The buzzword...

Nonika Singh

“Here lies one who spared neither man nor God/ Waste not your tears on him, he was a sod/ Writing nasty things he regarded as great fun/ Thank the Lord he is dead, this son of a gun."

How do you pay tribute to a man who wrote his own obituary, how do you celebrate a man whose life itself was a celebration and how do you remember someone whose writing is imprinted on minds and hearts of millions? Yet, it's that time of the year when Kasauli breathes and relives the inimitable Khushwant Singh, the man best described in his own lines.

India's most noted author and journalist missed a century in life and passed away at 99 last year. And though Khushwant Singh literature festival began while he was still alive, this edition, the fourth one, is super special. For it's a centenary one and one in which fellow centenarians Chetan Anand, Bhisham Sahni and equally fearless Urdu writer Ismat Chugtai too will be remembered. It might be the first time that the festival expands to include writing in Hindi and Urdu and something that the son Rahul Singh promises will be kept in mind in future too, for after all Khushwant Singh was read as widely in translations as in other languages.

Here Sahni's seminal work Tamas will be discussed by gifted actor Om Puri and the maker of the hugely popular television serial Tamas, Govind Nihalani. Daughter Kalpana Sahni will share her memories of the father too in a session moderated by Kabir Bedi. Since no KLF is complete without what the organizers call "our friends from across the border" expect a generous dose of Pakistani writers, ambassadors and officials. The Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, who got caught in the infamous twitter row involving the Tharoor couple, will talk about her book Leaves From The Lahore.

Though Khushwant Singh carefully cultivated a non-serious persona, his academic works like History of the Sikhs stand as testimony to his scholarly skills. His love for poetry, Sikh history, Guru Nanak Dev and much more will reflect during the three-day festival that gets going in the verdant hills of Kasauli. As Niloufer Billimoria, one of the key organisers of the festival, puts it, "Whatever was of interest to Khushwant Singh, whatever is of significance to Kasauli decide the leitmotif of the festival."

In keeping with the spirit of the man, KLS has always resounded with fun and frolic and the humour quotient will be high this year too. Khushwant Singh's self-deprecating humour might be difficult to match, but laughs are certainly assured in the concluding session. So book your dates from October 9 to October 11 at Kasauli Club. As roads lead to KS Litfest…the passage to the most famous Sardarji India has ever known will be lit up by many a literary revelation. Where the festival is headed to in times to come can't be said but the organisers are acutely mindful of their social responsibility. While they are already giving scholarships to school students in future too they want to take their contribution to the betterment of Kasauli and its ecology more seriously. And who knows the grand old man's home in Kasauli might be converted into a writers' retreat. Right now the Kasauli club will be home to lucid thoughts of illustrious writers and historians such as Fakir Syed Aijazuddin, William Dalrymple, Alex Rutherford among others.

A special session on Kashmir will be graced by Dr Farooq Abdullah, Wajahat Habibullah and AS Dulat.

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