Candid and unabashed. Review on Book of Unforgettable Women - Khushwant Singh

If you think of a writer who can be unblushing and unabashed about amorous peccadilloes and intimate relationships with women, the first name that comes to mind is that of Khushwant Singh. All the writings of Khushwant Singh are characterized by an easy style and a sense of irreverence for accepted norms. The Book of Unforgettable Women is another book by the Author, which gives his perceptions about the different facets of various women of the fairer sex. In this book, Khushwant Singh profiles and portrays 27 women, most of them real and some of them fictional.

The portraits cover a wide spectrum of women. His own grandmother and wife, Saints like Mother Teresa and Dacoits like Phoolan Devi, the exalted Indira Gandhi and the lowly beggar woman whom he came across in Bombay, a prudish but male-company starved Prof. Sarojini, who craves for male company, yet is anxious to retain the veneer of “respectability” and the unblushing Molly Gomes who provides a body massage accompanied by “heavenly” sex without being apologetic- and many other women of all hues are portrayed in Khushwant Singh’s list of unforgettable women. Women who have been colleagues, acquaintances and close friends have found place in the Khushwant Singh’s book of unforgettable women. Some of the women have been referred to by their own names. Everything that the author tells about them is not complimentary, given his proclivity for candour. No wonder, therefore, it is reported that he incurred the wrath of some women, who could not have been flattered by his comments. The blurb of the book contains a quote from the author himself that though he is nothing to look at, it is women who have sought his company more than he has sought theirs. This summarises the attitude of the near nonegarian Sardar, who is imbued with irresistible wit, and an enviable penchant for good things in life. It reminds one of a famous saying that all good things in life are illegal, immoral or fattening! Overall, the book makes for an entertaining and enjoyable reading, though it cannot be termed as a literary masterpiece!