Khushwant—The Pen has Dried
1915-2014
This is an
ode to Khushwant
Who
fearlessly aired his vent
Through his pen which was mightier than the proverbial sword
His masthead column ’With Malice...’ touched many a chord
His simple
English coupled with Urdu verse
Made an
impact on readers across the universe
From provocative articles to authentic works of history
Supporter of the Emergency to a revealing autobiography
He was a
master writer in his own way
And did not
spare anybody come what may
He personally replied to all the letters he received by mail
Those hand written letters and post cards tell its own tale
He played a
game of tennis till in his eighties
And enjoyed
the crossword well into his nineties
He loved his daily peg of whisky
As much as his pen and the diary
It was he
who turned it around-- The Illustrated Weekly of India
When Mario’s
creative ‘Sardar in a bulb’ stormed the print
media
To date it has remained one of the most syndicated columns
Printed in newspapers and magazines across various regions
His sense of
humour needs special mention
With his
Joke Books running into multiple editions
In his death, his well wishers and admirers may not have
cried
But they are deeply saddened that ‘the pen’ has forever dried!
May God rest
his soul in Peace.
-
Ghumakkad Harsh
Secunderabad
21st March 2014
___________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment