My blog is my own kingdom and words are my subjects
Can I say that I am free, no anchors, nothing
Can I say it’s me, flying next to the kite, whipping away in the air
Can I ever really say, I am free of my dreams
Longing, far from reality, those dreams
Will it be wrong to say that, if ever, given the time, I would really have the freedom to be as I am
Finally free.
Saadat Hasan Manto, who has been classified as one of the most powerful writers of the partition, has been graced with another movie played by Nawassuddin Sidiquii. For those of you who do not know Manto, the movie is a crash course of his work and life. So you would be happy as the song, “Bol ki lab Azaad rain here…” starts playing on the screen. An ending (Cant say it was an happy one).
But for those who really know Manto, those who have studied him closely as a 20th century writer, a writer without nonsense, and no sense to write for please, this is the article for you.
There is a reason why Manto’s name is kept aside from other Partition writers like Mir, or Faiz. Like other writers, he did not glorify the partition. He did not write encouraging poems for the freedom fighters of the time, neither did he speak out in their support. However, what he really did was paint a picture of an India that no one wanted to see: the dark, murky, side which was full of inhumanity, injustice and bloodshed.
Watching the movie was good, Sidiquii did justice to Manto. But the story spun was all wrong. It didn’t sit well with me that Manto wasn’t shown as much a writer as he deserves to be. Personally, I believe that the legacy that Manto left behind cannot be downplayed like that. Even though he was notorious but his bold pen left us with insights about partition that no other article, book or memoir is ever going to write about.
Given his works, and the career both in India and Pakistan, his life has been full of scandals not in his personal life, but in his literature. Known for writing the naked truth of the society and its mentality at the time which I believe hasn’t changed much, one can say that Manto was a writer ahead of his time.
Manto had a way with words which went beyond the meanings they reflect in the first reading. Even though stories like Thanda Ghosht, Khol Do, and Toba Tek Singh which were powerful pieces of literature got featured in the movie, there are other stories which put the society to shame and were equally deserving of being heard.
Once, Manto was asked why he wanted to pollute the society with his obscene stories using foul language about prostitutes. His reply was, “If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked.”
Manto used to say that he only ever wrote what he knows and what he saw. And based on that, one can deduce the chill-inducing fact that there was indeed a ‘Sakina’ who was lost from his father and raped to the point of being unable to comprehend her surroundings.
Manto, the voice behind the bitter words
Manto, the invisible veil between the truth and the lies
Manto, the wondrous man with an artistic vision
Manto, one who understood the country and its partition
Manto, one who saw the naked reality of man-made religion
Manto, who knew he had to get his hands dirty to wipe the slate clean
Manto, who made sure the people knew themselves for what they were
Manto, the wise man who lost his voice at the end
Manto, who says he will die but Manto will remain
Manto, the friend and the enemy of words
Manto, the unadulterated perspective to how it really was.
It’s the mellow, soothing songs that make memories
Down the line, a trigger to allow nostalgia to settle in like nausea
Making you sick to the core, remembering the time that was lost
Yearning for the dials to turn around
Those songs that tell tales of love, laughter and woe
Songs which speak volumes for heartbreak, for an intimate lovers’ moment
For something special, a happy memory or one that scarred the soul
Songs as harbingers of emotion
A turmoil, that ends up swallowing you whole
A hum here, and a line there and down you fall the rabbit hole
The wonderland was wonderful but it had its own tale of highs and lows
Songs that tell tales of you and I
Tales of bliss and of sorrow
All in my playlist, I list them out as they come
One by one, as we live it.
Thoughts generated after looking at the blank paper for a week with nothing to write, no one to write for.
I am not poetic, I just find words that dont even rhyme.
Knowing myself, I know I don’t appreciate life as I should. There are people less fortunate than I am, and yet more stronger than I ever could be. I am rich in words and that is it for who I am defined as.
It’s not enough, but a kind word from someone can set you on a path you never imagined yourself to be walking on.
For years, I have had an obsession even I couldn’t understand and it is now that I am beginning to.
Even though I can’t afford my dreams, I still dream them and I still hold on to the faith that someday maybe…
It started with a blog post, some work related thing and ended as an inspiration for something beautiful.
Thank you, Ken.
In case you are wondering who that is: https://kensegall.com/
Everything comes with an expiry date
How stupid to think that things will always be the same
One fixed time to let go, to walk away in one piece
To believe that it’s the end of the road
To hold on to memories but let go of the rope
Everyone meets their end, love dies, desire fades
It’s all just so mundane
So they say to be in the present
How can I when it’s running five hours ahead of me
It has to end, but do I have the courage to stand up to the cliff
And not take my leap of faith
Which will lead to a certain death?
Pick a song, then a rhythm
Pick a fight, pick me.
Hold steady, I won’t leave
Until you choose me.
Learn that song, heart the words
My words, your voice and that how we make it
A little hope, with some belief
Faith in me, so pick the dirtiest fight
And go to war with me.
Fight for the future, draw your sword for the light
Gun down the opposition, the dissent
Kill them all, and be the big, bad wolf
Devour the world, its your for the taking
And yet, if you would just look back once
You will always find me humming
To the tune, if you would pick me.
