Alka Bansal and Anita Dhall

Khushwant Singh: As We Came To Know

(Excerpts from an interview with Khushwant Singh) 

Khushwant Singh is the most controversial but readable writer of our times. His fiction has won great critical acclaim in literary circles all over the world. The name of Khushwant Singh can be pronounced as one of the greatest novelists whose fame spread with his first novel that is based on the theme of partition, ‘Train to Pakistan’, till date he has written five novels Train to Pakistan, I shall not hear the Nightingale, Delhi, The Company of women and Burial at Sea and a number of short stories. He has written approximately hundred and twenty titles (fiction and non fiction)
Working on Khushwant Singh prompted me to meet Khushwant Singh and know more about his personality and take his views on various facets of his creative art.
            My supervisor and I reached at his residence at pre-appointed time because he had told me telephonically, while giving appointment that he was very punctual and he would just give an hour to us. We managed to reach there just at the nick of time. We were warmly welcomed by him and entertained with tea. For a while I could not believe that I was sitting right in front of Khushwant Singh and I found that he was quite different from his image, which has been largely portrayed.
A face-to-face meeting with him unfurled many of his qualities. We found him to be a person of a charismatic personality who is agile minded, witty and amiable. Even at the age of ninety-two no marks of senility could be traced on his visage. He appeared to us as a very pleasant, lively and gay person, who is very much satisfied with his life. He is a very humble and warm person full of love and affection. He takes interest in people and has a very keen observation. He seems to have seen life very closely. He is of the opinion that if you watch other’s sorrows you will feel that your sorrow and problems are much less. He stated, “just watch real sorrow and you will feel calm, after you feel real sorrow, you feel humble and all the ambitions are of a little consequence. It is very good antidote.” Khushwant Singh has a philosophical bent of mind. He is not just a joker as most people take him to be. 
Another quality of Khushwant Singh, which we noticed, was that he has no inhibition of any kind. He speaks in a very frank and candid manner. He is bold and does not hesitate in expressing even his innermost thoughts. Most of us may think like him but we do not have the courage to express those thoughts. It is only Khushwant Singh who has the audacity to say, “My mind is dirty”. On being asked about the bold scenes between men and women in his novels and excessive use of sex, he said, “it’s a very sensuous, nice thing so I indulge in it perhaps a little more than others. I have no inhibitions.”
He further told us that when he was writing in newspaper against khalistan, a sardar wrote a letter to him from Canada. Khushwant Singh said it was his “priced possession.” The letter was full of abuses in Gurmukhi language. He further commented, “but the charming thing was he did not know where I was–– just the address was Bastard Khushwant Singh India, the postman delivered it to me” then he said, “Itni shaurat ho gayi hain meri”(I have become so famous).
Some people have a very negative image of Khushwant Singh and consider him a philanderer. But our interview with him revealed that he is a very disciplined man who believes in work is worship. He has coined a slogan in his autobiography, “work is worship but worship is not work.” He gets up at 5 a.m. and works till 7 p.m. On being asked, “What has contributed most to your fame?” He replied: 
Well, I have worked harder than most people, I have nearly over a hundred titles, the sheer output is enormous. I have done some really serious work. I work very hard. I don’t waste any time on religion, on prayer or on anything. I get up early, I am very disciplined.
When he was asked, “how many women friends did you have?” He replied, “will you believe it, I really have no friends and I don’t want any because writing is a solitary profession. Friendship needs time forGup- Shup, I don’t have.” He further said, “it is just simple common sense if I work from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. where do I have the time for women.” 
Khushwant Singh appeared to us as a true Humanist. Even while writing, human interest is the prime thing in his mind. He said, “Every human being has the trinity in him of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.” He is deeply pained to see people fighting in the name of religion. He detests communal hatred. He says if a few Muslims are doing wrong we should not condemn the whole race. He feels that “it is unworthy of any civilized race to have any sort of prejudices. You can’t be civilized and hate people.” He has always been a harbinger of communal harmony. He expresses his hatred and disgust at the growing superstition and intolerance amongst people. He feels that media is also making propaganda of it he told us that when he listens to these kinds of programmes his temper goes up. He said, “This is taking the country backward. I’ve revulsion against religious intolerance and superstition.” 
His positive approach to life has enabled him to live life up to the brim. He has seen so many ups and downs in life but never lost hope. He is an optimist to the core. He is hardly affected by hash criticism on the contrary he is pleased by it and laughs it away because he knows that the roots of his reputation and fame are so firmly grounded that they cannot be uprooted by a gust of harsh criticism. On being asked, “How do you rate yourself as a novelist?” He answered very calmly and confidently, “I’ve no idea!, I’ve been criticized, condemned, I’ve also made bestseller list, three or four of my books have been on the bestseller list for six months or more, when people run me down I say “Ye list dekhlo zara”(see this list).” 
The final question that, “out of your novels which is your favourite one?”  was answered by him with tender motherly affectation: 
It’s really a hard judgement you always like a sick child more than the healthy one, the second novel (I shall not hear the Nightingale) did not do so well and I keep saying ­–– that novel has been unfairly treated by the reading public. The title makes a lot of difference — Train to Pakistan was first published as ‘Mano Majra’ when it won the award, nobody took notice except that it won an award, when it was published in England I changed the title to ‘Train to Pakistan’ and then it took off.
Let me conclude writing about this versatile genius by expressing his patriotism, which was reflected in his speech when he confessed that he could have settled abroad but he chose to settle in India, his motherland. He had a nice job but he renounced it and took a ‘foolhardy step’, he decided to make writing his full time profession. He settled in India because he feels comfortable in his own country, “I feel I belong to India, (here) I feel relaxed… I live like a feudal.” Besides this, Ganga flows only in India and Khushwant Singh loves to visit it at Haridwar two to three times a year. He is too much enchanted by aarti at Ganga he told us, “I have great love for aarti at Ganga. It is worship of nature. Gangasymbolizes nature at its best.” At this stage of life his only desire is (in his own words) “to go in peace without pain.”
Undoubtedly meeting with Khushwant Singh was a precious and memorable moment for us. 

Note:  All quotations are extracted from the interview with Khushwant Singh on 14th February 2004, at his residence, Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi.