Portrait of a Serial Killer: Uncollected Writings: Khushwant Singh

by Khushwant Singh, Mala Dayal (Editor)

Published on the hundredth anniversary of Khushwant Singh s birth, none of the essays in this collection has been published in book form before. A chilling account of the serial killer Raman Raghav rubs shoulders with an extraordinary portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru followed by an exuberant encounter with Dev Anand, as well as nearly twenty other profiles of saints, charlatans, writers, singers, politicians and other arresting characters. Another section of the book contains vivid sketches of various parts of the country an unspoilt tribal village in Bihar, the fire of a gulmohar forest in Bokaro, the strange goings-on in the expat community in Darjeeling, a small community in the hinterland that is terrorized by a sudden invasion of snakes, and a bittersweet paean to Delhi, among others. There are also essays that provide insights into familiar characteristics of India obnoxious VIPs, violence against women, corruption, amiable lunatics, idiot lawyers, stud bulls, Indian men and much else besides. Elegiac, witty and compelling, this is a book that will delight Khushwant Singh s numerous fans as well as anyone with an interest in contemporary India.

Genres: Nonfiction

246 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2015

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

[Surabhi Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short-read of 12 pages gives an account of a serial killer 'Raman Raghav and his killings. He is not guilty of his acts and blames to his life events for his doings.

It's an ok read. You can give it a try. It takes only few minutes.

[Anil Swarup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vintage Khushwant Singh. Forthright and lucid. These were his writings that were not published but came to the fore only after his death. What he says about education is true today as well : "Our schools, colleges and Universities continue to turn out students whose degrees have little connection with the years they have spent working for those degrees, or with their real worth". Similarly, his comment about the examination system is also true of what obtains these days: "There seems to be perfect unanimity about the fact that prevalent system of examination encourages feats of memory rather than the exercise of intellect and the analytical powers of mind".
His inimitable sense of humour comes through in all the articles. "As soon as you proclaim something illicit, it becomes all the fascinating", typical of Khushwant Singh. "What a lamp post is to a dog, a wall is to the Indian male", something for the consideration of the Swachh bharatis today.
The articles also reflects author's honesty. He quotes E M Forster to drive home a point : "If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend I hope I have the guts to betray my country".

[Anand Ganapathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of essays on varied topics by Khushwant Singh.

[Shubham · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words to describe writings by this legendary writer. Simple humorous writing with positivity gushing out like anything. His works range from travel to biographies to history ,culture, language literature etc thus covering a huge expanse and giving you a perfect glimpse of same. Exploring his works one can easily deduce how avid traveler he was and keen observant of everything happening around him. His calm style of writing, his open mind and keen eye on details makes his work a delight to read. The sarcasms he put here and there such that you'll barely be able to point out in particular tells us his wit and knowledge. Also his love for poetry and translations of urdu into english and their placement is noteworthy. Anyone who enjoys literature should explore his work.

[Maharsh Shah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This read has turned out to probably be the least fun I have ever had reading a Khushwant Singh piece. After having read and enjoyed quite a few of his writings, this one is drab, insipid and the people covered just not interesting enough. This seems to be more of a personal take on people he has met, known or interviewed - they're observations that ramble on essentially despite being short. There is a section of some of the places he has been to and liked (time spans from 50s to early 2000s) and after reading each chapter painstakingly I kept wondering when it was going to end. This is an average read at best and not remotely as interesting the other writings and observations by the legend.

[DALIP · Rating 2 out of 5]

More Than Just A Complete Book Or Even A Compilation This Seems To Come Across More Like An Essay. Not Sure How Thrilled Khushwant Singh Would Be To See His Works Served Up To His Loyal Readers As A Piecemeal Rather Than A Lavish Spread?
While The Title May Draw Some To This Quick Read On The Serial Killer Raman Raghav And Perhaps Divert Them Towards Portrait Of A Serial Killer From Which This Has Been Extracted & Edited By Mala Dayal. Perhaps That Is The Aim Of Feeding These Morsels To Eager Readers Who Like Myself Find Sardar Khushwant Singh’s Reading Simply Irresistibly Tempting To Bypass.
Had This Been A Part Of Khushwant Singh’s Syndicated Column It Would Still Make Ir Worth The Read But As A Stand Alone Read It Left Me Shortchanged For Sure!!!

