The essential Khushwant Singh collection. In an essay in this anthology, Khushwant Singh claims that he is not a nice man to know. Whatever the truth of that assertion, there is little question about his skill as a witty, eloquent and entertaining writer. This book collects the best of over three decades of the author’s prose—including his finest journalistic pieces, short stories, translations, jokes, plays as well as excerpts from his non-fiction books and novels. Taken together, the pieces in this selection (some of which have never been published before) show just why Khushwant Singh is the country’s most widely read columnist and one of its most celebrated authors.
The Khushwant Singh Treasury Favourite prayers, Poems, Proverbs and Profanities for every day of the year. This unique miscellany will inspire and entertain. From deeply thought-provoking to laugh-out-loud funny, these quotations for every ocassion are wise, witty and memorable. With verses from the Bible, the Upnishads and other religious text to ribald limericks; from one-liners from the world's greatest minds to poetry, songs and proverbs, this treasure trove is the perfect bedside book to gift and to possess.
Khushwant Singh Has Spent A Lifetime Waging War Against Hypocrisy, Humbug And Intolerance. It Has Made Him india's Most Provocative And Popular Columnist. This New Collection Brings Together His Essays And Articles On Themes As Varied As God, The Afterlife, The Banning Of Books, Caste, Prostitution, Crank Calls And Pets. His Skills As A Raconteur And Journalist Are Used To Brilliant Effect In His Sketches Of Gandhi, Raj Kapoor, Vajpayee, Phoolan Devi, Zia-ul-haq And The Dalai Lama, As Also In His Travel Pieces On Nagaland And France, Among Other Places. The Vintage Sardar Ends With A Frank And Introspective Autobiographical Piece.
Here was a man. Prolific writer Acerbic critic Editor nonpareil Trenchant humourist Connoisseur of single malt Lover of life, words, women, and all things beautiful ‘You know that I am 99 years old.’ I replied: ‘May my years be added to yours.’ He looked up at me with the softest expression, and said: ‘No, but may you live as long as I have.’ I held his hand, the hand that had spent a lifetime writing books and inimitable articles, and kissed it. He brushed his cheek with mine. Both of us knew that it was a farewell. I left and stood on the gravel outside … – Fakir Syed Aijazuddin, Features Writer, Dawn … the Patiala Peg of publishing is no more! But we will continue to raise our glasses and thank him for liberating us from our idiotic, hypocritical, fake, humourless lives … for making us laugh at ourselves … for ridding us of quaint sexual hang-ups … for chucking old rules into the waste basket … for caring a damn! Jeena isi ka naam hai! – Shobhaa Dé, Bestselling Author
The Lost Victory perfectly captures the cultural essence of 1942 and the urgency of this colourful and moving pageant of a nation about to throw off the yoke of foreign rule. Essentially, it is the story of Buta Singh, a shrewd and wily official working with the British, and of Sher Singh, his vain and ambitious son driven to rebellion against the foreign master. It is also the story of the women of the family—Champak, Sher’s beautiful wife, her wild passions bursting the bonds of century-old prohibitions, and Sabhrai, Sher’s mother, whose matriarchal strength sustains the family in its time of crisis. What happens to this family when a brutal and senseless murder sets father against son, wife against husband, is told against the background of an India torn by religious tension and fraternal strife.
At 98, as I look back on my life, I think about what has enriched it, what's been important to me, the mistakes I've made, and what my experiences have taught me...' If there's anyone who's been around, seen it all and lived life to the hilt, it has to be Khushwant Singh. India's most popular and prolific writer has, over the years, enlightened and outraged in equal measure, and enriched our lives with his humour, his honesty and his sharp insights and observations. Khushwantnama is a meditation on a life lived fully and the lessons it has taught the author. Here is his distilled wisdom on subjects as diverse as old age and the fear of death; on the joy of sex, the pleasures of poetry and the importance of laughter; on how to cope with retirement and live a long, happy and healthy life. Here, too, are his reflections on politics, politicians and the future of India; on what it takes to be a writer; and on what religion means to him.
