''Mojo Chaudhary''

As a critical reader, there are many profundities we can derive from Manto's ''Sahib-e-Karamat''. However, the very first thing that hit me about the short story was indeed the name of the patriarch, Mojo Chaudhary. I hesitated the very first time I read it - it seemed to me that I wasn't quite reading it right. The sternness of the respected name ''Chaudhary'' seemed completely incongruous next to the comical ''Mojo''. Why would Manto name his character such? As the plot unfolds itself and reaches a somber conclusion one reason that comes immediately to mind is that the name itself was one device employed by Manto to subtly parody his own character. At the end of the afsanah, the reader may laugh at the fate that befalls the character because it is just so absurd. Of course this laughter is more of a nervous laughter rather than anything else - much like the genre of black comedy, we laugh because we presented with an uncomfortable position and there is no other option for us but to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Or we may choose to delve deeper into the somewhat dark and serious message that Manto is presenting to us beneath the humour. In any case, I believe the name "Mojo Chaudhary'' sums up the two approaches rather well - this is a character that is meant to be laughed at, while at the same time conveying a rather serious and less-than-pleasant notion of human nature and societal values.