Tech giant celebrates Pakistani writer’s birth anniversary with illustration by illustrator Shehzil Malik
Technology giant Google on Monday paid homage in its latest doodle to celebrated Pakistani writer, playwright and poet Saadat Hasan Manto on his 108th birth anniversary.
The prolific writer—who produced around 22 collections of short stories, a novel, five radio plays, three collections of essays and two collections of personal sketches in a span of 21 years—was primarily known for his stories on the Partition of Pakistan and India.
Born into a middle-class Muslim family in Ludhiana on May 11, 1912, he died at 42 in Lahore on Jan. 18, 1955. He is widely remembered for his no-holds-barred views on perennial social issues, from patriotism to prostitution and everything in between.
Sixty-five years after his death, Manto continues to attract reverence among South Asian audiences, and has become a fixture of popular culture. Last year, Manto, an Indian film loosely based on his life, drew praise at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier, in 2015, Manto, a Pakistani film based on the life of the author, also drew acclaim.
Manto has also been described as an inspiration by Pakistani actor Mahira Khan, and was commemorated with a postage stamp in Pakistan in 2005. In 2012, he was also posthumously awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, which is awarded for achievements toward world recognition for Pakistan or an outstanding service for the country.