Introduction To 'Why I Supported The Emergency' By Khushwant Singh

'The Emergency has become a synonym for obscenity . Even men and women who were pillars of Emergency rule and misused their positions to harass innocent people against whom they had personal grudges try to distance themselves from their past in the hope that it will fade out of public memory forever. We must not allow them to get away with it,' says Khushwant Singh, while fearlessly stating his own reasons for championing the Emergency. This bold and thought-provoking collection includes essays on Indira Gandhi's government, the Nanavati Commission's report on the 1984 riots and the riots themselves, as well as captivating pieces on the art kissing and the importance of bathing. Alongside these are the portraits of historical figures such as Bahadur Shah Zafar, General Dyer, Ghalib and Maharaja Ranjit Singh as well as candid profiles of the famous personalities of has known over the years, revealing intimate details about their lives and characters. From his reflections on Amrita Sher-Gil's alleged promiscuity to the experience of watching a pornographic film with a stoic  R. K. Narayan , this is Khushwant Singh at his controversial and iconoclastic best.

About The Author Of 'Why I Supported The Emergency' By Khushwant Singh

Khushwant Singh is India's best-known writer and columnist. He has been founder-editor of Yojana , and editor of the Ilustrated Weekly of India, the National Herald and the Hindustan Times. He is the author of the novels Train to Pakistan, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, Delhi, The Company of Women and Burial at Sea. His non-fiction includes the classic two-volume A History of the Sikhs ; a number of translation and works on Sikh religion and culture, Delhi , nature , current affairs and Urdu poetry. His autobiography, Truth, Love and a Little Malice, was published by Penguin Books in 2002.

Khushwant Singh was a member of Parliament from 1980 to 1986. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974,  but returned the decoration in 1984 in protest against the storming of the Golden Temple by the Indian army . In 2007 he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.

Sheela Reddy  has been a journalist for over thirty years and has known Khushwant Singh for almost as long. For the last eight years she has been the books editor of the leading news magazine, Outlook, where she has written extensively on books, writers and the publishing business. Her writing has appeared in literary magazines and in several anthologies, including Penguin India's First Proof and Chasing the Good Life.

Table of Contents For 'Why I Supported The Emergency' By Khushwant Singh