Khushwant Singh
Khushwant Singh (2.2.1915, in fact August 1915 – 20.3.2014) was born as Khushal Singh, to Sir Sobha Singh and Veeran Bai at Hadali village (in Khushab district of West Punjab). He received his school education at Delhi. The he joined St Stephens College Delhi and Kings College London for his graduation, and then Inner Temple for Law degree.
Khushwant Singh started his professional career as a practising lawyer in 1939. He worked at Lahore Court for eight years. In 1947 he entered Indian Foreign Service. He was appointed as Information Officer of the Government of India in Toronto, Canada. He was Press Attaché and Public Officer for the Indian High Commission for four years in London and Ottawa. In 1951 he joined the All India Radio as a journalist. Between 1954 and 1956 he worked in Department of Mass Communication of the UNESCO at Paris. After this he became editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, a newsweekly. During his tenure, this paper became India’s pre-eminent newsweekly, with its circulation rising from 65,000 to 400000. He also worked as editor of The National Herald and the Hindustan Times. From 1980 to 1986, he remained as a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974. In 1984, he returned this award in protest against the Indian army’s attack on Darbar Sahib Amritsar. In 2007, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Vibhushan.
Khushwant Singh was married to Kanwal Malik. They had a son, named Rahul Singh, and a daughter, named Mala (Kaur).
Khushwant Singh wrote several books, e.g. History of the Sikhs (2 volumes), The Sikhs, The Sikhs Today, Ranjit Singh (Maharaja of the Punjab), The End of India, Agnostic Khushwant: There Is No God. He also produced 2 novels: Train to Pakistan (which ran into several editions) and Delhi, as well as some fiction and light literature as well, e.g. I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale, Best Indian Short Stories, Sex Scotch & Scholarship, The Company of Women, women & Men In My Life, Truth Love & Little Malice, Not A Nice Man to Know, Khushwant Singh’s Joke Book etc.
{Khushwat Singh as a young man and as an elderly person}
(Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer)