Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday recalled the role played by eminent author Khushwant Singh in defusing tensions in Punjab in the wake of Operation Bluestar.
Turning nostalgic as he recounted several of his personal interactions with late Khushwant Singh while launching a book on the well-known writer, the Chief Minister said a general feeling of bitterness prevailed in the State at that time and a team was appointed to bring down tempers, with Khuswant a prominent member of it.
One of the important legacies left behind by Khushwant was that he believed in truth, and what he wrote was simply truth, said Captain Amarinder, adding that the great author and his books would live in the hearts and minds of people till posterity.
The Chief Minister, who was Guest of Honour at the launch of Vitasta Publishing’s new book ‘Khushwant Singh: In Wisdom and in Jest’, co-authored by Vijay Narain Shankar and Onkar Singh, described Khushwant as a man who could get away with the most outrageous of statements.
Taking part in a discussion after the book launch, the Chief Minister said he did not endorse Khushwant’s projection as an agnostic and believed it to be his mere public posturing, considering that he was well versed with the Sikh religious paaths (prayers) of ‘Jap ji Sahib’. In fact, said Amarinder, Khushwant’s translation of ‘Jaap Sahib’ was the best he had come across. He also cited from the book to point out that the author used to visit Bangla Sahib gurdwara at night, indicating that he did believe in religion though he was opposed to ritualism.
The Chief Minister recalled another incident when Khushwant did not spare him out of any sense of politeness. On the release of Captain’s book on the lahore Darbar, the author told him “this is the first book of that period where I have not been quoted,” recalled the Chief Minister.
Montek Singh said Khushwant had enriched Delhi in many ways and was much admired by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Considering that he had not achieved much till the age of 40, Montek said he was an ideal for youngsters who could learn from his example that success could come at any age.