Toba Tek Singh

Name :: Kamran Shafiq

Roll No :: PS-21470

Course :: Ideology of Pakistan

Semester :: BS-7th

Submitted to :: Sir Anwar

Department Of Pakistan Studies

National University of Modern Languages
Islamabad, Pakistan
About the Author
Sadat Hasan Manto is among the writers, whose pen has produced works that were innovative
for their time and whose depth the world is still struggling to understand. He was born into a
respected family, his father, Ghulam Hasan, was a respected attorney and sessions judge. Manto
called his mother, Sardar Begum, as Bibijan. Manto has been cunning and sneaky since he was a
little boy. After failing twice, Manto succeeded on the admission test. His limited knowledge of
Urdu was one factor in his failure. Safia was the wife of Manto. Manto and safia has three children
around the same time, Manto founded a drama club with the help of three or four friends, with
plans to perform a play by Agha Hashr. This club barely lasted for 15 to 20 days due to an assault
by Manto's father who destroyed the harmonium and tabla and said he didn't like such
foolishness.

Manto's tales have received less attention in the previous ten years than those of storytellers
from other languages, including perhaps Urdu and Hindi. Manto was the only author after Anton
Chekhov to gain recognition for his tales. In his whole life, he never wrote a book.

Summary
The story is about Bishan Singh and some other lunatics who live in the Lahore Mental Asylum. The story
starts two or three years after the Partition. The Government of India and Pakistan decided to exchange
their lunatics from one country to other. Muslim lunatics from India would be sent to Pakistan and Hindus
and Sikhs from Pakistan would be sent to India. The lunatics were totally confused when they came to
know about the decision as they don’t know anything about Pakistan. They were unaware of where it was
situated and wanted to know whether they were in India or Pakistan. They wondered that if they were in
Pakistan how come a little while ago they were in India. One of the lunatics climbed up a tree and decided
to live there saying he would go to neither Pakistan nor India. Another lunatic whose name is Mohammad
Ali declared himself as Mohammad Ali Jinnah. A Sikh lunatic called himself as Master Tara Singh and
another young Hindu lawyer from Lahore did not wish to go to India.

Bishan Singh is one among the lunatics of Lahore Asylum; he is the protagonist of this story. He is a
harmless old man came to the asylum fifteen years ago when he went mad. Toba Tek Singh is his
hometown where he had some land and property. His family members came to visit him once a month,
but after the riots broke out they stopped coming. It is later through Fazal Din, a friend and neighbor of
Bishan Singh’s family we came to know that Bishan Singh’s family left for India and were safe there.

Finally, the day of exchange came and the lunatics were taken to the Wagha border. The exchange
procedure started after the formalities had been done by both sides but it proved to be a very difficult
task. The lunatics were out of control, they were screaming, laughing, crying, and running here and there
making the task all the more complex. After many lunatics Bishan Singh’s turn came for the exchange, he
asked one officer” where Toba Tek Singh was?” When he learns from the officer that his homeland is in
Pakistan he refused to budge. Many officers tried to move him but failed, so they left him for a little while
to attend others. After a few second all heard a sudden scream from Bishan Singh, who was lying flat face
forward on to the ground. And the piece of land where he fell was belonged to neither India nor Pakistan.
In this short story, Manto explores the themes of identity, separation, trauma, and
bewilderment in the exchange of them after partition.

Zia ul Haq came up with an ideology of Islamiazation for his own political purposes and created identity
crisis, human rights violation & marginalization in society using religion as a tool to do so. Identical
situation was seen at the time of Partition which can be related through following aspects:

Identity Crisis
"Toba Tek Singh" explores the theme of identity crisis among individuals caught between the newly
formed nations of India and Pakistan after partition. Similarly, during the Zia era, Pakistan grappled with
questions of national identity and ideology, particularly under Zia-ul-Haq's policy of Islamization. The story
reflects how the people were struggling to define their identity and same happened during Zia’s regime.

Unfair use of Power

"Toba Tek Singh" highlights how state power was executed at cost of human partition, in the same way
Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization policies for his authoritarian nature disregard human rights. Both narratives
highlight the negative consequences of unchecked state power on individuals and communities.

Weaponization of Religion
"Toba Tek Singh" refers how religion was weaponized for political purposes during partition, leading to
violence and division. Similarly, Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization policies instrumentalized religion as a tool for
consolidating power, suppressing dissent, and legitimizing authoritarian rule, further polarizing society
along religious lines

Marginalization and Discrimination

In "Toba Tek Singh," the inmates of the mental asylum, including Bishan Singh, are marginalized and
excluded from mainstream society. This theme of marginalization can be related to the experiences of
various marginalized groups in Pakistan during the Zia era, including religious minorities, women, and
political dissidents. The story's portrayal of the plight of marginalized individuals highlights the broader
issues of discrimination and exclusion that persisted during Zia-ul-Haq's regime.

Aftermath of Partition and Zia Islamiazation Program

If we look at the aftermyth of Partition & Islamiazation program, we would come to know that both
poltical decisions has only negative consequences. In this context, we can code the example of wars
whether it were between Pakistan and India or use of Pakistan to break Russia in Afghanistan by America.
If we talk about the ongoing negative consequences that are the birth of both these incidents, we can
regarded them identical, giving the reference of Kashmir Issue, Water Conflict, Sectarian violence and
war and weapon culture in Pakistan.

(The End)