Khushwant Singh - A Tribute

This is a re-posting of one I had written about him, around 2 years ago, after reading his book on happiness. He passed away at age 99 yesterday.

Khushwant Singh, one of India's most entertaining writers, has written about almost everything in his long years as a journalist, editor, column writer (with Malice Towards All) etc. His light bulb logo was designed by Mario Miranda, the famous cartoonist. The Illustrated Weekly was very lively in his days as the editor. I respect him because he made a living from writing- a tough thing to do.

His take on happiness (or what I remember of it) is somewhat like this-

Earn enough to help yourself. Mendicants may or may not be happy.

Learn to live in solitude. Not in the Himalayas necessarily, but have significant time for yourself.

Make use of the time you have. Mostly, we spend a lot of time cribbing about (the time and much else) we don't have.

Don't waste time on parties and celebrities (and IPL- which might be fixed anyway).

Reduce the irritants in life-we may have lots of them, like unwanted phone calls, credit cards, visits from people who have nothing positive to share or teach us, ...ad infinitum.

Following from the above, indulge in things you like to do, so that you get better at them. And naturally enjoy life.

I would add- play a sport (preferably golf, but anything is Ok), play with children. Listen to music. 

Khushwant Singh on Happiness

Khushwant Singh, one of India's most entertaining writers, has written about almost everything in his long years as a journalist, editor, column writer (with Malice Towards All) etc. His light bulb logo was designed by Mario Miranda, the famous cartoonist. The Illustrated Weekly was very lively in his days as the editor. I respect him because he made a living from writing- a tough thing to do.

His take on happiness (or what I remember of it) is somewhat like this-

Earn enough to help yourself. Mendicants may or may not be happy.

Learn to live in solitude. Not in the Himalayas necessarily, but have significant time for yourself.

Make use of the time you have. Mostly, we spend a lot of time cribbing about (the time and much else) we don't have.

Don't waste time on parties and celebrities (and IPL- which might be fixed anyway).

Reduce the irritants in life-we may have lots of them, like unwanted phone calls, visits from people who have nothing positive to share or teach us, ...ad infinitum.

Following from the above, indulge in things you like to do, so that you get better at them. And naturally enjoy life.

I would add-play a sport, play with children. Listen to music. 

Kolkata, Ambassadors and Kenilworth

Had a nice alumni meet at Kenilworth, Kolkata, on Saturday evening. There are a lot of positives about Kolkata. One, the food is usually good. At Kenilworth, it was very good. At Peerless Inn where we stayed, the breakfast spread was equally good.

There is a sense of being in a historic place whenever I visit Kolkata. The British-era buildings and the Victoria Memorial have a charm of their own. The quaint Ambassador taxis all around you are actually comfortable to sit in, though mostly without air-conditioning.

Also met an alumna who is on her way to getting an FPM (PhD equivalent) from IIM Calcutta. Good conversations, with lots of corporate alumni, and some entrepreneurs into Jute and other businesses. As usual, closed around midnight.

Read a recent Khushwant Singh book on the flight back. He has a simple,direct style free of too many complicated words, which is quite appealing and has made him a popular writer. His views about life and its major constituent- the quest for happiness, are worth a read. He has a chapter on happiness in this book, written when he is 95. Amazing enough to be alive and kicking at that age!