If you  believe that  eyes  say it all , then do  look   closely at  Khushwant  Singh’s  and  you will  know what  I’m  trying to put  across. Even  at  97, his eyes are  that of a school boy’s.That’s  because  there seem to be no contradictions between what  he  says and what  he  thinks. Or  to put  it  more aptly, there is no  tussle  between his  head and  heart …and that ‘s why those  words  and thoughts simply flow out. He writes, he  speaks, spontaneously and without any inhibitions.

In  fact , few  years  back  when  I  was certain  that that  the wine and women  image  does  not  quite  tally with  Khushwant’s   rather  conservative  way  of  living, I ‘d  asked him exactly  this, “Why this image when  you are not  just  rather conservative  but  so  involved with   reading and  writing   that  probably  you look up  only  around  7: pm for that one  hour  break that  you give yourself every  evening?” And to that  he had said,”That’s  because I’m  outspoken. I talk  openly  and praise  the  quality  of  wine or the  looks of  a woman …I’ve   been  candid  in  my writings  and  in what  I speak … ”

He leads a life  according to  his own set of rules and said, “I follow a slavish  routine …you ‘ve  got  to train  yourself to  be  alone,  for  writing  is a solitary  profession and you cannot write if you are  in the  midst of people. On an  average day  I read and write the  entire day, right from 5:am  and  it  is   only  from 7:pm to 8:pm  that I  meet friends. Emotionally, I am  strong. Never  really  cultivated  a  close friend  or  a lover, for  relationships and  love  affairs  consume  too  much time and I  have never  wasted a  single  minute on those  so  called  relationships  or  love  affairs. Even the  prettiest  woman  doesn’t  stay  here for  more than  15  minutes, for  by  then, she can read the  impatience  in  my  eyes. And  though I‘ve  been dropped  by close friends,  I’ve been least  bothered  about  that. ”

Of course, he  has  women  friends. Says he, ” Yes  I do  have  several  women friends.  Yes,  I still  do  fantasize  about women. Which   ones ? Any,  but  I can’t  stand  women who are  not  animated …she  could  be the  most   beautiful   woman  but  if she  is  not  animated then  it is  finished for  me. It is healthy and  human to  think and  fantasize in terms  of  sex.  No  matter  how happily  married   you ‘re,  the   thought  of adultery is there at the  back  of your  mind. I also  feel that  most  marriages  continue because  spouses  don’t  have the energy to fight  a  divorce battle. ”

And when I’d asked him how does he  deal  with those  low phases  that  each one of us  faces at   some  point,  he ‘d  said, ” earlier I used to  go to  the cremation  grounds. It  had a  cleansing  effect, almost  like a   therapy for  me. Also I rarely  get   angry or  feel  hassled. And  no matter what  happens, I try to  keep  to my  routine  and see to  it that  whatever  I  have  planned  for the days  is  met with. In  fact, the   first thing  in the  morning  I do  is to  jot down the  list  of  deadlines  to  be  met with  and Idon’t  retire  till I have  finished the day’s work.The   important  thing  is that  nothing  should be allowed to  come  in  the way  of your work. One  has to   slog, there  is  no other way. ”

And  this  philosophy  automatically explains  that  though  Khushwant  took to writing  after  working  as  a lawyer  for  seven  long  years  at the  Lahore  High  Court, yet  till date  he  has  written  more than  any Indian  writer. Perhaps, the  oldest working  journalist  in  this  part of the  world, he has also been a  witness  to almost  all the  historical turns  in  modern Indian  history.

And though  he  is  a  self- proclaimed  atheist  but  it is  only  through  him that have I learnt the maximum  about  the  Sikh  religion and Sikh  history. In  fact,  the  first  time  I went   inside   a  gurudwara was with him. The two  volumes  on Sikh history which he  has authored will  hold  out for  generations  to come. In these two volumes,  he  has   detailed each and every aspect  related  to the  Sikhs.

In  keeping with the Sikh  philosophy, he  lives a  simple  life .  In a  simply  furnished home, he  sits   in  one  place   –  either writing  or   reading. A short break in the evening, and he  re-starts  the  process  of   reading  and  writing. Little wonder then that   there’s   this little  incident  tucked  in  his  book Death   At   My  Doorstep. I  quote  from  him,  “In  my  third  year  as  editor  of  The   Hindustan  Times,when  my contract was  due   for  renewal  my  anndaata ( provider )  KK  Birla  asked  me,  ‘sardar  sahib aap  ka  retire  honay kaa  kya   vichar  hai ? ( aren’t you thinking  of  retiring ? ). I was then  69. I  replied, ‘  Birlaji,  retire  to  main  Nigambodh ghaat  mein  honga ( I will retire  when  Im  taken to the cremation grounds). ”

