Thanda Gosht ( ur,

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: , English: ''Cold Meat'') is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

written by

Saadat Hasan Manto Saadat Hasan Manto (; Punjabi, ur, , ; 11 May 1912 – 18 January 1955) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan. Writing ma ...

. The book was first published in a literary magazine in March 1950 in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Later it was published by

Sang-e-Meel Publications Sang-e-Meel Publications is a Lahore-based publishing house that was established in 1962 in Pakistan. It has to its credit of being the foremost publisher of Urdu books after the partition of India in 1947. Apart from publishing numerous new titl ...

. Manto was charged with obscenity for this story and faced a trial in criminal court.

Storyline

The story is about the communal violence of 1947. Ishwar Singh, fails to make love to his mistress Kalwant. She suspects him of infidelity and in a fit of jealousy stabs him with his own dagger. While dying, Ishwar Singh admits his crime getting involved in riots which broke in his village killing a Muslim family with same dagger and abducting a Muslim girl after breaking in their house and attempting to rape her, who was actually dead. Hence the title "cold flesh".

Adaptations

'' Mantostaan'', a 2017 Indian film which adapted four short stories of Manto for the screen also included a segment based on "Thanda Ghosht". Other stories which were adapted included "Khol Do", "Assignment", and "Akhiri Salute". ''Manto'', a 2018 Indian biographical drama film about Saadat Hasan Manto's later life includes an adaptation of ''Thanda Gosht'' and the long-drawn court trials on obscenity which followed, their severe toll on his health and finances and his eventual conviction.

References

External links

Thanda Gosht
in English
Thanda Gosht ठंडा गोश्त
in Hindi
Thanda Gosht ٹھنڈا گوشت
in Urdu Pakistani short stories Pakistani fiction 1950 short stories Saadat Hasan Manto Sang-e-Meel Publications books Short stories adapted into films {{Pakistan-lit-stub