My Name Is Radha - Saadat Hasan Manto
”If you find my stories dirty, the society you are living in is dirty. With my stories, I only expose the truth,” said Manto.
Isn’t that a bitter truth that the person who tries to unfold the wrong practices done in the society is treated as the sinner or culprit in itself. I am sure you might have come across such people or you might yourself have faced the stern look of the society when you tried to expose the wrong doings.
In his literary, radio scripting, film writing, and journalistic career over two decades, Manto produced many scripts for films, one novel, twenty-two short story collections, five radio play collections, two collections of personal sketches, and three collections of essays. He faced court trials half a dozen times for six different stories we will know in this episode.
So, I read these stories from the book “My Name is Radha” (The Essential Manto), translated into English by Muhammad Umar Memon.
So let me start the stories highlighting women characters that you should not miss:
Janki
Janki, the short story centered around a woman named Janki. It depicts her journey from Peshawar to Pune, then Bombay, to find work in a film studio. While reading this story, readers would explore how men exploited her for their needs, both physical and emotional support, and her selfless act in caring for them in return for false promises. However, there is a scene where she appears fighting with tuberculosis, and a man, Narain, against her will, takes care of her and does not spare her until she gets better. But in the end he did that to satisfy his physical needs, targeting Janki's vulnerability.
Also, the story reflects the desperation people, specifically women, faced to fulfill their dreams in pre- and post-independent India. Even today, there are places where women employees are exploited and considered incompetent.
Mozel
Mozel is a peculiar tale about a Sikh man, Trilochan, who develops an infatuation with a Jewish woman, Mozel, but ends up finding another woman, Kripal Kaur, with whom he falls in love as his religious beliefs clash, and Mozel disappears without any clue.
In this story, readers will explore the complexities of love that rebel against societal and religious beliefs. Also, the background is set amidst communal riots in Bombay. While Trilochan was struggling to protect his love, Mozel appeared again, discovered his problem, and decided to help him get his love. Without a hint of fear, she prepared him and went to Kripal Kaur's house to rescue her. She exhibited braveness and decisiveness in the hour of trouble without worrying about her life.
Siraj
Siraj, the short story centered around a female character who depicted determination and fierceness. The story delves into the dynamic of the relationship between Siraj and pimp Dhondu, who helped her to teach a lesson to her ex-husband, who left her in the hotel after the marriage.
In this story, readers will explore themes like prostitution, poverty, hypocrisy, and exploitation — as well as the impacts on the lives of prostitutes. The author challenged societal norms and hypocrisy against women.
Sharda
Another thought-provoking tale by Manto in which he brings forth the uncomfortable truth and hypocrisy against societal norms and prostitution. In this story, the author portrays the fate of the woman Shakuntala who was forced into prostitution, though her sister rescued her from this vicious cycle.
In this story, Manto characterizes the role of the pimp and his attitude toward women. A word like "tame," shows the mentality of the men-dominated society at that time. Readers would also explore in depth the complexities of Sharda's yearning for love and internal conflict about betraying her wife.
Overall, Manto’s stories have always challenged societal norms and uncomfortable truths portraying the odds against women and human conditioning.
Buy it from Amazon - My Name is Radha
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