Quick Info
| Profession | Author |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian |
| Date of Birth | 02/02/1915 |
| Age | 99 years (died on 20, Mar, 2014) |
| Birthplace | Hadali, Khushab District, Punjab (now in Pakistan) |
| Date of Death | 20/03/2014 |
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Physical Stats & More
| Height | 170 cm |
|---|---|
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
Educational Qualification(s)
| School | Modern School, New Delhi |
|---|---|
| College(s) |
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| Educational Qualification | B.A., LL.B. |
Personal Life
| Deathplace | New Delhi, India |
|---|---|
| Age (at the time of death) | 99 Years |
| Death Cause | Natural Causes |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Aquarius |
| Religion | Agnostic |
| Political Inclination | Indian National Congress |
| Address | Sujan Singh Park, near Khan Market, New Delhi |
Relationships & More
| Marital Status | Married |
|---|---|
| Marriage Year | 1939 |
Family
| Father | Sobha Singh (a prominent builder in Lutyens' Delhi) |
|---|---|
| Mother | Veeran Bai |
| Siblings |
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| Spouse | Kawal Malik |
| Children |
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Career
| Practised law in Lahore High Court (1939-1947) | |
| Joined Indian Foreign Service (1947) | |
| Founder-editor of Yojana (1951-1953) | |
| Editor of Illustrated Weekly of India (1969-1978) | |
| Editor of New Delhi (1979-1980) | |
| Editor of Hindustan Times (1980-1983) | |
| Member of Rajya Sabha (1980-1986) | |
| Received Padma Bhushan (1974), returned it in 1984 in protest against Operation Bluestar | |
| Received Padma Vibhushan (2007) | |
| Served as diplomat for newly independent India (1947) | |
| Journalist with All India Radio (1951) | |
| Editor-in-Chief of National Herald (1978-1979) |
Favourites
| Favourite Indian Poet | Nissim Ezekiel |
|---|---|
| Favourite Poem | The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot |
| Favourite Drink | Premium Scotch |
Some Lesser Known Facts
| 1. Khushwant Singh consumed alcohol. | |
| 2. He was a well-known columnist and writer in India. | |
| 3. His career started as a law practitioner in 1938. | |
| 4. He wrote nearly 80 books, such as 'Train to Pakistan' and 'Delhi: A Novel'. | |
| 5. In 2011, he publicly declared his agnostic beliefs. | |
| 6. He released 'Khushwantnama: The Lessons of My Life' on his 98th birthday. | |
| 7. At the age of 98, he authored 'The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous'. | |
| 8. He passed away on 20 March 2014 in Delhi. | |
| 9. Births were not recorded in his time; his father chose 2 February 1915 for school enrollment. | |
| 10. In 1943, he wrote his own obituary, published in his short story collection 'Posthumous'. | |
| 11. He preferred burial over cremation to return to the earth, but was cremated. | |
| 12. His Saturday column 'With Malice towards One & All' in the Hindustan Times was one of the most popular columns of its time. | |
| 13. The Library of Congress has 99 works on and by Khushwant Singh. | |
| 14. He was one of the last survivors of India's independence generation. |