[Jitin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally, sometimes it gets confusing to deliberate on the tone of the text. Most of the times, it's got sarcastic overtones. But sometimes it also smells of pride, prejudice and haughtiness saying much about the other side of the man who became a novelist by chance if at all. I do like Singh's works, but this is not to my liking at all except few tidbits on the nation and politics. At other times, it shows a naive Singh acting like a proud adolescent.

[JM Coetzee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book consists of a collection of thoughts and short stories from the life of Khushwant Singh. It is well written and accessible but quite boring for the most part; very few stories truly hold your attention from start to finish. Give this a pass, there are lots of other books that you could better spend your time reading.

[Prabodh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misleading title, there are only 2 short essays on the serial killer. A compilation of essays by late Kushwant Singh, eloquent and descriptive. It is a quick read which doesn't disappoint, however, neither does it make you stop, think and ponder.

[Arush · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good read only if your are a fan of Khushwant Singh. Collection of small articles nothing else, title is misleading though

[Sambasivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great writer and a great collection of essays.

[Paramjeet Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick 10 min read to take you away to history

I loved this short and crisp readable article. The use of vocabulary was awesome. ₹10.00 worth it I must say.

[Sanjeev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

A bouquet of good writings on India. Written in the Inimitable style of khushwant Singh it's an easy and light reading.

[Sudhir Mankodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strict No-No

Not a very good story. At least this particular book did not appeal to me. I don't recommend this book to any one.

[Madhumeet Kour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful historical non fiction.

[amusedmuse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow Raman Raghav was another specimen of criminal. Quite intriguing.
Khushwant has written a very interesting account.

[Pream · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't ready for the gruesomeness that I was served in just twelve pages. Raman Raghav is just crazy. 

 

[Karunakaran N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Portrait of a Serial Killer: Uncollected Writings by Khushwant Singh... A great collection (Uncollected) by Khushwant Singh, but the title could have been something else because it speaks of more deserved people and places. A wonderful read.

[Hiren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the book is collection of Khushwant Singh's unpublished essays, the title of the book is quite misleading one! It features just a single take of notorious Mumbai serial killer Raman Raghav, and it's indeed a fascinating read. The said essay belongs to the first section of the book about 'Unforgettable People' (as per Sardar's own personal list!) The section has some interesting but too brief take on Amir Khusrau, Lata Mangeshkar, Dev Anand, Malcolm Muggeridge and others to name a few. The second section is a kind of travel writings and Singh penned wonderful portraits of certain cities penned mostly in sixties and seventies. Somehow I loved this section among all and the essays on 'Amritsar', 'Agra' and 'Delhi' are absolutely the best one to devour in Singh's lighter and yet soothing nostalgic feel. The third section named 'Indian Way' is interesting one for Singh admirers as it features the old Sardar's typical sense of humour, sharing his opinions and looking at things around. The last section is too historical and portrayed Singh's lifelong obsession about partition, its aftermath, supportive stand towards PM Indira Gandhi and Jayprakash Narayan.

Overall the book is an average mix that I love to read for thing of change!

[Imran · Rating 4 out of 5]

The essays are very informative. They give a peek into the times they refer to. On reading them I realised how some things haven't changed. The displacement of people in the name of development, the driving out of people in the name of nationalism are two such things that are as prevalent today as in the past.

[Divya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Khushwant Singh is a name that needs no introduction. A journalist and writer par excellence, he has been a constant in our textbooks, newspapers , and bookish lives alike. This book is an anthology of short columns and essays written by the man himself and compiled/edited by his daughter Mala Dayal. It has been sectioned into four parts depending on the subjects the essays/columns written. I absolutely adored the section titled Memorable Places for the very detailed descriptive nature of it's essays.
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