The aim of this essay is to present you with a possible explanation of the title of the short story ‘Toba Tek Sight’. Titles as well as meanings and thoughts put across by writers of any kind of writing piece always go under various interpretations since no one can ever be certain on what the writer, or any artist wants to say. Still readers, critics and the literary community on a whole seem to reach common conclusions on some of the writers’ intentions.
This short story, on which this essay is, was written and published in 1955 by Saadat Hasan Manto. It is a story which is set in the time and geographical area of the historical event of the Partition of 1947. This is the partition which led to the partition and independence of India and the state of Pakistan.
Within this partition the decision of exchanging some people who were inmates in an asylum in Lanhore was made. One of these asylum prisoners was the main character of the story Bishan Singh who as readers learn throughout the reading of the story was from the town of Toba Tek Singh.
This is a town in Pakistan so when the man finds out about the real geographical location of his town he refuses to follow the others and reach the end of his trip which will lead him to find himself in India.
So the ending of the story finds Bishan Singh - who at some points during the story is called Toba Tek Singh – to lie down on the earth because ‘in between on that piece of ground that had no name, lay Toba Tek Singh’. (Manto, ‘Toba Tek Singh, p.3).
Toba Tek Singh therefore is a name depicting the place which is a specific place of Pakistan holding its own unique historical significance and the main person of the story.
It seems that this name is used a title by the author on purpose in order to emphasize on the irony lying behind the political action of partition. This kind of partition appears to be treated in such a way that the prisoners of the asylum who are actually considered to be lunatics, seem to be better orientated as far as their destination is concerned compared to the ones leading the trip.
The main character, Bishan Singh, seems to be totally aware of where he wants to go. But the ones leading them to their destination seem to be disorientated and have lost their track since they seem to be taking their prisoners on a trip which seems endless. This is the first level of the irony lying in this short story of the Partition. The second level of the irony lies in the ending of the story when ‘Toba Tek Singh’ is described as the place in the middle of nowhere.
Taking into consideration that Toba Tek Singh is a place in Pakistan of historical significance since Toba is a word meaning ‘Pond’ in the language of Punjabi and it is a pond located in Punjab, a province of Pakistan, the second level of irony is easily seen. According to the tradition there was a religious figure in Pakistan, Tek Singh, who gave travelers water from the pond so that they could go on with their trip.
So what really happens is that the main character of the story, Bishan, dies in the middle of nowhere. He dies in a place which is nowhere, exactly because he has been tired to death to try and find a place to which he is really supposed to belong. This is the greatest irony lying in the story. He wants to die in a place upon which he decides how to call it. He rejects all principles and authorities who seem to have mixed up so much their minds as a result of the partition which is supposed to be organized in such a way that the identity of nations is preserved.
It appears that the writer wants to emphasize on the need of people to belong somewhere no matter where it is located without having to go through pain, loss and agony.
Works Cited
Manto Saadat Hasan : ‘Toba Tek Singh’, "Phundne" (Lahore: Maktabah-e Jadid) 1955
