Delhi - Khushwant Singh

It is one of those books which I neglected to peruse in one spell. I would read it, set it aside naming it as not to be perused, lift it up and read it once more:D it is astonishing work however the substance gets so overpowering now and again that one just disposes of it as nonsense. I was occupied with history of Dehli so I didnt discover it truly intriguing. In any case it took me to the dull back roads of Dehli:p yet there wasnt much about history. I lament that I didnt read the first urdu variant since it resembled eating gruel perusing this in English. The story had an example in it, it was anything but difficult to anticipate what would occur next and a portion of the scenes were recently futile redundancies of earlier ones. Khushwant attempted to restrain history of 400 years in 300 pages I wouldnt have expected more awful. What's more, it was interesting that it wasnt history even. On the off chance that you need to peruse a book on history of Dehli then dont read this one.

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I read it as I am fond of historic novel. This happens to be story of delhi.

Khushwant Singh has masqueraded his character, but shared a lot of insight about a city-known as Shah jahanabad, Dilli and Indraprastha.

This is among his most popular books which has found praise in many literary journals.

Unlike other writers; Khushwant Singh narrates his saga in first person account.

He makes his readers part of his journey. He familiarize us about Nadir Shah, Akbar, Mir, Ghalib, Sikhs and Gandhis- Mahatma Gandhi to Indira Gandhi!

Though, I have also read good books by others like Patwant Singh, Sam Miller and Mark Tully;but, Khushwant Singh aka grand old man of Delhi knows about his beloved city more than others!

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Of all the books of Khushwant Singh, this book is close to my heart for its narration style. The stories depicting the evolution of Delhi and its transformation now are enthralling.

A complete mix of history, romance and as usual Singh's high sense of sex satire. But in the deep side, lies all the pictures of hurdles that Delhi went through. You can sense the Moghul era, as if it happened just now.You close your eyes and see Dhaulakuan You close your eyes and see Bhagmati trying to hide herself. Such is the narration.

Its a pure joy of reading.

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One who misuses freedom is supposed to lose it today or tomorrow. Once the freedom is lost, it will be the same people who will cry foul. Let it be administration, films, religion,drama or even in writing that is the case. So far I was for the opinion that there is no censorship is required for books where we have high respect for people who writes, like teachers irrespective of their qualification. Authors are considered to be cultural leaders as well, for their good intentions to change the society. I am disappointed with Khushwant Singh and his ‘Delhi’. After reading ‘Delhi’, if somebody proposes a sensorship forbooks, I will recommend the proposal.

I don’t talk the language the author uses in the book and I never stay in the company of people who regularly uses such languages and no wonder, I simply disliked, disappointed and angry at the bookand the author.

The back cover of the book states ‘I return to Delhi as I return to mymistress Bhagmati when I have had my fill of whoring in foreign lands…’ Thus begins Khushwant Singh’s vast, erotic, irreverent magnum opus on the city of Delhi. The book started on a promising note.

The author created a heart touching case for the leading lady ‘Bhagmati’ who is a ‘hijada’. Also he has shown different faces of Delhi with a critical view. However, instead of focusing the present theauthor chose to give a historical overview and its religious colours. The only thing connecting the central themeand the history was sex and its irritating details.

The book is highly inspired by Victor Hugo's The Hunchback ofNotre Dome. 'Bhagmati' is simply 'Quasimondo' of Hunchback. However, the little sister of Quasimondo didn't impress like the Hunchback. Probably Khuswant Singh wanted his 'Delhi' will alert the government to protect the 'culture' & 'Hisotry' of Delhi as like The Hunchback manage to do for Notre Dome. Sadly, 'Delhi' lack the soul like The Hunchback, nor the story was good enough to cover the serious dose of history. In Huchback, the story immortalise the message where Delhi fall flat in all that departments.

Vaikam Mohammed Basheer, one of the finest Malayalam writer had described a character who claims the responsibility of any woman get pregnant in the area. There used to have a group of people who listen to his ‘experiences’ . One day, somebody told in the group, ‘Kalyani is pregnant’. The character didn’t had to wait and he told, ‘I am responsible for it’. Everybody start laughing when the person told, it is ‘Kalyani the elephant which got pregnant’. Such is the boasting of the protagonist in the novel.

