PAIN BEYOND BEING: RELOCATING TRAUMA, VIOLENCE AND MADNESS IN SAADAT HASAN MANTO’S SELECT NARRATIVES

Saadat Hasan Manto, a controversial figure of the Partition era, remains renowned for his penetrating portrayal of the traumatic narratives surrounding India’s partition. A prominent figure in Urdu literature, Manto has left an unerasable mark with his penetrating portrayal of trauma and violence in the backdrop of the Partition of 1947. This research paper delves into Manto’s iconic short stories – Toba Tek Singh (1955), Khol Do (1948), and The Dog of Titwal (1987) – to diagnose the multifaceted dimensions of pain, trauma, madness, and violence depicted in these short stories. The endeavor is an attempt to understand how trauma and violence were not limited to one particular being, rather it affected the lives of almost all beings (Man, woman, and animal). Toba Tek Singh, the Madman; Sakina, the raped woman and the dog of Titwal established the argument that the partition was not limited to a particular being. Through a deep analysis of narrative techniques, thematic explorations, and socio-political contexts, this paper further aims to unveil the deeper implications of trauma and violence in his works and revisit or relocate Manto’s partition narrative.