NATIONALISM AND MADNESS: A STUDY OF SAADAT HASAN MANTO’S SHORT STORIES “TOBA TEK SINGH, “THANDA GOSHT” AND “KHOL DO”

Abstract

One of the most important events in Indian history, the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, witnessed intense nationalistic passion. People were suddenly absorbed by ideas of national pride, national solidarity, and national honor, all of which were rooted in the Partition of India and Pakistan. This paper aims to study the very thin line that distinguishes the idea of nationalism from madness. It examines Saadat Hasan Manto’s short stories “Toba Tek Singh,” “Thanda Gosht,” and “Khol Do” through qualitative textual analysis, highlighting characterization, narrative structure, and language. It examines the schizophrenic identities assimilated and adorned by people during the partition and analyzes how individuals behave under the influence of excessive patriotism. The metaphor of “madness” in alliance with nationalism is examined in this study. This paper intends not only to highlight nationalism but also explains the performativity of madness that Saadat Hasan Manto so wisely and effectively employs in his three short stories. In the end, madness remains only the rhetoric of nationalism.