Between Borders and Identity: Psychological Trauma
and Subaltern Voices in Toba Tek Singh
Debanjana
Banerjee,
Guest Lecturer
(UG & PG),
Narasinha Dutt
College,
University of
Calcutta,
West Bengal,
India.
Abstract: Saadat Hasan
Manto’s Toba Tek Singh offers a profound criticism of the psychological,
cultural, and political consequences of the Partition of India. This article
looks into how historical trauma, identity crisis, and subaltern
marginalisation intersect within the narrative. While previous scholarship has
primarily addressed the portrayal of madness and displacement in the story,
this article concentrates on how the intersection of dissociative amnesia,
aphasia, and subaltern marginalisation challenges usual understandings of
identity and nationhood. Through the character of Bishen Singh, who suffers
from dissociative amnesia and aphasia, Manto portrays the fragmentation of
personal identity alongside an enduring attachment to homeland. While Bishen
Singh forgets familial ties, his obsessive concern for the location of Toba Tek
Singh accentuates the deep-rooted connection between land and identity. His
incoherent speech mirrors the absurdity and irrationality of imposed political
boundaries. The lunatic asylum functions as a microcosm of post-Partition
disarray and a subaltern space where marginalised voices, though expressive,
remain unheard. Manto inverts the logic of sanity and madness, revealing the
so-called rational political order as inherently irrational. The death of
Bishen Singhin the no-man’s land between India and Pakistan becomes a powerful
symbol of resistance, displacement, and the failure of nation-states to
accommodate human realities. This article thus argues that besides exposing the
lasting psychological trauma and existential disruption caused by the
Partition, this story also comes up a scope for reconsidering the ways in which
marginalised voices challenge the authority.
Keywords: Partition trauma, identity crisis,
dissociative amnesia, subalternity, no-man’s land
Introduction
A stone may be
converted into a precious gem only after rigorous attrition. But the political
synergy of two different nations only brings trauma if there be a queer
negotiation for the exchange of lunatics. Seemingly, Toba Tek Singh is a
fiction but has a strong connection with the apparently amicable settlement
between two newly formed countries. Thus, the sapling of the story gets its
sustenance from historical fact and gradually becomes a full-grown tree whose
leafy foliage does not provide cooling shade to the reader but rather makes the
reader’s mind fully crowded with multiple hostile questions of insecurity.
These questions create deep dark trauma not only for the characters of the
story but also for the peace-loving innocent citizens of any country. Nobody
knows who has got Toba Tek Singh – Indiaor Pakistan. As a result, Toba Tek
Singh is being searched only by confusing speculations. The vague location of
land has acted upon the identity crises associated with the native land as well
as with the personal identity of the individuals – “…if Sialkot, which had once
been in India, was now in Pakistan, who could say whether Lahore, which was in
Pakistan, would not tomorrow be in India? Or that all of India would become
Pakistan? And who could say with any conviction that one day both Pakistan and
India would not be wiped off the face of the earth?” This scarcely qualifies as
historical trauma, which is a long-term mass trauma that is frequently passed
down from one generation to the next and is mostly brought on by the loss of
native land, which causes identity crises. Generations of the affected
population suffer from this collective trauma, which has an impact on their
mental and physical well-being. However, Toba Tek Singh illustrates how borders
traumatize people who are already psychologically unstable. The Lahore asylum's
inmates are a striking reflection of trauma. This personal agony can be
explained by the fact that although the land's location is not lost, its
identity is unknown to its occupants.
Dissociative
Amnesia of Bishen Singh
Manto’s short
story Toba Tek Singh presents a powerful exploration of identity, memory, and
the psychological trauma caused by the Partition of India. One of the most
striking aspects of the story is the mental condition of Bishen Singh, the
protagonist, who appears to suffer from a form of dissociative amnesia. While
he forgets almost everything about his personal life, including his own
daughter – Roop Kaur, he remains engrossed with the memory of his village, Toba
Tek Singh. This selective memory highlights the deep emotional and
psychological connection between identity and homeland.