The author may have some good and sincere intentions but the unacceptable language become the waterloo of Khushwant Singh's Delhi. I will not recommend the book for anybody.

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I have the opportunity to personally meet Mr. Khushwant Singh in person and listen to some of his experiences, but I find it very strange that why a man of his age, is so attached with Sex in the city.

In this book he tries to come out with different facets of Delhi, but again laced with the dose of sexual and sensual situations. No doubt, he is a man who loved to be called a pen pusher all his life, but after a certain age, the style and content starts showing the signs of age (or shall we call it maturity), but in case of Khuswant Singh, it's the same old story.

Sometimes, the housemaid does favours to him, some other times, it is the friendly Hizra or the friendly neighbour. After going through the book, I, a Delhi resident for the last 30 years, started asking myself why did such frequent sexual favours did not happen with me?

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If one was to describe the book in one word, it would be Superb.This is one book that makes u break the barriers of time and space.  U can actually feel as though you are in that era of Mougals Badshahs and their riyasats.

My favourite from this book is the chapter on Hazrath Nizammuddin Auliya.  I used to visit Delhi quite often and we used to get down at Hazrat Nizammudin Station many a times.  But what the hell I hadn't read this book then.  The irony is that when I read this book since then it 8 years I havn't got a chance to visit Delhi.  I have a great desire to visit The Hazrat Nizammuddin Dargah.

Apart from the story that goes thru the streets of Delhi, what makes it interesting is the style in which Khushwant Singh progresses in the book.  The book travels history like never before.

The story moves like the movie Rang De Basanti (staring Aamir Khan).  From present to past and back.

Comparing this book with another is not possible by me.  But u have read something like this to compare it with another.

Last but not the least the Eunuch (half man, half woman), Bhagmati .....one character to be looked forward to and that is present all thru book to make u feel at ease in case u get too serious with what is written.

For all the book lovers and especially Khushwant Singh lovers..... this is a must read.

Warning ! Keep away from ur heart.  I have made the mistake.

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A masterpiece frm someone who can put himself in the shoes of the emperor and the commoner and still be able to describe the scene with equal punch.  telling the life of a city across the centuries from  the eyes of its citizens that inhabited it  while running a parallel contemporary commentary is an effective style which keeps u firmly in present and yet gives a vry graphic picture of life in those turbulent times.

Not a history lesson but a lesson for those who hav read the history. The portrayal of the love/hate relationship between the author and bhagmati/delhi is an audacious but a genius masterstroke which is the stamp that proves the'delhite' credentials of the author .

history is best appreciated when you live through it, and this is what exactly the book does. It lives through its characters and instead of focusing on the'beaten path' it concentrates on those aspects which has given the city its identity. frm the sufi cult to the foreign invasions to the assassination of Gandhi to the anti-Sikh riots the narrative hops from one character to another without being abrupt.

the space-time continuum it forms gives you a sense of connectivity to the past and suddenly we realize that it not that long that we were there!!  I can recall the feelings that surges through the blood when you enter the city after appreciating the book .

You end up with a feeling of 'u belong here' . a city worth living for, a city worth fighting for . sher-e-noor . Delhi

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Khushwant Singh writes well - which was evident in the old days when he was with Illustrated Weekly and more recently with this more recent work.  The book hops from different eras in the history of Delhi - modern to historical.

The prose is humorous, pithy and very satirical in some passages.  Whatever the circumstance he describes: the reactionary anti-Sikh violence after the passing of Indira Gandhi, etc is done with finesse and great skill.

I wouldnt start out with this particular title if your new to Khushwant Singh - there are other less difficult and intricate works he's done i.e. Train to Pakistan regarding another dark period in India's history.  What strikes me unique about Khuswant Singh is his secular stance on historical events giving both the Indian and Westerner an almost ubique rendering of these events.  In particular, the portrayal of the rioting after Indira Gandhi's asassination by a fellow Sikh bodygaurd.

