He is a lot for amateur writers like me. Perhaps, he is a brand himself in literary circles. His intensity to live a life of all hues inspires anybody. He is one of the prolific writers of our times with subjects as diverse as God to gossip and religion to sex.
Khushwant Singh is the man who could turn anything into his witty story with
eye-catching narration. I became his instant fan after reading his book “Khushwantnama – The Lessons of My Life.
It is a book of par excellence. This simple prose is a minefield of distilled
wisdom and a must read book. I equate this book with
Marcus Aurelius’s classic : Meditations.
When the news of Khushwant Singh’s death broke on March 20, 2014, I felt an
unexplained heaviness in my heart which reflects the bond he made with his
writings. What I liked the most in him is his unadulterated honesty and put to
pen whatever he feels in his heart.
You need to have tremendous guts to
write like Khushwant Singh. Most of his
writings are blended with high dose of humour. Somebody in journalism circles
terms his writings as ‘bullshit in art
form’. He is an excellent conversationalist. Perhaps that won him more
women friends which he equally enjoyed and transpired to the world candidly.
He is not a dirty man the way he accounts himself. He is a man of permeating wisdom.
He lived a fuller life with all his mental faculties in tact till the last
moment. His last wish was also fulfilled : To
die peacefully in sleep.
With utmost humility, I bid adieu to this grand old man who knocked out at 99,
but taught a fitting lesson t : Live the life deliberately !