'Manto ki Duniya' comes alive at Majha House

Saadat Hasan Manto, the name itself strikes a chord, more evocatively in Amritsar. One of the most celebrated, brilliant and brutal writer of all time, Manto had created his own mad world with characters that still haunt his readers with their flawed, complex and vulnerable existence in the literary world. Celebrating this ‘madness’ and the unnerving Manto ki Duniya, Majha House hosted a special tribute to the searing work of iconic writer.

With dramatised and moving, as one expects, readings of Manto’s most iconic stories including Khol Do, Nangi Awazien and enactment of Toba Tek Singh, the evening saw Manto’s works once again weaving their magic or more aptly, evoking emotions that couldn’t be defined.

To pay its tribute to the legendary Urdu writer, the holy city’s creative best, including poet Arvinder Chamak, educators Rouble Tuli and Shikha Dutt Tuli and members of Khalsa College Rangmanch, came together to make Manto’s stories come alive. Arvinder Chamak’s moving reading of the Khol Do, a story that touches a raw nerve every time one hears it, was an exploration of human condition and the extent of savagery one can experience when tried. It was followed by readings of Nangi Awazien, another poignant tale of social fabric being torn apart and complex human nature in the backdrop of Partition of India. The finale was rather dramatic with Khalsa College Rangmanch’s high on impact performance. The play No Land For Us based on Manto’s story Toba Tek Singh portrayed the plight of inmates of a lunatic asylum caught in the middle of mayhem during India-Pakistan division. Written by Dr Devender Singh, the play was designed and directed by MP Masih.

“Saadat Hasan Manto was a phenomenal writer of his time and someone who could dare to write about social taboos and explore the society’s dark underbelly. His stories still find relevance as the world, society grapples with the similar issues, social and political upheavals,” said Masih.