black milk

Saadat Hassan Manto (1912__1954) was born in Sambrala (now part of eastern Punjab) on May 11, 1912. He himself gave birth to ‘Manto’ as he neared the end of his school days. The first page of the book contains the following lines titled as
“In memory of a conversation”:

“The milk of human kindness…if

you’ll forgive the cliche… flow on

the chest of every Manto character…”

“Its color will have to be black if society

is to accept that verdict…”

Manto is known for writing untold truths, hidden and dark stories of humanity augmented with pessimism, reality, and a dark side of life, depicting socio-political and historical events alongside the shadows of racial and gender discrimination, injustice, violence and everything one could feel. . He gives voice to all those repressed emotions and feelings that everyone wants to express but do not know the channel through which to express themselves, that is why his words coincide with the thoughts of all people regardless of their social status, language and culture. Most of his stories involve stream of consciousness, he discovers everything that goes through the mind of every human being.

He had a strong conviction about his storytelling art, as his own epitaph contains lines:
“Here lies Saadat Hassan Manto along with his art of story writing… even now under tons of dirt he wonders who is more of a story writer… him or God.

Most of his short stories have been written in the context of the partition between India and Pakistan, they cover numerous socio-political themes in such a subtle and concise manner that no one can gauge his mastery of weaving words into a tapestry.

“Sakina” is the story that reveals the grim picture of the Indo-Pak (1947) score, along with the shattered dramas and expectations associated with the new land of the free. This story reveals how an elderly father’s trust is broken by his own companions, whom he considered his saviors and confidants. In the first lines we are told that the special train carrying the refugees from Amritsar has arrived after eight hours in Mughalpura, beyond the new international border, the first paragraph shows the scene of people looted, injured and brutally murdered during the riots.

An old man, Sirajuddin, wakes up to find himself lying on the cold, damp ground of the refugee camp. All around him, he sees a churning sea of ​​humanity, men, women, and children. He wants to think and remember but the memory of him fades away. Images begin to form on the screen in his mind: riots, looting, fires, races, the train station, gunshots, the dark night and… and Sakina. Immediately, sirajuddin jumps to his feet and like a madman rushes towards the masses of people around him.

Dejected over his missing daughter, he searches for someone to bring her back. After a few days he comes across a group of young men who have weapons and a truck. Having obtained Sakina’s description, he promises to track her down and bring her back.

But after locating Sakina, they prove otherwise, instead of handing her over to Sirajuddin, they ruthlessly use her and then dump her near the train tracks, where she is found unconscious. When she is taken to the refugee camp hospital, Sirajuddin recognizes her by the black mole on her pale, lifeless cheeks and joyfully says “Sakina… Sakina”. But quite shocking to the readers, when the doctor examines the girl’s pulse, he looks at Sirajuddin and nods to the window “Open it,” he says, the girl on the stretcher, that is, Sakina moves, her hands move They move slowly and he opens the knot of his shalwar and pushes the garment down his thighs…
Old Sirajuddin’s face lights up with joy, “She is alive…” he shouts, “My daughter is alive…”
The doctor begins to drip with sweat.

The plight of defenseless people migrating from one country to another is conveyed through a hair-raising event that leaves a lasting grim impact on readers. How human beings turn into wild animals during any chaotic situation, when things fall apart and the center cannot stand. One shudders deeply looking through the glass that opens to the time when a bloodstained line was drawn between two civilizations and religions at the cost of various lives, sanctities and honors. When so many parents lost their daughters and got only their incarnations, devoid of souls.

The use of the word “open it” implies symbolism and leads to many connotations and interpretations. Previously, this story was titled “Khol Do” while it was written in Urdu version, but when it was translated, its title was changed to “Sakina”. This story is an index of how the social fabric is destroyed when anarchy and disorder prevail in society. History reveals that the aftermath of any war gives birth to lost generations, who lead aimless lives and are subject to agonies, immorality, dissatisfaction and anxiety.

This brief history reflects the sociopolitical and geographical condition of the people who migrated at the time of partition, the religious and cultural differences that became the root cause of two separate kingdoms. The naive and simple attitude of the people, their blind trust in others, expectations and dreams about the new liberated land, their capacity for sacrifice and suffering. Then their exploitation and manipulation at the hands of the authorities and people around them.

Title: BLACK MILK (an anthology of short stories)
Author: SAADAT HASSAN MANTO
Translated from Urdu by: HAMID JALAL
Genre: PROSE
Publisher: Sang_e_Meel Publications 1996
Pages: 187
English language
Story Title: SAKINA