NATIONALISM AND MADNESS: A STUDY OF SAADAT HASANMANTO’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.