Dissociative
amnesia is a condition in which a person fails to recall important personal
information, often due to trauma or stress. In the case of Bishen Singh, the
violence and turmoil of Partition act as the traumatic trigger. He loses touch
with his immediate relationships and personal history, which is evident when he
fails to recognize his daughter although she pays regular visits to him. This
reflects the fragmentation of personal identity that many individuals
experienced during Partition, as families were torn apart and lives were
disrupted.
However, Bishen
Singh’s inability to forget Toba Tek Singh stands in sharp contrast to his loss
of personal memory. He repeatedly asks whether his village lies in India or
Pakistan, demonstrating an obsessive attachment to the place – “Whenever the
subject of India and Pakistan was raised, Bishen Singh would start asking the
other lunatics where Toba Tek Singh was. When he didn’t receive a satisfactory
answer, his inquiries became more urgent.” This suggests that while his
personal identity has deteriorated, his geographical and cultural identity
remains intact. The village becomes a symbol of stability and belonging in a
world that has now become chaotic and incomprehensible.
Manto uses
Bishen Singh’s condition to comment on the absurdity of political borders and
the human cost of Partition. The fact that a man who cannot remember his own
daughter still remembers his village shows how deeply rooted one’s love for
one's motherland can be. It also reflects the collective trauma of displaced
people, for whom homeland becomes the last anchor of identity when everything
else is lost.
Bishen Singh’s
dissociative amnesia is not merely a medical condition but a symbolic
representation of the psychological impact of Partition. His selective
memoryreveals the power of the homeland in shaping identity – forgettingpersonal
ties while clinging to his village. Through this character, Manto effectively
portrays the confusion, loss, and emotional devastation experienced by millions
during the traumatising event of Partition.
Bishen
Singh’s Aphasia Mirroring the Meaninglessness of Partition
The words of
negotiation to exchange the lunatics stand clear on the agreement paper but
create doubtful clouds for the affected asylum inmates. Bishen Singh speaks but
is never understood by anybody.
The partition of
India in 1947 is one of the most traumatic and chaotic events in history. It
not only divided land but also fractured identities, relationships, and the
psychological stability of millions. Toba Tek Singh captures the absurdity and
brutality of this event through the experiences of inmates in a mental asylum.
Among them, Bishen Singh emerges as a central figure whose aphasia—or
disrupted, nonsensical speech—becomes a powerful symbol of the meaninglessness
of Partition and the confusion surrounding political realities.
Bishen Singh’s
aphasia is one of the most striking elements of the story. His repeated
utterance, “Opadh di gudhgudh di annexe di bedhayana di mung di dal…”, appears
meaningless at first glance. However, these fragmented utterings reflect the
fractured reality of the Partition itself. As borders were arbitrarily drawn
between India and Pakistan, individuals were left confused, unable to
comprehend the logic behind such divisions. Bishen Singh’s speech mirrors this
chaos, suggesting the absurdity of political decisions imposed on ordinary
people.
Furthermore,
Bishen Singh’s obsession with determining whether his hometown, Toba Tek Singh,
lies in India or Pakistan highlights the arbitrary and often illogical nature
of political boundaries. The authorities themselves are unable to provide a
clear answer, exposing the lack of clarity in the political processes of
Partition. This uncertainty reinforces the idea that national identity, which
should offer a sense of belonging, instead becomes a source of confusion and
alienation. Bishen Singh’s aphasia, therefore, is not merely a personal
condition but a broader commentary on the failure of political systems to
provide clarity and stability.
The setting of
the mental asylum further intensifies this critique. Ironically, it is within
this space of supposed madness that the truth about Partition becomes most
evident. The inmates, including Bishen Singh, respond to the news of division
with reactions that, while seemingly irrational, reveal a deeper understanding
of its absurdity. In contrast, the so-called “sane” political leaders and
officials appear disconnected from the consequences of their decisions on
common man. Bishen Singh’s inability to articulate clear speech symbolizes the
failure of rational effort in explaining a completely irrational event.