Such   is this  man’s outlook that  years back  he   sat and  wrote his  epitaph,  ‘Here  lies  one  who  spared  neither   man  or  God   /waste  not  your  tears  on  him, he was a sod   /Writing  nasty  things he  regarded as  great  fun /Thank  God  he’s dead,this son  of a  gun …’

Tell  me  how  many  amongst  us   even think  of   death   or  even talk   of  it , leave  aside  pen epitaphs?  Our grand old  man  even   quotes  poet  Asadullah   Khan   Ghalib’s   verse  which stresses that   ageing  and  death  are   inevitable , ” Rau  mein hai  raksh-e  -umar kahaan deykheeye thammey? / Nai  haath  baag  par  hai   nah  paon  hai   rakaab  mein (age   travels at a  galloping  pace  / who  knows  where  will  it   stop / we do  not  have the reins  in  our  hands   /we do  not   have our   feet  in  the  stirrups ).

And  he  even  quotes Allama   Iqbal  to  put across that  a  man should  depart from the world  without   any bitterness  or   regret  or   grievances , ” You  ask  me  about the signs  of a  man  of  faith?  When  death  comes to  him   he  has a smile  on his   lips.”

And though Khushwant   Singh  has  bared the  different  aspects   of  his  life and  times   in  his   autobiography  – ‘Truth , Love   &   A  Little   Malice,  it is  another book  by  him  The   End  if  India (Penguin) in which  he writes about  his deep  concern  about  what’s  been  happening   in the country  in the  last  several  years. In  an  interview  given to  me  shortly after  the  book was  published   in the spring  of   2003,  he  sounded anguished  at the build  up  of  communal forces, the  rise of the  Right  Wing,   and the  religious   divides coming about. In  fact, he strongly  feels that as citizens of this country, we  should  not  sit  like   mute spectators but  try and   halt the  spread  of communal  poisoning. “And  if  we  love  our country, we have to   save  it from communal  forces. And though the  liberal class  is shrinking, I do  hope that the  present  generation totally rejects  the communal  and  fascist  policies. ”

He  is  one  of those  who speak  out. And  mind you  not in some  bitter  way  but  complete with  logic and  emotions and  in a  great    passionate way. And  though  decades back, he was  uprooted from his home, even today, he  gets emotional  at the very  mention  of   the  name  of  his  birthplace –   village   Hadali  in  Pakistan’s Sargodha   district. In fact, about  five years back Minoo  Bhandara ( the  well  known  parliamentarian  of  Pakistan who died in a  car accident)  – had   brought   along  photographs   of  Khushwant’s  ancestral  home  in that  village  and seeing  them  Khushwant  spoke  rather  nostalgically about  his place  of  birth, “I  had  visited  the  village  several  years  back  when  I was  visiting  Pakistan.  It was a  very  emotional experience  with a  reception  held  for  me and  people coming to  meet   me.  Ours  was a large  haveli and  today   it  is occupied  by three  refugee  families who  had  gone  from Rohtak. It  was  touching to  see   the  gurdwara in the  village still  intact. Even  during the Partition,  nobody   touched   the   gurdwara though the  village  population had 90 per cent  Muslims and there were only a few Sikh and Hindu families. ”

In  fact ,  he  is  one  of the  few who  did not   let the  bitterness  of the  Partition   affect  him  and he  has done  his  bit to better Sikh  Muslim ties.”I have  always wanted to  bridge  the  gap  between  Sikhs and  Muslims. When  I was  awarded the   Rockefeller   Fellowship, I  decided to  write the two volumes  on the  history  of the  Sikhs  under the  auspices  of the  Aligarh   Muslim  University. No,  never  did  I   develop any  anti -Muslim feeling,  in  fact, two  persons  who  have  left  a deep  impact  on  me  are  –  my  Urdu  teacher  Maulvi  Shafiuddin  Nayar  at the  Modern  School and  the  other  was  Manzoor  Qadir,  my lawyer friend   in Lahore. Two of the   finest  human  beings,  they  left  a  deep  impression  on  me. ”

Humra Quraishi is a freelance reporter and columnist based in Delhi. Her features and interviews appear in the Times of India, the Hindustan Times, the Indian Express, theStatesman, Pioneer and Tribune. Since 1990 she has been visiting Jammu and Kashmir regularly to report on the turmoil there and the effect it has had on the lives of the Kashmiri people. She is also the co-author of Absolute Khushwant: The Low Down On Life, Death And Most Things In-Between.