Truth, Love and a Little Malice - an Autobiography

Kushwant Singh            

 

Kushwant Singh has lived a life on various fronts, as a Lawyer, in Indian mission (though not as a diplomat), a Journalist, a Historian and a columnist.  The autobiography details his tale on these roles, including above all a generous amount of gossip on the lives of both men and women.

The most interesting among the stories is his life lived in the village of birth, Hidali, now in Pakistan.  Singh says that Hindus and Muslims lived an uneasy but peaceful relationship.  Close interaction between them and their families was confined to marriages and death.  Muslims split into various clans – Wadhals, Mastials, Awans, Janjus, Moons and Tiwanas.  Frequently, there was litigation and murders.  His tale of how children in the village defecated in the open and cleaned their bottoms has the hallmarks of rural smartness!

The School and adolescence life spent in Delhi reveals how much the geography of Delhi has changed since then, about Daryaganj, Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid and how certain things have not changed at all, most notably, Physical Education Teachers, Superintendents, admission in colleges on the recommendations of influential people.

His walkathons from Shimla down the mall road to Markonda and Masthobra (72 miles away) and Solan (25 miles distant) leaves us perplexed at the physical strength we have lost over the years and the physical geography the country has fritted away.  K.S. tells the funny story when he was appearing in a case (in Lahore) against conversion of a Sikh lady from Sikhism to Islam and her marriage to the Muslim boy.  The lawyer appearing on the side of maulvi, who had presided over the Nikhanama (marriage deed) presented a packet before Court and requested the Falshaw to open it for himself and see its contents. The Falshaw opened the packet gingerly and his face was reddened as if he has received an electric shock.  “What is it?”  he  demanded to know.  The lawyer informed the Falshaw, “This your honor is the lady’s pubic hair.  She shaved it on the day she married my client and presented it to him.  Sikhs, as your honor may know, never cut their hair.”  “Take it away and throw it in the garbage can.” roared the Falshaw.

The narration of the time spent by Kushwant at the newly established Indian High Commission at London under the stewardship of Krishna Menon is both jocular and lively.  Prime Minister Nehru was coming to London to attend the Commonwealth Prime Minister’s Conference.  The Indian High Commission decided to bring out a weekly tabloid, India News, to mark the occasion.  Kushwant Singh was ordered to select the layout and provide the news.  The first page of the tabloid was to be devoted entirely to the P.M’s visit.  The banner headline read, “Pandit Nehru in London.”  When the proof came for correction, it read, “Bandit Nehru in London.”  When the manager of the press was questioned, he informed that they have never heard the word Pandit and thought it was probably a mistake on the part of the High Commission! Kushwant also reveals the highhandedness of Krishna Menon on many occasions and his deeply suspicious nature during the time he spent there.

The chapter titled, “With Gandhis and the Anands” is pure and unadulterated gossip.  This is clearly on display when there was disturbance in the Gandhi family following the death of Sanjay Gandhi and the urge on the part of Menaka to enter politics on her own.

All in all, the autobiography is jolly and unadulterated Kushwant Singh with gossip in abundance.  In the prologue, he quotes the Urdu poet’s couplet,

I told no one the story of my life

It was something I had to spend;

I spent it.

He also quotes Benjamin Franklin, who wrote

If you would not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten

Either write  things worth reading

Or do things worth writing.

Either one can dismiss the autobiography as the story of the way Kushwant had spent his life or about things worth reading.