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When I dreamt of undertaking a research work in literature there came up many names of novelists, poets, dramatists and short story writers. I liked to do research only on Khushwant Singh because of his style of straitforward  narration. He is very clear in his narration and points out even the minute details. There are many ways to look at a piece of art. I have read and heard many saying that if it is a novel of Khushwant Singh there  must be love and sex. There is no denying of this view also.But when I started reading the novel I felt that it is not merely the history of India or the story of  the hijdas. I felt it is the record of the Delhi city as the permanent seat of power.

This is the third novel of Khushwant Singh that I have read. The novelist does not simply tell something about Bhagmati or this and that. But he records something that is special about Delhi. It is not only the likes and dislikes of either the novelist or the others but the very seat of power has chosen the city as its permanent place. Starting from the Vedic times one or the other ruler took over the power and remained in Delhi  only. Indian epic Mahabharata also records the same as Delhi was the centre during the time of  Mahabharata war. Of course it was known by some other names.

Although the southern India attracted the rulers by its varied spices, Delhi remained their seat of power. There came many foreign rulers and plundered the city, demolished all the beautiul constructions and never thought of shifting their seat from Delhi. Mohammad Bin Tughalak once shifted but failed to remain there for long time and again came back to Delhi.

Delhi was ruled by Kings, Queens, Maharajas and even the Western colonialists like the British, French, Dutch and others. Now it is ruled by the representatives of the people. Whether it was Kingship or Dictatorship or Democracy , the type of power administration, but Delhi remained the seat of power. This is what siezed my attention while reading the novel Delhi.

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I knew of Khushwant Singh when he was at the prime of his career.  He was editing the Illustrated Weekly of India and wrote some pretty irreverant stuff.  He took a lot of flak for being an exhibitionist and mouthing(penning) controversial stuff.  His writings seemed to revolve around wine and women and seemed to be delibrately contrary to what people said.  That is the image I had of him.  His columns were generally trashy and peices of trivia, laced with jokes and shairi.  I read a short story or an excerpt of his novel here and there.  The pulled out peices were usually erotic and simply reinforced the general image of him as a boozing womanising old man. A Dirty Old Man he was called.

Years later he happened to visit my office with his wife.  I was surprised to see an old man walk in with his wife.  There was no bulb over his head and no glass of whiskey in his hand.  About a year or so back I read an interview where he had described his daily routine.  Early up, he listened to direct telecast of kirtan from Darbar Sahib on the radio, ruminated on some shabd or kirtan, wrote some mandatory pages each day, and generally seemed to lead a very disciplinary sedantary life. Highly commendable from someone who is an nonagenarian.

Then I took out a book called Delhi from my library.  I am going to digress a little here.  I dont have much fondness for pulp fiction.  Sometimes I have picked up Mills and Boon romances, some books that seem like light hearted read to pass time.  I have even tried to read some Shobha De but found her insufferable.  Her book, Sultry Nights, wasnt pulpy or interesting enough to keep me engrossed.  But this book is the mother of pulp fiction.  Khushwant Singh turns all the rules on their heads.  The hero isnt a handsome rich dude, but a middleaged, ugly sikh.  His heroine isnt a beautiful woman with a thousand virtues like Tess, she is a hermaphrodite Bhagmati. He lays bare his soul, his lover's warts, and through them both he lays open the grandeur and the grime of Delhi.

The magnificient, the merciless, the munificent, the marauder, the people who uplifted and raped Delhi in quick succession.  We are taken from the times of Balban to 1984 when Delhi was shaken by the anti-Sikh riots post Indira Gandhi's murder.  Of course not in detail, or it would take a number of books.  Rather than relate the history of Delhi to us in a mundane manner, he chooses to let some character of those times tell us the story.  Therein lies the beauty of the novel.  It is extremely readable, the first requirement of anything that passes through the printing presses.

KS is totally irreverent, liberal with erotic descriptions, and busts many historical myths.  He does not fear to call a spade a spade and that is what makes his novel such a mushy pulpy read.  I realise now that the fearsome reputation he garnered was probably bestowed upon him by jealous colleagues.  He was ahead of his time by decades and stood by whatever he said and believed in.

