The text message that I received announcing Khushwant Singh’s passing away was unambiguous and direct, as momentous events in one’s life are. I phoned David to ask if it were true and he confirmed it. There didn’t seem too much else to say and both of us retreated into our private memories of a man who was a tremendously important and benevolent presence in our lives for decades.
It seems to me that I have always known Khushwant Singh. He was a frequent visitor to my bookstore. Then when I married David he became family. Indeed, he hosted our wedding reception at his Sujan Singh Park home — it is the one occasion I know of where he allowed guests to carry on partying beyond his famous 8.00 p.m. curfew; he even deigned to stay on, although being Khushwant he retreated to his bedroom long before the party broke up.
Khushwant was ageless, all through the time he was an intrinsic part of my life. This enabled me to deal with him simultaneously on several levels — as a friend, parent, and provider of wise counsel. Repeatedly, I was struck by the fact that he was one of the very few people I knew who was absolutely himself, no matter who he was with or what the situation. He spoke his mind to prince and pauper alike, and he was incredibly generous to anyone who turned to him for help and advice. When we lived in Canada, on our annual visits home, he would tell us to return as soon as possible. On one such occasion, he rebuked me and said he’d heard that I didn’t want to come back to India; this was untrue but I could never convince him otherwise and he would express his disappointment every time we met until I got back for good.
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I remember when Aleph produced its first catalogue of books, we presented Khushwant with a copy. His delight and pride in the fledgling company’s first offering was clearly visible. He said to me that
Khushwant Singh was always there for me, a fixed, infinitely uplifting part of my universe. Curiously enough, even though he is gone, I know that he will continue to be in my corner, and that is comforting in ways that defy understanding.