I was first introduced to Khushwant Singh’s writing when I was a student in school. His story ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ was a part of our English curriculum. For some reason the story touched me deeply, perhaps because in his grandmother, I saw my own. I was of course familiar with his Editorial column in the Illustrated Weekly, of which my parents were regular readers. As a child, his jokes or ironical comments on contemporary politics or economics went over my head but the Mario cartoon festooned on his column always intrigued me and I would spend hours flipping through the magazine, which incidentally was the highest selling magazine in all of Asia then (except Japan).  Later, as a student of literature, I went on to read his novel Train to Pakistan which I revisited several times, trying to make sense of the partition and the mayhem it had caused.  Today, several decades later, I often turn to his volumes, A History of the Sikhs, to get an insight into the culture and heritage of the intriguing race I have been born into. So, when I received an invitation to be a part of the 13th edition of the three-day Khushwant Singh Literary festival, held amid the scenic hills of Kasauli, I was delighted.

 

Kasauli, a cantonment town in the Solan district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, served as the summer retreat for the officers of the British Raj. One can still see colonial style houses dotting its hillsides. Kasauli was also Khushwant Singh’s writing retreat and family home, as his grandfather Teja Singh, owned a beautiful sprawling bungalow called Raj Villa in the heart of the town. Naturally, when the idea for a literary festival to honour Khushwant Singh’s legacy emerged, Kasauli was the chosen venue. The festival is held at the Kasauli Club, which is barely a kilometer from Khushwant Singh’s house. We arrived in Kasauli early Friday morning and checked into a quaint little home stay for the duration of the festival. Then we eagerly headed for the Kasauli Club. It was as though all roads led to the Kasauli club, the venue of the Literary festival and the entire town of Kasauli had come together to support the event. From helpful directions from locals to army personnel facilitating access, Kasauli opened its doors to literature lovers. Volunteers at the Club's gate registered attendees and handed out goody bags adorned with Mario’s iconic cartoon, filled with festival-themed items, including a book on sustainable climate action, which tied in with the festival’s overarching themes of resilience and renewal.