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Journalism of Courage
A visibly distraught Saadat Ali Hasan Manto is seated on a rickety chair. The lights dim and a conversation commences between Saadat Ali Hasan,a common man,and Manto,the writer the two alter egos of the late renowned Pakistani writer. As dialogue between the two proceeds,Hasan comments,If Saadat Hasan dies and Manto remains alive,then it will be like an empty egg shell.
The scene is from a 75-minute-long,one-act Urdu play,Ek Mulakat Manto Se,by theatre artiste Ashwath Bhatt. After its English adaptation,In Search of Manto,was performed at the Balad Theatre in Amman,Jordan,at the Hakaya Festival on September 15 and 16,the play will soon travel to the UK and France. The idea of the play,says Bhatt,is to clear misconceptions that surround Manto and his works. He wrote the truth,but never got his due during his lifetime, says Bhatt,who has been performing Mantos works on stage for the last 15 years.
The performance also explores the writers psyche,as to why he only chose to write stories about the tragedy of the Partition.
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