Of all the pulp fiction I have read, he is the best.  He is so good that he threatens to invade into territory usually occupied by Literature.

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This is one of the best books in modern English Literature. It is much better than the purported magic realism of Salman Rushdie et al and I believe it is on a par with Marquez at his best. The only reason it is not better known is because it was published in India alone, and did not get a more general release.A brilliant skip through the ages written in a mixture of poetic and earthy prose and as usual Khushwant Singh does not shrink from the basic job of a writer - to face history, events, characters with honesty and to try to reveal some truths about the world and the people and places depicted.

I should however write a few cautionary words. This book is not for the feeble-minded, the avoiders of truth and beauty, the bourgeois shilly-shalliers, the intellectual and moral pygmies, those who like to look like they love literature but do not, or cannot, read it. If you are worried that you might be one of these people then read the introduction to ''Our Favourite Indian Stories'' by Neelam Kumar and if you understand and appreciate it then you will enjoy this book. Alternatively, a shorter method is if you understand and appreciate the title to this review you should enjoy Delhi (as I am sure the equally good writer of the original quote would have).

If you think this is extreme, everyone I have shown this book to who has read it in London has enjoyed it and thought it was good, if not great. It would seem only Indians in India do not appreciate one of their greatest writers. Still, in a way, it is a compliment to be unappreciated by those who are not worthy of expressing their appreciation...

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Hi Friends,

This is the second time Khushwant Singh has disappointed me. I started Khushwant Singh with ‘Train to Pakistan’ which indeed is a commendable effort by KS to paint the picture of the barbaric and insane times of division of India in 1947 and following Hindu – Muslim – Sikh riots.

Second I read, ‘I shall not hear the Nightingale’ which gives you an erection every 20 minutes. The novel is full of vividly described intimate scenes of a husband and wife and the wife’s unfaithful encounters with a complete and comprehensive lack of story.

Delhi, which is my third and probably last Khushwant Singh book is a similar one to the one described above. The novel has a complete and comprehensive lack of story, is full of colorfully described sex scenes between the author and ‘Bhagmati’ who is a female hijra (hermaphrodite) prostitute.Infact, the author has devoted a complete chapter in describing the kinds of farts. The chapter is indeed a funny one to read but in wider scheme of things it is quite useless, out-of-place, boring, must be skipped and a complete wastage of time, ink and paper.

The Story (I wonder if there was one!)

There is NO STORY at all. The author starts by describing Delhi and comparing it with certain things, giving analogies and all this to drive home the point that Delhi is unique and the people of Delhi love it and can not leave it and settle at some other place. While the author uselessly takes a quite philosophical look at describing Delhi, the whole view-point is quite logic less.

I mean I have never ever observed that kind of devotion towards Delhi from any of the people I have met and talked to. 100% of times, people living in Delhi tell me that there is lack of electricity, water, the local bus service is over crowded, the city is polluted, mismanaged, the life is very fast and very hectic. Though they also tell me that Delhi is full of opportunities, it is a great place for education with some of the best undergraduate and postgraduate courses and colleges over there (Delhi University predominantly), there is a lot of money in Delhi provided one knows how and where to make it, the city never sleeps and some thing or the other concerning all and sundry is always going on.

But none of the people seem to be satisfied with their lives in Delhi. Yet, the story goes on.

History of Delhi

Suddenly, KS becomes a historian and starts to tell us about the history of Delhi. This effort is quite good in the initial chapters; infact the starting of novel is quite interesting and motivates to read on. But in between somewhere the story starts its grip and gets dull and then keeps on getting dull.

The author’s sexual encounters with ‘Bhagmati’ and certain other ladies make the novel worse as they suddenly appear out of no-where. While in one chapter the story goes on with ‘Bhagmati’ or certain other lady in there with the author, the other chapter will suddenly tell you about ‘Nadir Shah’ or ‘Aurangzeb’ or ‘Mir Taqui Mir’.

Even when describing the history the author is not very convinced, I mean the story has been made from what the author has heard from other people, I doubt if some serious research has gone into it.

