Toba Tek Singh: The Search for Home

Toba Tek Singh revolves around the concept of home.  The idea of home gradually becomes almost an obsession for Bishen Singh. This obsession takes hold immediately when the lunatics discover that they too will be divided based on their nationalities. The concept of nationality eludes the asylum, particularly Bishen Singh who is not concerned with whether he lives in Pakistan or Hindustan but is attached to the idea of home in Toba Tek Singh.  Home takes precedence over any partition concerns because home for him isn’t just where he’s from, it’s who he is; it’s his self definition. The western phrase, ‘home is where the heart is’ finds expression in this narrative.  Once his family stopped visiting he felt, “jaisay uskay dil ki awaz band hogai ho”.

 In light of this feeling, Manto elucidates that the narrative of Bishen Singh’s struggle to find where he belongs is analogous to the historical reality of partition. In my opinion, partition is a form of exile because without home you possess nothing that truly defines or legitimizes you. The irony of partition is that it started out as a movement to offer Muslims a separate homeland where they could be free in the true sense of the word. But instead, the movement stripped the migrants of the very thing the partition hoped to achieve. The objective of partition becomes futile with the realization that at the ground level migration was motivated by the perceived threat of being at the wrong side of the border rather than ideology. The ground reality of partition was pure madness. We associate home with a sense of stability, familiarity and comfort, and have a deep attachment to the surrounding areas. This liberty is stripped from both Bishen Singh and the forced migrants.

In the end, the ensuing injustice led Bishen Singh to his death in no man’s land. His end it symbolic because he refused to be part of the rigid orthodox structure called, the nation.

The chronicle of the lunatics cleverly juxtaposes Bishen Singh’s narrative with those of the displaced migrants. And in doing so Manto holds the nation responsible for stripping migrants of their solace.