Islamabad Halqa observes Manto's 85th birth anniversary

The Islamabad chapter of Halqa i Arbab Zauq arranged a successful discussion programme on Friday night to mark the 85th death anniversary of Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955), undoubtedly one of Urdu literature's best short story teller.
Sarmad Sehbai's teleplay Saugandhi, an interpretation of Manto's story Hathak was also screened on the occasion. Manto made ugliness look beautiful, commented Professor of Philosophy Dr Iqbal Afaqi in his assessment of Manto as should be expected on such occasions Sarmad's tele-play received much greater attention.
Everyone was complimenting him for interpreting the story analytically, introducing work-a-day techniques and depicting fine portrayal through new faces who had acted for the first time in their life.
Manto, often compared with D. H. Lawrence, and like him was accused of writing prurient fiction on social taboos with fixation on sex workers, survived aestheteand sociological treatment exemplified from Professor Afaqi's phrase quoted above.
Professor Yusuf Hasan, who was presiding the discussion session, said the story was typical of a writer who had heightened a common place deal between a sex worker and her customer who wanted sexuality in return, and Manto had skilfully delineated characters of these two ordinary sets of people.
But we are now in the days of the revival of Manto, said short story writer Mansha Yad while trying to build an argument that the sex worker had revolted against the insults that we are accustomed to heap on common men and women of the society. In the story 'Saugandhi' could not stand dehumanising any more. The sleeping notion for respect cried out aloud for a more humane treatment Thus Manto has brought out freshness out of dirty objects that the society shuts its eyes to.
Short story writers Shaheed Hameed argued that Manto's story proved that every person was worth a story including the dog who was a faithful companion of the prostitute, whereas other customers were cruel and would often forget to pay her for services rendered.
Poet Akhtar Usman observed that Manto has shown the way to good writing proving the theory that good art lies in the concealment of art. In the story Manto had moved from concrete things to abstract. In his view Saughandhi portrayed societal attitude and indifference to people of lower strata for who it did not care and was not even willing to meet their bio-physical and psycho-social needs.
In the end, Sarmad Sehbai explained he had interpreted Manto's story from the post industrial ethos. This is an age in which individuals in the society get thrown in the washing machine to be cleansed, in the strain of Guy de Maupassant from whom Manto learnt a lot.