Religion

by Khushwant Singh, Humra Quraishi

205 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Khushwant Singh, (Punjabi: ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਵੰਤ ਸਿੰਘ, Hindi: खुशवंत सिंह) born on 2 February 1915 in Hadali, Undivided India, (now a part of Pakistan), was a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, was among the most widely-read columns in the country.

An important post-colonial novelist writing in English, Singh is best known for his trenchant secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of poetry. His comparisons of social and behavioral characteristics of Westerners and Indians are laced with acid wit.

Reviews

[Anil Swarup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Khushwant Singh makes a very compelling argument against religion :"It is evident that all religious systems have failed us. They have generated more misunderstanding and hatred tan love and friendship". How true. As a corollary, he makes a case against the belief in God. The author was a professed agnostic himself.
His philosophy about religion appears to be simple :"what is required today is the acceptance of what is basic and rational in the religion of one's birth after removing from it the accretions of dead wood that have accumulated around it and militate against reason and common sense". So is he against religion or the "deadwood" accumulated around it? Or against what is not "rational"? The book itself does not provide any specific answer.
For the author there cannot be any meditation outside religion and by those that do not believe in God. How untrue. Religion and belief in God may assist one to meditate but there are so many that meditate despite being agnostics and have benefited from such meditation.
The book itself is, on occasions, disjointed but like most of Khushwant Singh's books, makes for a compelling reading

[Munir Hyder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting the book to be more deep which its not any ways over all it was a good read.