Many years back when I was a child , I remember watching this film on DD late till midnight with my folks (after my parents' futile efforts to get me to bed!) . It had a funny name . Toba Tek Singh . Even today I can close my eyes and remember how beautifully that story was enacted in that short teli-film .
Ofcourse with time , age and maturity did I learn more about Toba Tek Singh . It is a short story written by one of the leading Urdu short-story writer of the twentieth century-Sadat Hasan Manto. He was born in the Ludhiana district of Punjab. He later worked for All India Radio during World War II and was a successful screenwriter in Bombay before moving to Pakistan at Partition.
I loved the way Manto describes the 'sane' world through the eyes of the madmen in the asylum whereas in reality sanity was alive in the asylum while the rest of the country was going berserk in forming their own identities through lines and borders ; through murders and rapes . I loved it back then and continue to do.
Toba Tek Singh is represented as throwing himself on the border between India and Pakistan.Thus it seems, Manto offers a resolution of the paradox that he set out at the beginning of his story through the suggestion that," in this time of 'madness', it is only the 'insane' who retain any sanity."
It's a story which highlights the fact that people who would be most affected due to partitions like the one we had in the subcontinent have the least say in the process that leads to them losing lives, livelihood and self-respect. It underscores the senseless violence that always accompanies the trauma called partition.
Madness or lunacy is a relative term . We all live in our illusionary worlds to some extent. Some can distinguish between the real world and the illusionary world whereas some cannot . We all yearn to live life in all its colours-some of it is reality and the rest stays with us within the confines of our minds , our hearts only to be taken with us to the grave .And then there are some who simply live in their imaginary worlds which may seem crazy to us but for them it is their reality-something they derive happiness and sadness from .
Ofcourse I am fully aware of the medical reasons behind this disease ; yet on a different plane alltogether and if I may say so by own learnings ...this is what I have begun to feel from my heart.
Experience does teach you a lot .It changes you,you grow with it,you learn...you move on with all of it coz the journey is long and hopefully a joyous one too. You live...you learn . Gain some ; lose some -that's the beauty of it all.
"yeh hai meri kahani...khamosh zindagani
sannata keh raha hai kyun zulm seh raha hai .
ek dastaan purani tanhayi ki zubani
her zakham khil raha hai...kuch mujh se keh raha hai
chubtay kantay yadoon ke daaman say chunta hoon
girti deewaron ke aanchal mai zinda hoon"
As usual whenever I set out to writing something...a flood of thoughts start pouring - happy, sad, nostalgic, nightmares,etc., etc...Its a haphazard stream at times with no connection with each other.. But according to the status quo, the insuperable nostalgic ones are on the forefront..Well, again narrowing down , I have 'n' number of memories ... will refresh all of them one by one....(Coming Soon)
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6 comments:
Hey , Very touchy as well as shows the depth of ur emotions, thought and character . I have no words to say . Truly amazing .You are the Best girl on earth. Great combination of heart and mind . I really salute again.
"Madness or lunacy is a relative term . We all live in our illusionary worlds to some extent"
well, i totally agree with the phrase.
To add further, emotional expressions are relative too.
anger, emotion, hatred can all be considered relative quite safely.
But still we tend to judge on our own barometers of normality.
Anyway something with no end.
As i was here to post a comment, so am i to do.
In al your writings, there is sone phrase or other that is worth remembering, rather inspiring.
So keep writing and expressing yourself.
This too was another good one from your court.
Good work keep it up.
The Silent Warriors of The Dark Nights.
Ignorance is Bliss - well, sometimes..
Am bored..just don't want to get into any analysis and comment making just for the heck of it.
Will leave it at that : Toba Tek's don't need people to notice them, remember them. And those who do -
do it at a convenience.. story writing and story telling commercialized and personalized.. Blot.
Worthy note though.
@godspeed...
Vivek,
Not too sure what you meant over here ...just in case you intended to say that people like Sadat Hasan Manto are a blot..then I'd just giggle ...might even burst into a laughter...
Ok question-How much of Manto's writings have you read? How much of that pain,suffering ,sense of belonging have you felt ? I'd say not even half of it...it's like you hear some teenagers think and say that they need to be away from their homes to miss it...what I am trying to say here is that at times you don't realize the importance of a certain thing until you stand a chance of losing it...
And here it was about your land,your country,your village..your kasbah..your home..your friends.
It hurts to see you have such a fixed notion about people,writings and worldviews.I feel bad,sorry whenever you talk like that...
Always wondered who we are to judge what people write and what they write...especially those writings that were written half a century ago...it's allright to have an opinion...but to judge (that too ...with so much conviction to say that it is a Blot)what made them write what they did..you need to have lived through what they did...
Writers such as Manto,Ismat Chughtai..are not those who stayed within the confines of their homes ,watched and commented like many of us do...they took a stand.They WROTE for people like us to read inspite of knowing the consequences they still wrote...
What do you say about Ismat Chughtai who wrote about homosexuality seen through her eyes in those days and was ortracised,termed an outcaste ,got thrown out of her home,her society?
I say kudos to such brave men and women...who have the courage to face the truth and fearlessly speak/write about it too .
Blot.
This time for the interpretations that you choose to make.
Must admit, makes good, moving reading when you , or anyone , essays so passionately. Calm down.:-)
"All men are same. All men have equal brains." Give this a thought.
The way you expressed things bhabhi is awesome. I really like it.
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