Khushwant Singh has an India-wide understanding of our social problems. His writings
depict with force, brilliance and passion the problems which torture and torment the
Indian spirit in contemporary times. He has pointed out the drawbacks that plague India,
which hold her back from moving full steam ahead on the path of progress. If we seek to
understand the India of today which we love so passionately, we find a vivid reflection of
it in his writings. His body of work underlines the specific features of many social problems
which engage our attention and it seeks to give us a sense of direction, whither we are to
advance and how. Thus, it is rich in lessons for the student-historian of society to learn.
His literary creations not only mirror society, but also try to transform it, to remould it
“nearer to the heart’s desire”.
The special qualities of Singh are described thus in the introductory note of collection
of essays titled Khushwant Singh’s India (1970), “Khushwant Singh has been described
as India’s Malcolm Muggeridge. He holds nothing sacred. He enjoys nothing more than
dipping his barbed pen in a pot of vitriol and lambasting the establishment, the accepted
order of things political, religious or social and puncturing inflated reputations” (Singh,
1970, p. 1). |
