Fourth Letter to Uncle Sam

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Haan Bhai, to me this letter does not make any sense at all. What is so great about it?

hamzaad,

ana knows what kaka is up to, and ana will respond but just this once. . promises promises. furthermore, ana really doesn`t really appreciate the word ``karanTay`` at all. . . nor does ana need to resuscitate urdu from the clutches of mullahs. . . perhaps kaka and friends (?) who discuss kaun musalmaan hai aur kaun nahiN can resuscitate (such a big farangi word from kaka) arabic from their clutches instead?!

as for ana`s kind, she most respectfully submits that urdu is her language, it is not for her what the goras would refer to as some ``exotic`` art, and frankly this nonsense about excluding ``karanTas`` in pakistan from things they have ``owned`` for generations like language and nationality is getting very very very old. ana hopes that kaka will own up to his intelligence and move forward and beyond. and she hopes that kaka and his apne will have a splendid weekend. as for imitating kaka`s style, is imitation not the highest form of flattery?!? :)

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Thank you Mr.Hasan , again.Manto was wacked out.I read between the lines his anguish at ending up in Pakistan.Enjoyable reading again.

actually, some of the ``illiterates`` from pakistan can read urdu. and if you are so concerned about the illiterates, and their salvation, perhaps you can teach them how to read. on second thought, it would be nice if they read with an open mind.

an english-medium education does not always mean disassociation from our language. it is time you stopped being a slave to your mullah masters, and tried to understand that.

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i could not help but note that this letter was written almost exactly a decade before i was born. i enjoyed reading this letter, and reading about aiding against the threat of communism, among other things i had to go back and check again to see when this letter was written. it still very much speaks to more contemporary times.

his comments on APWA were funny. living in lahore twenty years after this letter was written, one could still see bare midriffs, and sleeveless blouses for saris in particular, and yes for women over the age of forty. i lived in lahore long enough to see fashion changing within the same decade, and not just fashions changing, but people charging at you for dressing ``skimpily`` or not wearing a dupatta when that wasn`t so much the case in public, and in broad daylight before.

Enjoyed this. Gives a good idea how the societal mores have changed in Pakistan.

What a man Manto was!!!!

As usual, this cracks you up!

Thanks again,Mr.Hasan.
It will be interesting to know what was the reaction of people from various backgrounds,when these letters were first published as it seems Manto had increased the circle of his critics and enemies.
Publishing these letters now in print media may not be bad idea because these have not lost meaning or relevance in the present context.