Khushwant Singh speaking at a function while the author's grandfather sits behind

Save the Date: THE KHUSHWANT SINGH LITERARY FESTIVAL

When you do something that you love, not only do you enjoy the process, but you get goosebumps every time the universe throws a frisbee your way. I had a blast contributing to the anthology titled Home#ItsComplicated. And I thought that would be that, but then the universe was like, “Yeah, naah, we’re not done here.” Out of the blue, on a typical grey London afternoon, I get this call inviting me to speak about what home means — can anyone ever succinctly elaborate on that? I know I can’t — and not just any venue, but a platform named after a person whom I hold in the deepest regard. Someone related to me in a very roundabout way that encapsulates all of life’s idiosyncracies […]

When the Baby of the Family Got Married

“You just watch when Monty gets married,” he’d said as he brushed away his tears, “Then I’ll really cry.” This was vintage Sher Alam. Over the years, in multiple retellings of this incident, which happened when the eldest of our four siblings got married, the love and genuineness that Sher Alam, self-titled as Baati, the baby of our group, wanted to convey has never been lost amidst the laughter and mirth. As sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews came, they all developed their special equations with ‘Baati Dada’. I won’t lie; when the announcement of Sher Alam’s wedding finally came, there were definitely mixed emotions.  On the one hand, there was elation, excitement and curiosity even as to how the erstwhile kid, who, until recently, […]

Roadside Buddha and the Meaning of Life

What is the meaning of life? How does one attain happiness and, more importantly, hold onto it? These are the type of introspective questions that are bound to pop up in one’s head when you forget to bring a book along, your phone is about to die, and the person in the seat next to you has made it clear that they would rather pretend to fall asleep than talk to you.  As the sun is a sullen red ball about to dip over the horizon, traveling by bus during the afternoon is perhaps the best time to indulge in actions, lazy cousin: introspection.  Just make sure to fulfil all the requirements mentioned above in addition to a window seat. Because no amount of explanation […]