For Manto, Mumbai’s (then Bombay) streetscape played an integral part in the richness of his stories; while translating his works, did you notice a gradual growth, or was it situation specific?
It’s an interesting phenomenon how setting and ambiance work in Manto. Certainly there is a sense that setting is important in these stories, and yet it isn’t really true that Manto gives great descriptions of places. Generally, they are quite fleeting.u00a0Instead of commending him for the depth of his descriptions, in these stories at least, he uses specific nouns (things or places) that in time have become symbolic of Bombay, and through these things an Iranian restaurant, the train, a cinema hall, a chawl he places the reader squarely in the city without having to give extended descriptions.