Gone but not forgotten: Manto's 61st death anniversary

Manto was born on 11 May 1912 in Hindustan’s Shimla city. Manto was only forty-three years old when he passed away, leaving behind a vast legacy that remains still unmatched till this day.

Manto’s pen and his style of writing not only earned him much respect, adulation and prominence among fans, but also earned him ill-repute among some people. Manto’s work was influential and inspirational in the sense that he portrayed the real face of society for all to see. This led to a lot of people mocking and humiliating him but no one can argue his status as one of the greatest storytellers of all time.

Manto touched on a wide variety of topics which were otherwise considered taboo by the people of sub-continent. Manto had earned the puclic’s ire a lot due to his honest and cutthroat writing. So much so that he had to deal with a lot of court cases as well during his time. However, no concrete case could be made against Manto, as a result of which he was never sent to jail.

Manto is often compared to D.H.Lawrence, since he used to expose the faults, sins and the ugly truth pertaining to the Indo-Pakistan society. He always used to say,””If you find my stories dirty, the society you are living in is dirty. With my stories, I only expose the truth”.

Some of his works include Thada Gosht, Sarkandon Ke Peechay, Sarak Kay Kinaray, Beghair Ijazat, Shikari Auratain and Phunduney.

Manto’s last years were spent in Lahore, which were quite pitiful for him. Excessive drinking of wine had a devastating impact on his liver and on January 18, 2015 Manto passed away on a cold morning.

On the occasion of his 50th birthday, the Pakistani government, in recognition of his services as a writer, issued a 5 rupees postage stamp in his memory.
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