Though I am nothing to look at, it is women who have sought my company more than I have sought theirs." 'Khushwant Singh' In Khushwant Singh's Book of Unforgettable Women, India's most widely-read and irreverent author and columnist profiles some of many women in his life. From Ghayoorunnisa Hafeez, the girl who forever changed his attitude towards Muslims, to his wife, Kaval Malik, who is allergic to media publicity; from his old grandmother to the controversial artist Amrita Shergil; from Mother Teresa to Phoolan Devi, Khushwant Singh paints colourful and true-to-life portraits of the women he has known, loved, despised, admired, and lived with. The book also includes some of the women Khushwant Singh has conjured up in the numerous stories and novels he has written over sixty years. The lively Martha Stack (-Black Jasmine'), Lady Mohan Lal (-Karma'), Jean Memsahib (-The Memsahib of Mandla'), the hijra-whore Bhagmati (Delhi), the insatiable Champak (I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale), dark-eyed Nooran (Train to Pakistan) and the free-spirited Molly Gomes (The Company of Women) are only a few of Khushwant Singh's larger-than-life characters who are sure to entertain and amuse the reader.
An anthology of Khushwant Singh’s best writings on his favorite subjects, Women, Sex, Love and Lust is at once witty, informative, thought-provoking and flagrant. Definitely a book you can’t afford to miss! If you are looking for answers to eternal questions like which came first – love or lust, or debates pertaining to celibacy, chastity or arranged marriages, Khushwant Singh delivers his unique exposé. Whether he is analysing the fine dividing line between obscenity, pornography and erotica, describing sex from ‘Chaturbhani’ (200-350 B.C.) or his ideas of a composite Indian woman, Khushwant holds the reader’s attention effortlessly. But that isn’t all – years before terms such as ‘gender issues’ or ‘gender divide’ became popular, he was writing, thinking and sharing his views on them. His deliberations reveal an unexpected side to Khushwant . . . in these pages you’ll also find a rare glimpse of Khushwant the feminist. Women, Sex, Love and Lust abounds with Indian as well as foreign myths, legends, proverbs, and poems ranging from Chaucer, Shakespeare, Whitman to Kalidas, Iqbal and Faiz. Almost each page offers you delectable quotes from Russell to Wodehouse along with special anecdotes which could only come from the inimitable Khushwant. Only he could share with you his intense experience of nudo-phobia suffered in Sweden, his acute observation of Indian whoremongers when abroad, scandals amongst the literati and glitterati – H. G. Wells as a compulsive fornicator or Georges Simenon hammering away at his typewriter (and his women) at the age of eighty are only a few revelations.
The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak (1469–1539), who drew upon the teachings of Muslim, Sufis and Hindu Bhaktas. In its purest form Sikhism is about unity, simplicity, equality and surrender (to God), and the verses of the Sikh Gurus—most of them included in the Granth Sahib—articulate this beautifully. This elegantly illustrated edition contains a selection of verses from the Guru Granth Sahib and other sacred texts like Guru Tegh Bahadur’s Vairagmayi Bani and the Dasam Granth of Guru Gobind Singh. Brilliantly translated by Khushwant Singh, these moving mystical hymns retain the immediacy and the lyricism of the originals. In addition, vibrant and imaginative illustrations by Arpana Caur, one of India’s most celebrated artists, make this a collection to treasure.
‘The Emergency has become a synonym for obscenity. Even men and women who were pillars of Emergency rule and misused their positions to harass innocent people against whom they had personal grudges try to distance themselves from their past in the hope that it will fade out of public memory forever. We must not allow them to get away with it,’ says Khuswant Singh, while fearlessly stating his own reasons for championing the Emergency. This bold and thought-provoking collection includes essays on Indira Gandhi’s government, the Nanavati Commission’s report on the 1984 riots and the riots themselves, as well as captivating pieces on the art of kissing and the importance of bathing. Alongside these are portraits of historical figures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar, General Dyer, Ghalib and Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as candid profiles of the famous personalities he has known over the years, revealing intimate details about their lives and characters. From his reflections on Amrita Sher-Gil’s alleged promiscuity to the experience of watching a pornographic film with a stoic R.K. Narayan, this is Khuswant Singh at his controversial and iconoclastic best. Selected and edited by Sheela Reddy, Why I Supported the Emergency: Essays and Profiles covers three quarters of a century. Straight from the heart, this is unadulterated Khuswant Singh.
In this classic, Khushwant Singh presents a concise history of the followers of one of the world's youngest religions. Beginning with the life and times of the founder, Guru Nanak (1469-1539), he moves on to describe the vital contribution made by the following nine gurus in shaping and developing the Sikh religion; and the significance of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, and its centrality to the religion. He examines the setting up of the Singh Sabha and the accompanying social reform, the impact of the Ghadr rebellion and the Akali agitation for control of various Sikh shrines. The new Afterword by his son, journalist Rahul Singh, brings the story of the Sikhs up to date. Authoritative yet accessible, this is one of the most concise and readable accounts of the Sikhs and their faith.
