Saadat Hasan Manto fades in native village

PAPRAUDI(SAMRALA): Almost 60 years after renowned Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto died at Lahore in Pakistan, the village that was his birthplace has nothing to remember him by. Not even a library, landmark or monument has been named after him. Two years ago, last articles associated with him were shifted from the village gurdwara to a private school in nearby Samrala. Recently, Nandita Das, chairperson of Children’s Film Society India and internationally acclaimed actress and director, said she has been considering the idea of making a film on Manto for the last 10 years.“His work, while being intimate, also explored major events of the times, such as Second World War, the end of colonial rule and partition”, she said.
In Manto’s native village, Lakhwinder Singh, caretaker at the local Kalgidhar gurdwara and keeper of the last literary belongings of Manto, said , “More than 300 of his articles, including books and magazines were shifted from the village to Kindergarten Senior Secondary school in March, 2012. They will take better care of them and more readers will be able to access them there. Those were the last of his belongings in the village he was born. I used to get a number of readers for these books as Manto’s writing had a unique style and message”, said 45-year-old Singh, whose favourite book of the writer is Toba Tek Singh. He said a single room library constructed in the village would have been a great tribute to the writer, but it was not done so far.
Other village residents also feel the government and government aided literary organizations could have done a lot more to ensure that the present and future generations knew about the legendary writer. Krishan Kumar Bhagi, 70, a veritable authority on Manto, said, “There is no one in the village alive who has met him. I have heard from my ancestors that he didn’t want to go Pakistan. My father told me he would tell villagers that I am going to Shimla for a literary function. After reading Toba Tek Singh, I can confidently say that such clarity of ideas is rare among writers. I think he didn’t get the respect he deserved from the government. Two years ago, when his 100th birthday was celebrated in Samrala, it was attended by his daughters. Politicians and literary organizations made tall promises of naming a school in the village after him. A gate was also constructed at the entrance but nothing was done”. He said the foundation stone of the village gate to be named after Manto was laid by Punjabi Sahit Sabha at Delhi in 2012 but construction work never started.
However, readers gather at the library of the school where his articles are kept. Jaspreet Kaur, a Class X student at the school, who belongs to Manto’s native village, said, “I have seen a stage performance on Toba Tek Singh and read his short story on Jallianwala Bagh. I have no words to express how much I liked his work. I am proud that such a literary gem was born in our village”. She said the best homage to Manto would be India and Pakistan both coming forward to get a library constructed in his name as he was the pride of both the countries. A few years ago, Manto’s daughters made a similar request to the two nations when they visited their father’s native village.