Khushwant Singh's 10 most talked about books

Internationally renowned author and journalist Khushwant Singh passed away at the age of 99. A Padma Vibhushan recipient, Khushwant Singh authored several books and collection of short stories. We take a look at some of his memorable books from among his extensive body of literary works.

The Good, The Bad and The Ridiculous (with Humra Quraishi) (2013): In the course of almost a century of living, Khushwant Singh has been witness to the making of more public and private histories than most of us have read about. This collection brings together the very best of these pen portraits, some of which have never before appeared in a book. Among those profiled are Jawaharlal Nehru, Krishna Menon, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Amrita Sher-Gil, Begum Para, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, M.S. Golwalkar, Mother Teresa, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Dhirendra Brahmachari, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, General Tikka Khan, Phoolan Devi, Giani Zail Singh and Bhagat Puran Singh. This was his last book.

The Portrait of a Lady: Collected Stories (2013): Spanning over half a century, this volume contains all the short stories Khushwant Singh has ever written, including the delightfully tongue-in-cheek; 'The Maharani of Chootiapuram', written in 2008.

The Sunset Club (2010): The book throws light on the loneliness and problems faced by the elderly. The three main characters in this book are Pandit Preetam Sharma, Sardar Boota Singh, and Nawab Barkatullah Baig. The trio have been a part of Sunset Club and friends for more than four decades. They are now above 80 years of age and gather at the sunset hour in Lodhi Gardens, discussing a number of controversial topics. This book reminisces nature and gives insight on the problems and intricacies faced in India.

Death at My Doorstep (2005): Written over the years, Khushwant Singh obituaries present the dead in death, as in life-good, bad or ugly-including Bhutto, Sanjay Gandhi, M.O. Mathai, Lord Mountbatten, and the author's pet Alsatian Simba.

Truth, Love and a Little Malice: An Autobiography (2002): Apart from tracing his story and immediate family history, the autobiography deals in depth with his relations with political dignitaries. The name of the book itself was derived from a famous column that he wrote for the Hindustan Times with the title "With malice towards one and all." Born in 1915 in pre-Partition Punjab, Khushwant Singh has been witness to most of the major events in modern Indian history from Independence and Partition to the Emergency and Operation Blue Star and has known many of the figures who have shaped it.

Women and Men in My Life (1995): This unputdownable volume spans the author's life, career and reminisces about the people he has met and fallen out with and the one he has befriended. This list includes politicians, civil servants, writers, filmmakers, as well as other relatively unknown personalities.

Delhi: A Novel (1990): Delhi is the moving testimony of a city at a crossroads between old and new, seen through the eyes of one of the world's foremost photographers. Khushwant Singh claims it took him almost twenty-five years to complete this novel. He dedicates it to his son Rahul Singh and Niloufer Billimoria. 'History provided me a skeleton', he jokes, 'I covered it with flesh and injected blood and a lot of seminal fluid into it'.

A History of the Sikhs (1963): Widely regarded as a veritable compilation, Khushwant Singh's A History Of The Sikhs 1469-1839 (Volume 1) is based on precise and meticulous research of original documents in Gurmukhi, Persian and English which tell the story of the Sikh faith. Written in Khushwant Singh's trademark style to be accessible to a general, non-scholarly audience, the book is based on scholarly archival research.

I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale (1959): I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, Khushwant Singh's second novel, is set in Amritsar during the height of India's freedom movement, when nationalists called upon the British to- Quit India'. I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale has been widely acclaimed as Khushwant Singh's finest novel.

Train to Pakistan (1956): Train To Pakistan is a historical novel by Khushwant Singh, published in 1956. It recounts the Partition of India in August 1947. The author digs into a deep local focus, providing a human dimension which brings to the event of Partition a sense of reality, horror, and believability.