Saadat Hasan Manto is considered as one of the best short story writers in South Asia. Most of his works explore the heinous acts of rape and murder which became common during the partition of Indian subcontinent in 1947. This was the time when people with influence yearned for power which led to the constant ignoring of the plights of common people. Among these, there was a certain section comprising of people engaged in 'petty' occupations like washing, cleaning and prostitution. This group

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... s neither represented in our age old stories nor during the time when Manto lived. But Manto being a modernist chooses to comment on the existing societal norms and beliefs by making these dejected people as characters in his stories. Manto does not discriminate between classes and he does not make a mistake of taking a particular side. He remains neutral and yet strong when it comes to his views. This paper discusses the unusual characters in short stories by Manto and it also comments on the Manto's art of giving voices to this ignored section of the society. www.researchscholar.co.in Impact Factor 0.998 (IIFS)