The Real Khushwant Singh. Review on I Shall Not Hear The Nightingale - Khushwant Singh

While a generation before ours always insisted that Khushwant Singh wrote great books, his current books have not agreed to such a formidable reputation. I have avoided his ‘Malicious gossip’ series, and ‘Company of Women’ obviously as there wasn’t a single good literary review on them.

Much before he wrote these, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale (1959) was widely acclaimed as one of Khushwant Singh's finest novel ever (the other being ‘Train To Pakistan’)

Set in Amritsar in 1942 during the height of India's freedom movement, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale explores the impact of the freedom movement on the family of a magistrate Buta Singh, a loyal servant of the British Raj. Unknown to him, his son Sher Singh becomes the leader of a group of anti-British revolutionaries. The son is arrested; if proved guilty of treason he could be sentenced to death. The English Deputy Commissioner John Taylor, offers the son two alternatives: either betraying his comrades and saving his life, or else being hanged.

This book explores a rather despicable side of India’s history. That of servile Indian government servants in the British regime. How unbelievably the Indian civil servants of that time would degrade themselves stopping short of nothing to be in the good books of the British. The novel depicts the British themselves as bemused by such Indians at their beck and call and couldn’t for their life figure out why the Indians they employed behaved with such servility. Buta Singh typifies those oily Indians awaiting even that slight nod of approval from the British Raj.

While the ending of the novel is dominated by the mother Sabhrai trying to save her family from falling apart, the opening chapters of a sarus crane chasing the killers of its mate gives the reader gooseflesh.

A startlingly written character of Champak is unanticipated. She is the sexually demanding wife of Sher Singh who is growing tired of her incessant sexual needs. She incites his desire by massaging his legs and then talking vulgar, imagined things that happened to her in during the day to arouse him to perform.

Another interesting character is of Madan Lal, Sher Singh’s friend and comrade against the British. Madan Lal is the cricket star of college, a swashbuckling casanova who has both Champak and Sher Singh’s sister Beena lusting for him, while his own wife remains mysteriously away.

But does it not surprise. That when authors like Irwing Wallace and Sidney Sheldon add sex in their stories we lap it up with glee. But if some Indian author does it there is a hue and cry. Probably we think that writing about sex is very western. Khushwant Singh or Shobha De don’t go about claiming that they are writing literary masterpieces. So whether it is for market demands, personal pleasure or pure hormonal kicks the sex in their novels is entirely their prerogative.

That besides, Khushwant Singh populates I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale with utterly believable characters and situations. His style is delightfully sarcastic, mocking at each of his characters. Human behaviour, questionable values, cultures are all pointed fingers at, laid bare and maligned. There is much humour throughout the book as there is also a chance that you may shed a tear or two too. All making it a very readable book.