Why I Supported The Emergency: Essays And Profiles - Hardcover

Singh, Khushwant; Reddy, Sheela

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670083240 ISBN 13: 9780670083244

Publisher: Penguin Books India, 2009

Synopsis

The Emergency has become a synonym for obscenity. Even men and women who were pillars of Emergency rule and misused their positions to harass innocent people against whom they had personal grudges try to distance themselves from their past in the hope that it will fade out of public memory forever. We must not allow them to get away with it, says Khushwant Singh, while fearlessly stating his own reasons for championing the Emergency. This bold and thought-provoking collection includes essays on Indira Gandhi s government, the Nanavati Commission s report on the 1984 riots and the riots themselves, as well as captivating pieces on the art of kissing and the importance of bathing. Alongside these are portraits of historical figures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar, General Dyer, Ghalib and Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as candid profiles of the famous personalities he has known over the years, revealing intimate details about their lives and characters. From his reflections on Amrita Sher-Gil s alleged promiscuity to the experience of watching a pornographic film with a stoic R.K. Narayan, this is Khushwant Singh at his controversial and iconoclastic best.

About this title

About the Author

Khushwant Singh was India's best-known writer and columnist. He was founder-editor of Yojana and editor of the Illustrated Weekly of India, the National Herald and Hindustan Times. He is the author of classics such as Train to Pakistan, I shall Not Hear the Nightingale (retitled as The Lost Victory) and Delhi. His non-fiction includes the classic two-volume A History of the Sikhs, a number of translations and works on Sikh religion and culture, Delhi, nature, current affairs and Urdu poetry. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Among the other awards he has received are the Punjab Ratan, the Sulabh International award for the most honest Indian of the year, and honorary doctorates from several universities. He passed away in 2014 at the age of ninety-nine.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Books India
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670083240
• ISBN 13: 9780670083244
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320