| Thanda Gosht | |
| Author: | Saadat Hasan Manto |
| Language: | Urdu |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Published In: | 1950 |
| Media Type: | Short story |
Thanda Gosht (Urdu: {{nq|ٹھنڈا گوشت ALA-LC: in Urdu pronounced as /ʈʰənɖɑː ɡoːʃt̪/, English: Cold Flesh) is a short story written by Saadat Hasan Manto.[1] The book was first published in a literary magazine in March 1950 in Pakistan. Later it was published by Sang-e-Meel Publications. Manto was charged with obscenity for this story and faced a trial in criminal court.
The story is about the communal violence of 1947.[2] 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 the 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".[3]
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".[4] 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.[5]