Towards the end
of the story, Bishen Singh refuses to move to either side and ultimately dies
in the no-man’s land between India and Pakistan. It serves as a strong symbol
of resistance. His silent defiance and eventual death in the no man’s land
emphasize the futility of the partition. It suggests that for many individuals,
the imposed identities of nationhood were meaningless, as they could not erase
personal histories and emotional attachments to places. In this act, Bishen
Singh’s aphasia is transformed from fragmented speech into a powerful, wordless
statement against political absurdity.
Bishen Singh’s
aphasia in Toba Tek Singh is not simply a representation of mental illness but
a profound metaphor for the disorientation and meaninglessness brought about by
the Partition of India. Through his fragmented language and ultimate act of
defiance, Manto criticizes the arbitrary nature of political divisions and
exposes the failure of language and reason in defying such historical trauma.
The story remains a timeless reminder of the human cost of political decisions
and the enduring struggle to make sense of a divided world.
The
Asylum as a Subaltern Space
Through this
short story, Manto highlights the experiences of those excluded from the
political decision-making process. By setting the story within a lunatic
asylum, Manto constructs a symbolic subaltern space—a marginal, enclosed
environment where voices that are apparently silenced emerge with striking
clarity. Through the inversion of sanity and madness, a critique of the
nation-state, and the symbolic use of “no-man’s land,” the story reveals the
violence and absurdity of Partition while engaging deeply with subaltern
concerns.
The asylum in
Toba Tek Singh functions as a marginalized space inhabited by individuals who
represent the subaltern. These inmates are socially, politically, and
intellectually excluded from decision-making processes, yet they are directly
affected by the consequences of Partition. Like the subaltern groups discussed
in Subaltern Studies, they are spoken for by authorities but are never
genuinely heard. The asylum thus becomes a microcosm of the dominant power
structures silencing those at the margins.
Manto inverts
the conventional boundaries between sane and insane. The inmates, though
labelled “mad,” often express more logical and valid responses to Partition
than the so-called “sane” individuals outside the asylum. This inversion
exposes the irrationality underlying political decisions. Bishen Singh’s repeated,
seemingly nonsensical utterances convey both confusion and resistance. More
significantly, his refusal to accept either India or Pakistan symbolizes a
rejection of imposed national identities. Through this portrayal, Manto
challenges dominant narratives and highlights the suppressed truths expressed
by subaltern voices.
The asylum
serves as a microcosm of the broader socio-political chaos following Partition.
The political decision to exchange inmates between India and Pakistan reflects
the arbitrary drawing of borders. This process highlights the irrationality of
administrative logic, the violence that came along in the process of
nation-making, and the erasing of the individual identities. By presenting
these dynamics within the asylum, Manto critiques the mechanisms of power that
govern both political and social life.
The concept of
“no-man’s land” in the story represents the ultimate subaltern space. In the
final scene, Bishen Singh collapses and dies in the narrow land between India
and Pakistan—a space that belongs to neither nation. This intermediate space
symbolizes complete freedom from all structures of authority and identity. It
emphasizes the existential crisis and displacement experienced by those
affected by the Partition. Bishen Singh’s death in this space emphasizes the
human cost of political divisions and the failure of nations to accommodate
marginalized identities.
Although the
inmates in the asylum speak throughout the narrative, their voices are
dismissed as illogical or meaningless. This reflects a central idea in
subaltern theory, particularly articulated by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who
argues that the subaltern may speak but is not heard within dominant
frameworks. In Toba Tek Singh, speech without recognition becomes a powerful motif,
illustrating the limitations of hegemonic discourse in acknowledging
marginalized perspectives.
The lunatic
asylum in Toba Tek Singh is not merely a physical setting butserves as a
metaphorical subaltern site that highlights the violence, absurdity, and
exclusions of Partition. By setting the narrative within this marginalized
environment, Manto critiques the authority of nation-states and highlights the
marginalized voices that dominant histories often ignore. The story ultimately
challenges readers to reconsider the boundaries between sanity and madness,
inclusion and exclusion, and power and marginality.