And then suddenly in the middle of it, you are not sure what are you reading – the history of Delhi, author’s sexual encounters with Bhagmati or some other lady, author’s personal life getting full of trouble as he is getting old, a memoir, what is the haven’s name are you reading?

That is what occurred to me and I ruthlessly started skipping things, went through chapters very quickly and finally felt relieved when I had finished this book.

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT READ THIS BOOK?!

This part of the review is very important, why you should not read this book?

For one, I am not sure what the book is? Is it an account of Delhi’s history, is this a book that tells about the life in Delhi, about devotion of people of Delhi towards it, is it an account of Khushwant Singh’s sexual intimacies with ‘Bhagmati’ or other women which have been explained in great detail, what is hell’s name is this book about?

So, I don’t know as what I should recommend you this book. If you want to know about life of Delhi, go to ISBT, Delhi and take a metro to Chandni Chowk or Karol Bagh or Cannought Place (CP as we call it) and see what Delhi is about, go to North Campus and see Delhi University, go to Jama Mazjid or Qutab Minar etc and see for yourself, live for some days, travel in a local bus in a peak hour and travel in Delhi Metro and you will find for yourself what life in Delhi all about.

If you want to read history of Delhi, this will be the last book you should read.

If you want to read some soft porn, then perhaps you can consider it!!

Finally

This book is a complete wastage of time, a useless effort at telling the history of Delhi. I mean a person who writes that Aurangzeb was a Mughal emperor who did good things for Hindus and Sikhs and granted money to build Hindu temples must be sick. Besides, if he is an author he hasn’t done any research to prove his point.

This book is an utter failure if this is an attempt to write fiction.

THIS BOOK SHOULD NOT BE READ, IT IS UTTERLY UNREADABLE.

Happy Reading (something else that this book),

Khagesh Gautam

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As I opened my cupboard to search for this book, blurred and fainted visions haunted me. Images of a posh party in late 2001 at a grand hotel came before my eyes, where Khushwant Singh was invited by my father, where the author himself handed me with this book and told me “Promise me Sunny, that this will be the first book you’ll read when you turn 18”, with a wink...I smiled at the flashback and looked down at the cover. A buxom lady half nude standing with her head bowed in front of an emperor...Why did I want to read this? Delhi, the city itself, was one of the sole reasons. I have known Delhi at the back of my hand (thanks to its short distance to Rishikesh and to our 100s of relatives residing there), but never really indulged myself into the history of the city. Dad said, every monument there had a fantastic tale behind it, which only acted as a catalyst in my desire to read about this city, and here I am...so did this novel satiate my thirst...Read on!!

PLOT OF “DELHI”

There’s not one, but an unbelievable ten plots in this epic. Basically, it’s a collection of 10 tales which start off at 1265 A.D. and come way down to 1985 A.D. covering all the major incidents that gave Delhi its present shape, its present identity. The protagonist/narrator of this book is an old reprobate who loves Delhi as much as he does the hermaphrodite (hijda) prostitute Bhagmati! The story jets off with this middle-aged man landing into Delhi after a hiatus and accommodating himself in the city. After some days of wandering, he basically takes up a job of a royal tourist guide, as he is quite well-acquainted to the city. His first account when he takes an American girl on a round trip of the city suggest that he is anything but a gentleman. Flirting and eve-teasing are his forte and he enjoys the company of women. Enter Bhagmati—a dark, scruffy hijda from Lal Kuan in whom our protagonist finds a hugely satisfying bed-partner. What follows is an endless description of their libidinous adventures in bed, which is better left in the book. The narrator, thereafter, takes Bhagmati to Jahaz Mahal, where an inscribed stone catches his eye, and thus starts the real history of Delhi.