About the Book : - One of the great icons of our time, Khushwant Singh, 95, is a man of contradictions. An agnostic who's well-versed in the holy scriptures; a vocal champion of free speech who supported the Emergency; a dirty old man who sees the world in a grain of sand and beauty in a wild flower. Born in 1915 in pre-Partition Punjab, Khushwant Singh has been witness to almost all the major events in modern Indian history and has known most of the figures who have shaped it. In a career spanning over six decades as writer, editor and journalist, his views have been provocative and controversial, but they have also been profound, deeply perceptive and always compelling. Khushwant Singh has never been less than honest.In Absolute Khushwant, India's grand old man of letters tells us about his life, his loves and his work. He writes on happiness, faith and honesty. And, for the first time, about his successes and failures, his strengths and weaknesses, his highs and lows. He tells us what makes him tick and the secret of his longevity; he confesses his deepest fears and what he holds dear. He writes about sex, marriage, worship and death; the people he's admired and detested.
In this anthology, which comprises some of Khushwant Singh's best writing, you can look forward to some talk of sex, a little of Scotch and much Scholarship. The collection attempts to mirror the author's concerns and passions-his love of nature, his anguish over the situation in Punjab, his interest in religions of the world and his scholarly research on the one into which he was born, Sikhism. The highlight of this book, however, is the expansive, autobiographical opening piece written in Khushwant's characteristically candid style and perhaps the most complete self-portrait he has yet painted.
Spanning over half a century, this volume contains all the short stories Khushwant Singh has every written, including the delightful tongue-in-cheek 'The Maharani of Chootiapuram', written in 2008."--Back cover.
What can you expect when Khushwant Singh irrepressible as ever, cuttingly candid and provocatively truthful decides to write about some of the women and men in his life? An unputdownable volume, which spans his life and his long, chequered career, in which he reminisces about the people he has met, befriended and fallen out with. The list includes film makers, politicians, industrialists, lawyers, civil servants, writers as well as other relatively unknown personalities
An Introduction is a highly readable and rewarding initiation into a complex, ancient civilization, by one of India\'s most widely-read writers and journalists. Khushwant Singh tells the story of the land and its people from the earliest time to the present day. In broad, vivid sweeps he encapsulates the saga of the upheavals of a sub-continent over five millennia, and how their interplay over the centuries has moulded the India of today. More, Khushwant Singh offers perceptive insights into everything Indian that may catch one\'s eye or arouse curiosity: its ethnic diversity, religions, customs, philosophy, art and culture, political currents, and the galaxy of men and women who have helped shape its intricately inlaid mosaic. He is also an enlightening guide to much else: India\'s extensive and varied architectural splendours, its art and classical literature. Khushwant Singh\'s own fascination with the subject is contagious, showing through on every page, and in every sidelight that he recounts. India: An Introduction holds strong appeal for just about anyone who has more than a passing interest in the country, Indians as well as those who are drawn to it from farther afield. And for a traveller, it is that rare companion: erudite, intelligent, lively.
Malice. The Word Is Synonymous With Khushwant Singh; His Pen Has Spared No One. For Over Four Decades As India S Most Widely-Read Columnist, He Has Commented On Just About Everything: Religion, Politics, Our Future, Our Past, Prohibition, Impotency, Presidents, Politicians, Cricket, Dog-Haters, Astrologers, The Banning Of Books, The Secret Of 1Ongevity...The List Is Endless. Candid To The Point Of Being Outrageous, Khushwant Singh Makes Both His Reader And Subject Wince. He Writes Unabashedly On Nose Picking, Wife-Bashing, Bribing Journalists, Gender Wars And The Desires Of An Octogenarian; On Nehru And Edwina, Laloo, Bal Thackeray, Chandraswami And Sonia Gandhi, Among Host Of Others. Khushwant Singh S Big Book Of Malice Brings Together Some Of His Nastiest And Most Irreverent Pieces. Witty, Sharp And Brutally Honest, This Collection Is Certain To Delight And Provoke Readers Of All Ages. Good People Can Be Crashing Bores. Evil Men Who Combine Evil-Doing With Drunkenness, Debauchery And Making Illicit Money Make More Interesting Characters Because They Pack Their Lives With Action. They Do What Most Of Us Would Like To Do But Do Not Have The Guts To. -Khushwant Singh
