Khushwant Singh’s legacy honoured on his 10th death anniversary

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New Delhi March 20

Admirers, family and friends gathered here to commemorate the life and legacy of the late author and thinker Khushwant Singh on the occasion of his 10th death anniversary on Wednesday night. The event brought together Khushwant Singh’s son Rahul Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Sahney, and former MP Pawan Verma, who assembled to reminisce Singh’s illustrious journey and his spirited approach to life.

Verma described Singh as an institution in himself. “Khushwant Singh was a remarkable man. My encounter with him was extraordinary. I had written a 300-page manuscript on Ghalib, but no publisher was willing to publish it. When I first met him, he read my manuscript and expressed his admiration for my work and recommended it to Penguin Books. Despite being a first-time author, he readily extended his support and guidance to me. He was extremely generous towards young talent. It was his routine to wake up at 4.30 am to feed stray cats and listen to BBC,” Verma recounted.

Verma said for Singh, one’s position in the hierarchy of power was irrelevant. “He was vehemently opposed to hypocrisy. His writings focused on issues and individuals. He never did anything without purpose. He always spoke the truth,” Verma emphasised.

Reflecting on his father, Rahul Singh shared that he never cared about authority. “When the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee sent him a letter asking him not to publish Santa Banta jokes, he responded with a postcard saying ‘Go to hell’,” Rahul recalled.

Sufi poet Bulleh Shah’s songs, which were admired by Singh, were sung by Sahney at the event. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, former journalist Mark Tully and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha were also present at the gathering.