Manto’s Toba Tek
Singh provides a compelling literary ground for applying subaltern theory as
articulated by Ranajit Guha and Partha Chatterjee. Both scholars, key figures
in the Subaltern Studies Collective, challenge elite-centered historical
narratives and instead emphasize the agency, consciousness, and marginalization
of subaltern groups—those positioned outside dominant structures of power.
In Toba Tek
Singh, the inmates of the asylum can be read as subaltern figures—displaced,
silenced, and erased from the dominant narratives of Partition. Ranajit Guha’s
project of recovering subaltern agency is reflected in the character of Bishan
Singh. Although deemed insane, his unwavering refusal to accept the arbitrary
division between India and Pakistan serves as a challenge to elite political
authority. His apparently nonsensical speech operates as a mode of subaltern
expression, resisting incorporation into the logic of nationalism. Bishan
Singh’s final act—collapsing in the no-man’s-land—signifies a rejection of
state-imposed identities, embodying what Guha might interpret as a fragment of
autonomous subaltern consciousness.
Partha
Chatterjee’s distinction between the “inner” and “outer” domains of nationalism
offers further insight into the story. The “outer domain,” governed by colonial
and postcolonial state structures, dictates borders and citizenship, while the
“inner domain” of identity—encompassing memory, belonging, and cultural
rootedness—remains unsettled for figures like Bishan Singh. His connection to
Toba Tek Singh is not political but profoundly personal, exposing the
inadequacy of nationalist discourse in accounting for lived experience.
Moreover, the
inmates’ confusion underscores the inability of elite narratives to resonate
with subaltern lives. Partition—whether celebrated or debated in official
histories—appears absurd and unintelligible within the confines of the asylum.
This reflects subaltern theory’s critique that dominant historiography often
effaces the lived realities of marginalized groups.
Toba Tek Singh
emerges as a subaltern text, portraying the violence of Partition not through
the actions of political leaders but through those written out of history, and
revealing the deeply fractured human consequences of nation-making.
Conclusion
Saadat Hasan
Manto’s Toba Tek Singh emerges as a powerful literary intervention that
transcends its immediate historical context to offer a timeless critique of
political violence, forced nationalism, and the fragility of human identity.
Through the figure of Bishen Singh, Manto intricately weaves together the
themes of dissociative amnesia, aphasia, and subaltern marginalization to
reveal the deep psychological scars inflicted by the Partition. Bishen Singh’s
selective memory underscores the enduring bond between land and identity, while
his fragmented speech exposes the inability of language and rational discourse
to comprehend the absurdity of imposed borders.
The Lahore
asylum, functioning as a subaltern microcosm, allows Manto to invert
conventional notions of sanity and insanity, thereby exposing the irrational
foundations of state-driven decisions. In this marginal space, those deemed
“mad” articulate truths that the “sane” political order fails to acknowledge,
highlighting the silencing of subaltern voices within dominant narratives. The
uncertainty surrounding the location of Toba Tek Singh further intensifies the
crisis of belonging, transforming geography into a site of existential anxiety.
Ultimately,
Bishen Singh’s death in the no-man’s land stands as a profound symbol of
resistance and displacement. It signifies not only the impossibility of
reconciling rigid national identities with lived human experiences but also the
tragic failure of nation-states to accommodate the emotional and cultural
realities of their people. Manto’s narrative thus compels readers to confront
the enduring legacy of Partition as a source of collective trauma and
unresolved identity. By foregrounding the voices from the margins, Toba Tek
Singh remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of political divisions and
the persistent search for belonging in a fractured world.
Works Cited
Manto,
Saadat Hasan. Toba Tek Singh.
Translated by Aatish Taseer, Penguin Books, 2020.
Spivak,
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and Lawrence Grossberg, University of Illinois Press, 1988, pp. 271–313.
Guha,
Ranajit, editor. Subaltern Studies I:
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Chatterjee,
Partha. The Nation and Its Fragments:
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Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and
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Neil R., and Melissa A. Birkett.
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