Samrala (Ludhiana): In Papraudi, the legacy of Saadat Hasan Manto remains a fierce point of local pride, as villagers battle dwindling reading habits and a lack of state support to preserve a library dedicated to the iconic writer of Partition-based short stories.While historians debate his exact birthplace, Papraudi’s inhabitants claim the Urdu master as their own. The village library, funded by former Union minister Manohar Singh Gill and built on communal land, serves as the physical heart of this association.Former sarpanch Manjeet Singh said the panchayat had funded recent upgrades, including solar power, tiling, and fresh paint. Despite these local efforts, the library faces significant hurdles. Village official Ranjit Singh, who oversees the facility, said: “The building cannot remain open for extended hours due to a lack of permanent staff.”“We receive visitors from as far as Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, but a general decline in reading habits has thinned the crowds,” Ranjit Singh said. He said the library housed 1,000-odd volumes, including Manto’s works.The younger generation, including villager Navjot Singh, views Manto as a vital pillar of their heritage. However, elder residents like Kesar Singh, 82, cal for formal govt recognition. On the writer’s birth anniversary (May 11), the village demands a memorial gate, the renaming of the road to Saunspur in Manto’s honour, and state-funded staffing for the library.Local Traditions and State NeglectVillager Jaswinder Singh Dimple said: “The community celebrates Manto’s birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony. He requested the govt to organise literary festivals to cement the village’s link to the writer, noting that a Delhi-based institution stopped sending book shipments more than a year ago.A Legacy of ConnectionAdvocate Daljit Shahi, patron of the Samrala Lekhak Manch, emphasised that while the village maintained the site, the govt should sponsor annual seminars and plays. He recalled the writer’s 100th anniversary, when the literary group had hosted Manto’s daughters — Nuzhat, Nusrat, and Nighat — for a historic visit to the village. MSID:: 130992687 413 |
