Khushwant Singh
Born 2 February 1915 · Pakistan
Died 20 March 2014
Wrote the novel Train to Pakistan inspired by the 1947 Partition of India.
🔔 Add birthday reminderKhushwant Singh FKC was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician. His experience in the 1947 Partition of India inspired him to write Train to Pakistan in 1956, which became his most well-known novel.
✨ A detail that surprised us
Khushwant Singh’s school birthdate of 2 February 1915 was actually fabricated by his father for enrollment, while his grandmother claimed he was born in August, leading Singh to later choose 15 August as his own birthday.
1. In 1947, Khushwant Singh left his legal career in Lahore High Court to join the Indian Foreign Service at the moment of India’s independence, marking a drastic shift from law to diplomacy.
2. 🌍 Between 1954 and 1956, Singh worked in UNESCO’s Department of Mass Communications in Paris, an experience that deepened his commitment to journalism and writing.
3. ✍️ In 1956, he published "Train to Pakistan," a novel born from his direct experiences during the Partition of 1947, capturing the brutal human cost of that division with unflinching realism.
4. As editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India in the late 1970s, Singh transformed its circulation from 65,000 to 400,000 by fearlessly tackling taboo subjects like sexuality and politics.
5. 🚨 In 1984, Singh returned his Padma Bhushan award in protest of Operation Blue Star, condemning the Indian Army’s assault on the Golden Temple and challenging the government’s actions publicly.
6. Between 1980 and 1986, Singh served as a nominated Member of Rajya Sabha, where he engaged in heated debates on Punjab’s regional tensions and communal harmony, defending India’s unity amid rising religious fundamentalism.
7. 📚 His 1966 Rockefeller Foundation fellowship funded pioneering research on Sikh history, culminating in his authoritative multi-volume "A History of the Sikhs."
8. ❓ How did Khushwant Singh’s sharp wit and fearless secularism manage to unsettle both political powers and societal norms throughout his nearly century-long life?
Awards & Honours
- 🏅Padma Bhushan
- 🏅Padma Vibhushan
🔍 One thing most people don't know
Khushwant Singh was born Khushal Singh in Hadali, Punjab (now in Pakistan), but changed his name to avoid childhood teasing; his chosen name was initially self-manufactured and meaningless.
🖼️ Through the Years
📅 The Journey
🗝️ Discoveries
"History is the essence of innumerable biographies."
— Khushwant Singh
🎥 Speeches & Recordings
Khushwant Singh on the book 'The Goddess of Small Things'
YouTube📖 Curated Sources
🌱 What changed because of them
Khushwant Singh reshaped Indian journalism by pushing open doors on taboo subjects and infusing secular critique into public discourse, influencing editorial standards at major publications like The Illustrated Weekly of India. His vivid portrayal of Partition in "Train to Pakistan" brought the human tragedy of 1947 into the literary mainstream, while his parliamentary interventions highlighted the complexities of communal and regional identities in modern India. His decision to return the Padma Bhushan set a precedent for literary dissent against government policy.
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