Daring writer

Born on May 11, 1912 in Samrala in Punjab, Saadat Hasan Manto was one of the best Urdu short story writers. This daring writer was famous for his stories of Partition. ‘Toba Tek Singh’ and ‘Mera Sahib’ proved to be his magnum opus. Mera Sahib is undoubtedly the finest tribute to Quaid-e-Azam. Manto mostly wrote on socio-economic injustice. His tone, sharp and acerbic, was a narrative of issues faced by the people of the Subcontinent. His shorty sotry ‘Meethy Aam’ describes the bitter reality of how low paid employees try their level best to please their bosses and how their services go unnoticed by bureaucrats. His life was cut short because of his addiction to alcohol.

In January 1955, Manto bid adieu to the world. His work, however, earned him great respect in the years to come. To commemorate the brilliant writer of his time, on January 18, 2005 a postage stamp was issued on the fiftieth anniversary of his death. Similarly, on August 14, 2012, the posthumous Nishan-e- Imtiaz was given to Saadat Hasan Manto for his work.

Iftikhar Mirza

Islamabad