On my first reading of Sahib-e-Karamat, I was particularly intrigued by the narrator’s description of Chaudhry Maujo as the person who often gave sermons and offered prayers for the demised on funerals. He is not our ideal religious character as clearly established by Manto and has no intellectual capability to deliver few words that would be appropriate for the situation. Still, the villagers choose him for this task and even praise him for the apparently commendable job.
I found this trait very synonymous to one of Oscar Wilde’s characters namely Reverend Chasuble from The Importance of Being Earnest. Chasuble used to adapt his one particular sermon for any occasion be it “harvest celebrations, christenings, confirmations, on days of humiliation and festal days.” In a particular scene in the play, he is asked to give a sermon for the supposed funeral of a character and he does not have a different set of words to offer for the occasion but only the single sermon he has learnt by heart.
These characteristics of Chaudhry Maujo and Reverend Chasuble both serve a similar purpose. They highlight the hypocrisy within the religious institutions and how they are misused by common man. Neither of the characters is in a deserving position to offer prayers for the demised soul yet each does in it in their own way. The function of this act is obviously laughter for the reader or audience at the sheer absurdity of the situation but more importantly to think about these superficial roles taken up by characters and whether they are even worthy to fulfil them.
I found this trait very synonymous to one of Oscar Wilde’s characters namely Reverend Chasuble from The Importance of Being Earnest. Chasuble used to adapt his one particular sermon for any occasion be it “harvest celebrations, christenings, confirmations, on days of humiliation and festal days.” In a particular scene in the play, he is asked to give a sermon for the supposed funeral of a character and he does not have a different set of words to offer for the occasion but only the single sermon he has learnt by heart.
These characteristics of Chaudhry Maujo and Reverend Chasuble both serve a similar purpose. They highlight the hypocrisy within the religious institutions and how they are misused by common man. Neither of the characters is in a deserving position to offer prayers for the demised soul yet each does in it in their own way. The function of this act is obviously laughter for the reader or audience at the sheer absurdity of the situation but more importantly to think about these superficial roles taken up by characters and whether they are even worthy to fulfil them.
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