Saadat Hasan Manto and Kashmir

On Manto’s 71st death anniversary, the author revisits his Kashmiri roots and the bold literature that continues to challenge, provoke, and move readers.

- Arshid Mehraj

January 18 returns each year with a certain pull.

Some people walk to familiar vintage points in frontier hamlets, while readers in urban centres reach for thin paperbacks with creased pages.

Across these spaces, Saadat Hasan Manto lives in conversations and memories in Kashmir.

Though he passed away 71 years ago, on January 18, 1955, his words still bring scenes to life with fearless honesty that stays with the reader.

Manto's story begins far from the valley, but Kashmir sits at the center of his sense of self.

His family traced its roots to the region, part of a larger Kashmiri movement into Punjab during the nineteenth century. Some families left during the famine of 1833. Others moved earlier or later, seeking trade routes and livelihoods.

Manto grew up with these stories woven into daily life. Kashmir existed as inheritance, memory, and identity for him.

He embraced that identity openly, describing himself as a Kashmiri with pride and ease.

His writings carry references to Kashmiri culture, language, and food with natural familiarity. Even when distance shaped his life, the valley shaped his imagination.

He reached Banihal during his travels and saw towns like Kud, Batote, and Kishtwar. He observed beauty alongside hardship.

That partial journey sharpened his longing for the land his ancestors left behind.

This inherited bond shaped his view of Partition.

For Manto, 1947 unfolded as a human experience before it became a political chapter. He watched cities change, friendships fade, and loyalties shift under pressure.

Kashmir entered this moment early, drawn into a conflict that reshaped its future. Manto approached the region as a writer deeply attuned to human cost.

Teetwal Ka Kutta stands among his most iconic works on Kashmir.