخشاں" کے عنوان سے بھی شامل ہے جس میں انہوں نے ٹھنڈا گوشت لکھنے سے لیکر اسکی اشاعت اور پھر اس پر مقدمے کی پوری تفصیل بھی پیش کی ہے۔ جس سے ظاہر ہے ایک طرح سے افسانے کے بیکگراؤنڈ کے بارے میں معلومات ملیں اور میرے اس افسانے کے متعلق خیالات بھی تبدیل ہوۓ۔

افسانہ پیرن اور گولی مجھے ٹھیک لگے۔ساڑھےتین آنے اور باسط بھی قابل غور تھے۔

why Goodreads doesn't accept Urdu keyboards; it's so irritating at times.ugh🤧

[Ichthy Ander · Rating 3 out of 5]

প্রায় প্রতিটা গল্প পড়েই অবাক হয়েছি। যাপিত জীবনের সাধারণ (ক্ষেত্রবিশেষে অসাধারণ কিংবা গুরুতর) ঘটনাগুলোর এমন সুন্দর মনস্তাত্ত্বিক উপস্থাপন অকল্পনীয়। গল্পের শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত অদ্ভুত একটা সাবলীলতা ছিলো। সবচেয়ে বেশি ভালো লেগেছে, সাড়ে তিন আনা ও শারদা গল্প দুটো।

পড়তে পড়তে মনে হয়েছে, মূল ভাষায় পড়লে হয়তো বেশি ভালো লাগতো। এমন নয় যে অনুবাদ খারাপ; অনুবাদক যথেষ্ট চেষ্টা করেছেন সাবলীল রাখবার, মূল লেখাকেই তুলে আনার, তবুও হয়তোবা কিছু লেখা একচুয়াল ফর্মে পড়লে তার সাথে আরো ভালো যোগসূত্র তৈরি হওয়া সম্ভব।

[Farjad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the crown goes to the title story but for me another jewel is the story"Shaarda".
Undistorted, brutal yet real face of life is portrayed in these stories which, no doubt, is the forte of Manto.

[Anubhav Jalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

chilling to the bone..u get shocked as to what an event can sap life out of u

[Pratyush Arya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful short story! Too bad I had to read it in Hindi, because I don't know how to read Urdu, and I believe a lot of its essence might have been lost in the translation.

[W]

The story Thanda Gosht is the perfect example of Manto's art to shock and stun the reader while depicting the sordid realities of life.

[Chitra Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something about Manto's works that is so simple yet so banal and profound. I loved this piece, however, I couldn't help the shivers that went down my spine.
Highly recommended!

[Sanaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started off by reading it in English.
About half way through I continued reading with my hand over my mouth, aghast, cringing over the possibilities of every next word. What vile creatures humans can be! But I felt a disconnect with the English translation and instead read it in Urdu. I think this was perhaps the first book I've read in Urdu and whilst some words I didn't fully grasp, the words were definitely more profound in it's original language. The sentiments, the expressions were more natural, more easily flowing.
Hats off to Manto! For tackling such a taboo topic in his time with such simplicity and authenticity!

[Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manto was brilliant in writing short, brutal and honest stories. He wrote exactly what he had heard, seen and lived through and he was very brave to write such revealing tales. He wanted to tell people exactly what had happened and of course people didn’t want to read it. The truth can be so ugly and horrific.

I read an English translation of Thanda Gosht and I’m sure it lost some of the poetry and lyricism of the original text. With that said, the snapshot reveals many layers that make you think about the story long after you have finished it.

[امير حمزه · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as concern with the reputation of writer, which has been extremely exaggerated in negative sense, I don't know the real reason behind this propaganda might be it was personal or political one.
Manto used the realistic expectations in his writing (Thanda Ghost), which is true depiction of the society.

[Muhammad Ahmed Siddiqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

brutal but true

[Ubaid Talpur · Rating 3 out of 5]

brutal one!
a very tragic short story

[Rabia · Rating 3 out of 5]

when i read it ....i was literally freeze....Manto only can describe this brutal reality in such way..