"True love stories never have endings." India is filled with love stories of all kinds. One such love affair between a Mughal princess and a high-ranking British officer comes from the streets of royalty, Hyderabad.

A Forbidden Love Affair From The Streets Of Hyderabad

राज कपूर की आवाज़ माने जाने मुकेश ने बॉलीवुड के लगभग हर बड़े कलाकार के लिए अपनी आवाज़ दी। उनके गाने सही मायने में एवरग्रीन है क्यूंकि उनके गीत आज उस पीढ़ी में भी पॉपुलर है जिसने कभी उन्हें देखा नहीं। इससे बड़ी उपलब्धि क्या ही है किसी कलाकार के लिए।

इक दिन बिक जाएगा माटी के मोल जग में रह जाएंगे प्यारे तेरे बोल

Father of Indian Renaissance, abolisher of sati, creator of the modern neo-Hinduism, these are only some of the prefixes and suffixes that are tagged along with Raja Ram Mohan Roy's name.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Champion of Social Reforms

From providing safety to over a million people and appearing as the first responder in every emergency situation, this division of police force takes every call of duty quite seriously. Besides this, it all began with the establishment of a paramilitary force on this day, that made freedom possible.

The Uniform Of Bravery

Self-Injury Awareness Day is a day to remember those who have been affected by self-injury, raise awareness about the issue, and educate ourselves and others about the ways to help those who inflict injury onto themselves. This day is an opportunity to break the silence and start a conversation about self-injury, support those who are suffering, and fight against it.


 Breaking the silence and starting the conversation: Together we can make a difference.

 Self-Injury Awareness Day

After Independence, the merger of the princely states left several monarchs disheartened, for they had to give up their titles. Even the last queen to have ruled Gwalior was compromised at the peak of the state turmoil, yet she persevered and led her dynastic role with glory.

Ek Rani Aisi Bhi...

Situated at a four-hour drive from the North of Agartala, Unakoti could be found near the border of Bangladesh. Upon entering the lush greenery of Unakoti, one can find hills, rocks, and cliffs carved with faces of various Hindu deities. Though no one has actually counted the number of sculptures, the name itself gives us an idea. Unakoti means one less than a crore.

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The backbone of the helicopter fleet

Jana Gana Mana is adopted officially as the National Anthem of India, today in 1950. 

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One day, an impatient knock on the door alerted Safia to someone's arrival. She left her work aside and rushed to the door, only to be greeted by a familiar yet tiresome sight. Once again, a team of police officers were standing at her doorstep, looking for her husband, Manto. Despite Safia's rational response that Manto was not at home, the officers refused to listen and were aggressive. 

Meanwhile, Manto was visiting Chaudhry Nazir Ahmadi's publishing house to work on a new story. He had hardly managed to pen two or three lines when Ahmadi's brother came in with the news that police officers had forcefully invaded Manto's apartment. 

The three men hurried to Manto's house. Despite the increasing crowd, Manto revealed himself, much to the embarrassment of the officers, who had wasted no time searching the writer's house. That was the beginning of the famous fifth trial, which Manto noted in great detail, inking all his emotions in the essay, “The Fifth Trial”. 

At this point, Manto had become familiar with the workings of the court. Previously, he had been charged with obscenity for Kali Salwar (Black Trouser), Dhuaan (Smoke), and Bu (Odour) in the pre-independence era. In the post-independence era of newly-formed Pakistan, Khol Do (Open It), Thanda Gosht (Cold Meat), Upar, Niche Aur Darmiyaan (Above, Below, and Middle) garnered a similar reaction. 

Manto's colonial society was judgemental and afraid of confronting social taboos, such as sexual desires. Dhuaan depicts the awakening of sexual urges in its adolescent male protagonist, Masud. Similarly, Kali Salwar drew public ire due to its female protagonist, Sultana, a prostitute by profession. Lastly, Bu exposed Randhir's numerous illicit affairs. The story later zoomed in on his most memorable night with a girl of lower caste, addressed as a Ghatan (tribal girl in Maharashtra). 

The trial of Bu was long and arduous. It is the same trial that dragged Ismat Chughtai (Manto's close confidant and contemporary) through the mud for Lihaaf (The Quilt). Both writers remained unapologetic for writing something that challenged British ideas of etiquette and morality. One particular incident stands true to this assertion. When challenged for using the word “breasts”, Manto sarcastically replied, “A woman's chest must be called breasts and not groundnuts.” 

The so-called indecency of these stories exposed the hidden desires of ordinary people, normalising the pursuit of sexual pleasure beyond gender hierarchies. 

Disillusioned by the misery of partition and having to leave his beloved Bombay, Manto created some of his best works. While his migration to Pakistan remains a mystery, it is no secret that his decision had a frustrating and lasting impact on his fellow Progressive writers. 
Despite setbacks, Manto's stories held up a true mirror, exposing his audience to the horrors and violence of partition. 

Toba Tek Singh depicts the madness of partition by showcasing the exchange of inmates of mental hospitals across the border. The protagonist, Bishan Singh, refuses to migrate to India, and the climax finds him in no man's land, breathing his last right between the two nations. 

Thanda Gosht captures the heinous crime of the protagonist Ishar Singh, who raped the corpse of a Muslim girl. Following a similar line of communal violence, Khol Do is narrated by Sirajuddin, who is searching for his daughter Sakina, from whom he got separated on their journey to Pakistan. By the time Sirajuddin finds his daughter, she has already been raped by several Hindu and Muslim men, the latter being her rescuers. 

Both stories were considered vulgar for their life-like portrayal of rape, especially inflicted on women to justify the subcontinent's twisted notion of purity and pride. 

By the time the trial for Upar, Niche Aur Darmiyaan rolled in, Manto's health and patience were thinning. The fifth trial took a heavy toll on him and he lost the unflinching will to continue writing despite what people thought of him. The muse in his soul felt restricted, and sinking into a deep depression, Manto tried to numb his pain with alcoholism, ultimately succumbing to liver cirrhosis in the end. 

Manto has anticipated this moment long before it happened and made sure to pen his own epitaph. It is both amusing and sentimental, reading: “Here lies Saadat Hasan Manto. With him lie buried all the arts and mysteries of short story writing... Under tons of earth, he lies, wondering who of the two is the greater short-story writer: God or he.” 

In a fresh attempt to understand Manto, we have reread and re-remembered his works, making us realise the relevance of his words that echo through the present. This may be the reason why both India and Pakistan consider Manto an ordinary man who left behind an extraordinary legacy. 


Exploring Manto: The Other Side of Obscenity. Image Credits- The wire

Exploring_Manto_99e38cda37.jpg

We often hear that the pen is mightier than the sword, and writers should use wield this weapon to mirror the truth of their society. Sadat Hasan Manto attempted to do just that, but was often misunderstood. Today, his words are like gold mined from the depths of the vast literary ocean.

Leha

Exploring Manto: The Other Side of Obscenity

Leha

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A Forbidden Love Affair From The Streets Of Hyderabad

इक दिन बिक जाएगा माटी के मोल जग में रह जाएंगे प्यारे तेरे बोल

Raja Ram Mohan Roy: Champion of Social Reforms

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