At 93, Khushwant Singh remains irreverent“You people are here not for my book, but for a look at Mrs Gursharan Kaur who has the same status as a Bollywood film actor,” insisted Khushwant Singh, to a laughing crowd of over a 100 people at Delhi’s Meridien Hotel, gathered for the release of his book Songs of the Gurus. Published by Penguin with illustrations by Delhi-based artist Arpana Caur, Singh now 93, came clad in a shawl and was at his amusing best. “Like the actors Mrs Kaur draws the crowds and I’m glad she allowed me to exploit her again for the launch of the book,” said Singh. “Same goes for Arpana who you all know is a very expensive artist and her canvases are worth several lakhs,” added Singh.The book Songs of the Gurus is a compilation of hymns from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh’s time and was translated in the 50s when Singh worked as a press attaché in the Indian Foreign Service and later, when he was on a teaching assignment in Tokyo. Mrs Gursharan Kaur predictably turned out to be the star of the evening. Kaur, who admitted that she had launched many books over the past four and a half years, made some observations about Khushwant Singh. “He claims he is an atheist but he just pretends to be. Also, I have never been to a home which welcomes you with open arms but where the host tells you to leave when the time is up.” And would she wield the pen like her writer family, Kaur said, “I hope so but there are no definite plans as such.”A journalist asked Singh when he’s going to write his next book. “What do you expect? I am 93,” retorted Singh. Going beyond the calendar images of the Gurus, Caur has created stunning illustrations with evocative imagery, retaining the lyricism of the hymns. Natural elements — fish, flowers and birds populate the illustrations. “There is an allusion to nature in the hymns, so I have used natural elements,” explained Caur. The cover of the book is an image of Nanak, prayer beads in hand set against a black background, alluding to the moment when he attained sainthood in Sultanpur Lodhi, Punjab.Songs of the Gurus is priced at Rs 399.
