Beyond Toba Tek Singh: Rediscovering a softer side of Manto in Andheri

(From left) Mohammed Aslam Parvez, Sadiya Siddiqui, Neha Bahuguna and Udit Parashar at a reading at Kitaabghar Reading Room in Andheri. Pics courtesy/Urdu evenings

When the name Saadat Hasan Manto comes to mind, people usually think of Toba Tek Singh, Thanda Gosht or Kaali Shalwar," says MD Aslam Parvez, author of Aapka Manto. This edition of Urdu Readings, titled Gustakh Manto, will highlight a subtler yet equally compelling side of Manto, at Kitaabghar Reading Room. Speaking to the organisers and artists, Udit Parashar, Sadiya Siddiqui, Pooja Sagar and Nisha Dhar - Parashar shares, "The 75-minute literary gathering curated by Parvez ji will centre on the lesser-known works of Manto that not many people are aware of."

Saadat Hasan Manto. Pic courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

At this dramatised reading, audiences will learn about the letters and autobiographical writings by Manto, including Chacha Sam Ke Naam, a series of nine letters written in the early 1950s to the United States of America, in which he playfully yet bitterly critiqued America's foreign policy from the perspective of a Pakistani nephew. The session will also include articles such as Allah Ka Bada Fazal Hai and Dekh Kabira Roya, alongside autobiographical accounts like Meri Shaadi and Pas Manzar, as well as works from Parvez's book, which compiles 150 such pieces.

Adding to this, Parvez explains, "Manto had two sides to him. One was the radical, often dramatised author we know as Manto, but there was also a softer, often overlooked side where he was Saadat - a simple man, husband, brother and a father. That is the side we're trying to understand through this session."

On May 23; 7.30 pm
At Kitaabghar Reading Room and Bookstore, Veera Desai Road, Andheri West.
Log on to @urdu_evenings
Call 9167600833
Entry Rs 100