KC Shankar during a previous performance and Manto

Art has met the future that its enemies have long wanted. It is dead. Also, praise the Lord for that because everybody around you is doing so. This dystopian world is of Manto’s essay Allah ka Bada Fazl Hai, in which he reflects on the society around him after Partition. This essay and its world is the glue that binds together Kal Aaj Aur Kal, a storytelling event organised by Jashn-E-Qalam, where four artistes — KCâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Shankar, Rajesh Kumar, Ajit Mehta and Sashwita Sarma — will perform three stories by Kamleshwar (Apne Desh Ke Log), Harishankar Parsai (Itihas ka Sabsa Bada Jua) and Bhisham Sahni (Leela Nandlal Ki), and Manto’s essay, on stage.