Many writers have written on the moving theme of Partition but, “the most powerful were the writings of Saadat Hasan Manto in Urdu,” acknowledges Khushwant Singh, author of ‘Train to Pakistan.’ Manto’s short story ‘Toba Tek Singh’ is a masterpiece on the madness of Partition, but he can be even more precise. Below is his story I am choosing for today’s short blog, enjoy reading and here is an article where you can read more about him and his stories.
The Garland
The mob suddenly veered to the left, its wrath now directed at the statue of Sir Ganga Ram, the great philanthropist of Lahore. One man smeared the statue’s face with coal tar. Another strung together a garland of shoes and was about to place it around the great man’s neck when the police moved in, guns blazing. The man with the garland of shoes was shot, and taken to the nearby Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
parveentalpur 