Not A Nice Man To Know

Not A Nice Man To Know

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 07:43 AM IST
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This brand new, updated edition, with 18 new pieces from his more recent writings added to the original selection, collects the best of over fifty years of his prose.

It has been several months since Khushwant Singh passed away, but in this book, a compendium of writings picked from several sources, he comes out very much Alive. It has been one of Khushwant’s favourite, self-deprecatory savings that he is not a nice man to know and one supposes he is saying so because he expects his listeners to argue otherwise.

Not A Nice Man To Know: The Best of Khushwant Singh Penguin Books Khushwant Singh, Nandini Mehta Pages: 562; Price: Rs 599

Not A Nice Man To Know: The Best of Khushwant Singh Penguin Books Khushwant Singh, Nandini Mehta Pages: 562; Price: Rs 599 |

Khushwant has literally thousands of fans. But whether he is not a nice man to know is hardly the question. The real question is: is he a readable writer? And to that question the immediate answer could be hugely positive, and immediate. He remains one of the most readable writers of his times and there can be two opinions on this score.

What distinguishes him from practically everybody else in his profession is, to quote a critic: “his vivid, lively style, his total lack of humbug and hypocrisy and the hugely infectious zest for life that infuses all his writings”. He can be an embarrassment to many. Actually this is not a new book. It is an updated and new edition, but so what? Khushwant is a readable writer now as before and will be a favourite long after the present generation has passed. That is his USP. This work is divided into seven parts.

 Part One is a pick up from his columns that have attracted attention for years. The second part is enticing because he profiles many people of distinction such as Amrita Shergil, R.K. Narayan and his brother R.K. Laxman, the cartoonist, Manzur Qadir, Prabha Dutt, Mother Teresa, Phoolan Devi, Queen of dacoits, Nirad Chaudhuri, one of the most controversial writers of his times, Shradda Mata and, naturally, V.K. Krishna Menon under whom he served a few month at the Indian High Commissioner’s office in London.

Menon was a difficult man to work with. In fact, he was as vicious as one can ever be and Khushwant came to realise it pretty soon. His rudeness was almost proverbial in diplo¬matic circles. Was Menon corrupt? Personally, says Khushwant, never. But Menon, according to him “did not hesitate to take money from dubious characters for the India League which he had set up. Menon’s sole virtue as Khushwant saw it was standing by old friends. Khushwant was no friend and once, when he was deeply hurt, he resigned and told Menon: “You have no friends.”

The third part is part commentary and part reporting. He explains quite candidly, why he supported the Emergency. There is a painful section on the hanging of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto that is absorbing for its sheer humaneness. There is another on going gaga over yoga and yet another on holy men and holy cows. The one on the Monsoon is Indian literature and folklore is almost must reading, so captivating is the style.

But easily one of the most attractive is on Happiness.  And on this Khushwant surely speaks with authority. What leads to Happiness? Several things, like, for example food health, a healthy bank balance, having one’s own home to live in, an understanding companion, freedom from envy and non- indulging in envy of others.

Additionally Khushwant says, it would be nice to cultivate a hobby or two like reading, writing, gardening or painting – everything down to earth. And quite sensible.

Khushwant wants in seeking happiness to devote fifteen minutes  every morning for introspection “keeping the mind absolutely still” and his final advice is: Don’t lose your temper.

A fourth part consists of pick-ups from translations from other writings, interesting but nothing much to talk about. Party five consists of excerpts from books that Khushwant wrote, some of which, surely Khushwant fans are aware of, as for example: ‘A Bride for the Sahib’  or “I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale’, not to speak if of the Khushwant classic ‘Train To Pakistan’.

Khushwant, needless to say can be controversial in his own ways. In a piece on why he is an Indian, his answer is: “I did not have any choice; I was born one.” As he put it: “If the Good Lord had consulted me on the subject, I might have chosen a country more affluent, less crowded, less censorious in matters of food and drink, unconcerned with personal equations and free op religious bigotry.”

Tickled by such an answer there arose the next inevitable question: Is he proud to be an Indian? To that Khushwant’s reply was straight to the point. As he put it in unambiguous ways: “I can’t really answer this one. I can scarcely take credit for the achievement of my forefathers. And have little to be proud of what we are doing today. On balance I would say: No, I’m not proud of being an Indian.” Scandalous and insulting but that tells more about the man than any book he had written.

He was asked one last question: “Why don’t you get out and settle in some other country?” Khushwant’s reply to that straightforward question is: “Once again I have very little choice. All the countries I might like to live in have restricted quotas for emigrants. Most of them are white and have a prejudice against coloured people. In my case I feel more relaxed here at home.”Discussion over.

The lost part recounts jokes with some introductory remarks from Khushwant worthy of recalling. To quote him: “Making up jokes is no laughing matter. It is a serious business requiring knowledge, insight and experience of what will make people laugh, what will go flat and fizzle out like a damp squib. First we have to find out why people laugh…But trying to analyse laughter is like dissect¬ing a frog. You may see it entrails and whatever else it has inside but you will kill the frog in the process.”

A somewhat questionable analysis but there you are. Take Khushwant for what he is or leave him. Either was he couldn’t care less.

But to read Khushwant is to grow in stature. There is wisdom in what he writes, even if he may not want you to take him seriously. The book, incidentally carries an Introduction by Nandini Mehta and a Foreword by Vikram Seth. The reader will find it very revelatory.

M. V. KAMATH

You will be missed…

It is with a heavy heart that we inform our readers about the demise of veteran journalist M.V. Kamath, aged 94. A regular columnist and book reviewer with the Free Press Journal, Mr Kamath’s association with the publication spans more than five decades.

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