About the Book : 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. He has encountered, and frequently crossed swords with, many of the men and women who have been central to these historiesand he has written about them with glorious candour. 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. Insightful, provocative and unabashedly entertaining, The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous is, in many ways, an intimate, irreverent modern history of the subcontinent by one of Indias most celebrated literary and cultural icons. Interesting Facts : From Indias grand old man of letters comes a new compilation of essays that profile some of the most iconic figures in the last century of the subcontinents history. This book will appeal not only to admirers of Khushwant Singhs writing but also to anyone interested in the history, politics and socio-economic scenario of twentieth century India. People profiled in this book include 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. About the Author : Born in Punjabs Hadali village (now in Pakistan) in 1915, Khushwant Singh is one of Indias best known and most widely read authors and columnists. He was founder-editor of Yojana, and editor of The Illustrated Weekly of India, National Herald and the Hindustan Times. His first book, The Mark of Vishnu and Other Stories, was published in 1950, and he has published several acclaimed and best- selling books of fiction and non-fiction in the six decades since. Among these are the novels Train to Pakistan, I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale, Delhi and The Company of Women; his autobiography, Truth, Love and a Little Malice; the two-volume A History of the Sikhs; a collection of prayers and precepts, The Freethinkers Prayer Book; and the forthcoming Consolations and Lamentations. He has also translated the work of major Punjabi and Urdu poets and writers, as well as The Japji and the Rehras: The Morning and Evening Prayers of the Sikhs.