Historian Harish Sharma delivers lecture on Manto, his literature
The Jallianwala Bagh Chair, Guru Nanak Dev University, organized a lecture on Sadat Hasan Manto, entitled “Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: Stories by Saadat Hasan Manto” by Prof Harish Sharma, former head, Department of History, Guru Nanak Dev University.
Prof Amandeep Bal, chairperson, while explaining the objective of the lecture on Manto said Manto dared to write stories that reflected the facts on the massacre at a time when the fear of the British was utmost.
Calling Manto ‘unconventional’ would be a gross understatement but true nonetheless, as historian Prof Harish Sharma reflected upon the literary genius and ability to touch nerve through writing on matters others would not even dare.
“His stories like ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Devana Shair’ were written before independence whereas the ‘1919 ka ek Waqia’ in 1954 after he had migrated to Pakistan. In ‘Tamasha’, the sensitive mind of a young boy Khalid is distressed at the spectacle of the massacre and prays for the removal of the perpetrators of the carnage.
“In ‘Dewana Shair’, he articulates the view of a nationalist revolutionary. He envisions that the inspiration for change lies beneath the soil of the Jallianwala Bagh. He implores the youth to take motivation from the sacrifices of men, women and children and awaken their conscience and rise to launch a determined uprising,” he said.
The Jallianwala Bagh and Amritsar remained embedded in the mind of Manto despite migration. In his own way, he reminisces the memories of communal harmony of the city during the Rowlette agitation and the massacre of 13 April 1919 in his powerful story ‘I1919 ka ek Waqiya’.
“Manto was emphatic that the sacrifices of the lower most sections of society during the Rowlett agitation and the subsequent struggle for freedom need to be given due importance they deserve,” said Prof Harish. “Most of his protagonists or characters depict the pain and tragedy at an individual level,” he added.
