Why I Write

One of the greatest raconteurs of 20th century, Saadat Hasan Manto declares that he was forcedto write when his wife routinely demandedthat he put bread on the table for the family. He doesn't attribute any genius to his skills as awriter and convinces his readers that the storiestossed a salad. Equally, Manto treats his trystwith Bollywood with disdain and unmasks thecardboard lives of tinsel town when a horse ispainted to double up for a zebra or multiple fansrotate to create a deluge. Two of Manto's favouriteand recurring themes - women and Partition-bizarre morality in the context of femininebeauty and the futile presence of religiosity inthe creation of a nation he was to adopt later ingreatest writer, translated by well known authorand journalist, Aakar Patel showcases SaadatHasan Manto's brilliance while dealing with life'smost mundane things -- graveyards, bummingfrom mythology - and a sharp dissection of whatails the subcontinent even after 6 decades-Hindior Urdu, vile politicians and the hopelessness ofliving under the shadow of fear.