Sunset Boulevard

It is a fact as famous as the man himself — Khushwant Singh has dinner sharp at 8 pm,and all loitering visitors,status be damned,are told to “bugger off”. Hence,on Tuesday,when the writer-columnist released his latest book,The Sunset Club (Rs 399,Penguin) at Le Meridien hotel on Janpath,every one of the 350 seats was occupied well before the 7 pm timing,to make sure it got over before his supper-time.

Though the evening began with a film in which journalists MJ Akbar and Vinod Mehta and writers like Vikram Seth paid their tribute to Singh,it was not a long function,partly because Singh himself must have been keen for the drinks to begin. “This is my last book,” said the sardar,now 96-years-old,“Of course,I have been saying this for the last six books.”

The Sunset Club was released by Gursharan Kaur,wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and an old fan. “I noticed that every time I had a book launch,she was there,” he said,and then with characteristic irreverence,added,“sometimes uninvited.” Kaur looked suitably ribbed. “She is also a crowd-puller,better than a Hollywood filmstar,” Singh added. The book,said Kaur,pointing at the cover with its photograph of Lodhi Garden,was quintessentially Singh. “It is hilarious,realistic,open and scandalous,” she announced to more laughter.

The novel revolves around the Sunset Club and its members— Pandit Preetam Sharma,Nawab Barkatullah Baig and Sardar Boota Singh,all of them in their eighties. They’ve been friends for over 40 years and every evening,at the hour of sunset,they sit together on a bench at Lodhi Gardens to chat about love,religion,politics,and Singh’s favourite topics— lust,sex and scandal. The storyline stretches over the course of one year,beginning on January 26,2009,and the compelling human drama plays out alongside events in India— from natural disasters and corruption in high places,to violence and general elections.

“I was trained to be a lawyer. Then I became a diplomat,and then an editor who decided to inform,amuse and provoke. The last was the easiest because anything I wrote,people took me to court,” he says,“Now,I am trying to learn to do nothing.”