The reader is taken way back to 1265 A.D. when Delhi was ruled by Sultan Ghiasuddin Balban. The narrator here is a clerk called Musaddi Lal who takes us on his life journey (right from his child-marriage to his old years), and in the process he very masterfully sews in the influence of Hazrat Nizamuddin, the wrath of Ameer Khusraoo and the passing over of the kingdom from Balban to Khiljis. In other words, this chapter marks the building of Mughal Empire in Delhi. The next one tells us describes the advent of Taimur in Delhi, and the consolidation of Mughals. The following one stretches from the death of Jahangir to the reign of Shah Jahan to Aurangzeb’s rule from the eyes of an untouchable Sikh. What follows next is Aurangzeb’s heart-wrenching life history, taken from the author’s autobiography, followed immediately by Nadir Shah’s invasion and one year rule over Delhi. Up next is a detailed, erotic life-history of an Agra-based poet (shaayar) in whose life-time Delhi gets into the hands of Abdali, then the Marathas, then the Jats and the Sikhs, and finally to the hands of Ghulam Qadir. The city, irrespective of the ruler, only comes one step closer of being a desert—such is the havoc created by each of them. Then comes the chapter titled “1857”, which marks the beginning of British’s government’s impact on Delhi and deterioration of the last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar to a prisoner, with whom, the Mughal Empire sees its last, painful days. Slowly moving into the 1900s comes the third last chapter, which tells how Delhi was being rebuilt under the British Raj. The chapter’s narrator is a builder (who played chief importance in standing buildings up) who later on turns to a dignitary. After many Viceroys, comes the second last chapter describing India’s period of Independence, Partition and Gandhiji’s Shootout. The narrator here is a refugee from Pakistan who joins a fundamentalist group in Delhi, and observes every action by the Father of The Nation and other dignitaries closely. Cut to the present narrator, the same old Sikh who had found that inscribed stone, and comes the last episode that shook Delhi—1984 riots, after Indira Gandhi was shot dead.

Stretched in over 400 pages, this is what forms the outer shell of this epic called “Delhi”.

MY REVIEW ON “DELHI”

Storytelling:

Delhi is very unique in its story-telling. The manner in which the 10 episodes have been sewn in are almost revolutionary in concept, but what bogs down is the lack of flow in the language. To provide authenticity and uniqueness to each era, each and every episode has a totally different style of narration. So when Aurangzeb or Nadir Shah write about themselves, they refer themselves as “we”. Similarly, the poet, Meer Taki Meer has a poem almost after every 4 paragraphs. Plus, the plethora of Arabic words being stuffed into every chapter means that after every episode, you feel completely out of place in the next episode. Moreover, there is a chapter titled “Bhagmati” after every episode, where the present narrator makes his presence felt through a completely voyeuristic account,that instead of joining the episodes, only divides the book.

Another demeaning factor is Delhi’s length. Each and every episode (save for Taimur’s) is so long-winded, and so heavy in narration, that after every episode, I felt giddy. Relief comes only in the form of sexual descriptions interwoven in abundance into practically every episode.

As far as eroticism and voyeurism is concerned, I think there was simply an overdose of it. After reading the whole book, when I counted the number of pages describing the adventures in the bedroom, I was amazed to find a concentrated 20% of the book immersed in it, which makes the book pure adult fiction. Every second king is claimed to be a gay and every third ruler a male-whore. Add to that explanations of every encounter they have, and I won’t balme you if you mistake this book to be a rip-off from Playboy. The author’s sense of humour is also idiotic at times, as after a heavy chapter on Meer Taki Meer, he has written a full four pages on different types of farts. Gawd!!!

My other gripe with the book was its language. Besides having an overdose of Arabic words, there are all the gaalis and swear-language that you can ever ask for, and more. Don’t be amazed if you find Indira Gandhi being called a bitch, or Gandhiji being nicknamed as Old Fox.

All this, however, doesn’t mean that Delhi is badly written. Seeing my lack of keen-ness in reading long novels, I was amazed to have actually completed Delhi in three days thanks to the Oxbridge-style narration. There’s no dearth of literary experiments here, and though the language does give the book a dramatic look, it takes away its lightness and vividity, and makes it all the more heavy.

Characterisation:

Too many characters. Probably more than 1000 find their way into Delhi, and thanks to the author’s command over language, most of them do leave an impression on the reader’s mind. The most endearing pieces of work come in the chapters of Aurangzeb, Nizamuddin and Nadir Shah. All these three episodes will have you hooked from the first page to the last, and tug at your heart-strings.

CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION...

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