A SON manages to finish off what had been left unfinished by his father. Such is an old proverb in Persian. But in our modern times, so often daughters and wives have been seen playing the same kind of role in relation to their fathers and husbands. The world of politics offers a number of instances of this kind. But literature, too, may not be found lacking in such instances. In fact, I was reminded of this situation while going through the short stories of a newly-emerged female writer.
It is a bad habit to discuss a female writer with reference to her husband. A writer, male or female, stands or falls in accordance to his or her own merits or demerits. The name and fame of the father, in case of a son, and that of a husband, in case of a wife, cannot help him or her in becoming a better writer. And yet, in case of Tasneem Manto, I feel tempted to refer to Abid Hasan Manto, now a political figure heading a party.
He, in fact, had started as a writer. But there was a snag in it. The progressive writers’ movement held sway on him. And in case of a writer associated with this movement, there was always a danger lurking about him that his fervour for revolution may at any moment tempt him to say goodbye to literature and plunge headlong in active politics. But to be fair to Manto, even after his migration to the political world, he tried his best to remain in touch with the literary scene. At one time, he was seen almost regularly in Halqa-i-Arbab-i-Zauq, participating in its programmes.
During these visits to the Halqa, he was so often accompanied by his wife, who appeared to be a silent spectator to the scenes of heated discussions in those meetings. But, perhaps, it was during this period that she developed an interest in literature and nurtured a desire to write.
Perhaps it was because of his growing engagements in politics that Abid Hasan Manto gradually lost interest in literary activities and stopped coming to the Halqa. But in recent years, he was seen once again coming off and on to the Halqa meetings. But now he did not come on his own. He now came here as an escort to Tasneem Manto, who was invited to read her story in Halqa.
That is how the situation reversed with the passage of time in case of this esteemed intellectual pair. The man, who in his early period appeared deeply involved in literature, is now preoccupied with politics. The lady, who for long accompanied him as a silent spectator in literary gatherings and as an active worker in politics, has at last discovered her real self and come out as a short-story writer. She began writing in a regular way in 1995, and has now brought out her first collection of stories Zara Si Baat, published by Multi Media Affairs, Lahore. I could trace her involvement in literature to the times when she was seen accompanying her husband in the meetings of Halqa. But she, while tracing her literary origin, is seen recollecting the literary atmosphere she found herself in while still a child. She feels more indebted for her literary involvement to her eldest brother, the late Justice Ataullah Sajjad, who was deeply involved in literature.
This literary background remained dormant for about 30 years, when she was actively engaged in the politics of the left in the company of Abid Hasan Manto. But eventually this background, that had moulded her being, reasserted itself and she came out with the assertion of a writer.
Tasneem Manto has discovered herself as a short-story writer. But while reading her, I found her out more as a sketch writer than as a story writer. Her collection of stories includes only two sketches, along with 12 short stories. But these two sketches are enough to show her talent as a sketch writer. She possesses an ability to depict personalities and their environments with natural ease and spontaneity. Her way of describing people and things is so homely and genuine that we soon feel a growing familiarity with them. The man or woman she is trying to portray comes alive through her pen.
But this should not be taken to mean that her stories are insignificant. If Tasneem Manto has ultimately discovered herself as a short-story writer, there must be some basis for this.
Tasneem Manto, in her stories, seems more concerned with the situation of women in our society. Most of the females appearing in her stories are troubled souls. Though living in a family, they suffer from a sense of loneliness. Each of them carries with her some sort of a deep sorrow, that remains unexpressed most of the time. They are isolated beings living in a society that lacks in human feelings. The story writer portrays them with all the sympathy at her command. In their portrayals, we see the face of the society we are fated to live in.
Tasneem Manto writes feelingly, but her restraint saves her from the overflow of emotions. She talks in a soft way and tries to be economical. Her descriptions of lonely female souls carry with them an atmosphere of sadness.
A SON manages to finish off what had been left unfinished by his father. Such is an old proverb in Persian. But in our modern times, so often daughters and wives have been seen playing the same kind of role in relation to their fathers and husbands. The world of politics offers a number of instances of this kind. But literature, too, may not be found lacking in such instances. In fact, I was reminded of this situation while going through the short stories of a newly-emerged female writer.