Comprising 99 stories, essays, extracts, poems and articles (one for each year of his life), the book is divided into fifteen sections, each one corresponding to a genre that he excelled in. Family Matters contains extracts from his autobiography and some personal narratives, My Beloved Country has some extraordinary writing about India, The Sikhs comprises excerpts from his books essays on the community and translations of the Sikh hymns, The Uses and Abuses of Religion features his articles on the dangers of communalism and a sublime meditation on religion, his accounts of Pakistan and Pakistanis are included in Passage to Pakistan, he wrote interestingly about famous people all his life and twelve of his profiles feature in Singular People, a self-taught naturalist, he was passionate about conservation-The Ferocity and Flamboyance of Nature has writings on this theme, Sex on My Mind contains some entertaining ruminations on sex, one of the subjects that he was most associated with in the popular imagination. As with sex, so with humour-a few of his funniest jokes find a place in A Merry Heart. The section Enthusiasms, Rants and Soliloquies has a fair representation of his electrifying polemics on a variety of subjects. The most insightful of his thoughts on life, dealing with adversity, ageing and death find a place In How to Live, How to Die. Selections from the six novels he published are to be found in The Novels, Portrait of a Lady and Other Stories features the eponymous story along with a few others, a great admirer of writers in Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi, he translated many of their works, some of which can be found in Toba Tek Singh: Fiction in Translation and A Passion for Poetry. Together, the various pieces in the book showcase Khushwant Singh's exceptional accomplishments as a writer.
‘I thought the nation was coming to an end’ When Khushwant Singh witnessed the violence of Partition nearly seventy years ago, he believed that he had seen the worst that India could do to herself. But after the carnage in Gujarat in 2002, he had reason to feel that the worst, perhaps, was still to come. Analysing the communal violence in Gujarat in 2002, the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, the burning of Graham Staines and his children, the targeted killings by terrorists in Punjab and Kashmir, Khushwant Singh forces us to confront the absolute corruption of religion that has made us among the most brutal people on earth. He also points out that fundamentalism has less to do with religion than with politics. And communal politics, he reminds us, is only the most visible of the demons we have nurtured and let loose upon ourselves. A brave and passionate book, The End of India is a wake-up call for every citizen concerned about his or her own future, if not the nation’s.
A rare collection of essays that invites the reader to revisit a vanished era of sahibs and memsahibs. From Lord Mountbatten to Peggy Holroyde to Maurice and Taya Zinkin, Britishers who lived and worked in India reminisce about topics and points of interest as varied as the Indian Civil Service and the Roshanara Club, shikar and hazri, the Amateur Cine Society of India and the Doon School, Rudyard Kipling and Mahatma Gandhi. Selected from a series of articles commissioned by Khushwant Singh when he was the editor of the 'Illustrated Weekly of India', these delightfully individualistic and refreshingly candid writings reveal a fascinating array of British attitudes, experiences, observations, fond memories, the occasional short-lived grouse and, above all, a deep and abiding affection and respect for India.
This selection of Khushwant Singh's prose is like the man himself: blunt, perceptive, incorrigibly provocative, often amusing but always bubbling with life. The book includes candid portrayals of public personalities such as Zail Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, Nani Palkhivala, Rajni Patel and Nargis Dutt. There are also vivid portrayals of public personalities such as Zail Singh, Rajiv Gandhi, Nani Palkhivala, Rajni Patel and Nargis Dutt. There are also vivid portraits of places such as Delhi, Amritsar, Goa, Lucknow, Bhopal and Hyderabad. Then there are his musings on such issues as communalism, terrorism and bride burning, still as vivid today as when the pieces were first written.
Travelling through time, space and history to 'discover' his beloved city, the narrator of this novel meets a myriad of people - poets and princes, saints and sultans, temptresses and traitors, emperors and eunuchs - who have shaped and endowed Delhi with its very mystique.
If there’s anyone who’s been around, seen it all and lived life to the hilt, it has to be Khushwant Singh. India’s most popular and prolific writer has, over the years, enlightened and outraged in equal measure, and enriched our lives with his humour, his honesty and his sharp insights and observations. In Khushwantnama, the 98-year-old reflects on a life lived fully and the lessons it has taught him. Here is his distilled wisdom on subjects as diverse as old age and the fear of death; on the joy of sex, the pleasures of poetry and the importance of laughter; on how to cope with retirement and live a long, happy and healthy life. Here, too, are his reflections on politics, politicians and the future of India; on what it takes to be a writer; and on what religion means to him.
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