On Love and Sex

Over a career spanning upwards of six decades, Khushwant Singh has done more to puncture the humbug, hypocrisy and prudishness of Indian society with his frank and unabashed explorations of human sexuality than any other Indian writer writing in English. This selection of Singh’s writings, On Love and Sex, comprises an extract from his autobiography, in which he describes how he lost his virginity; a rumination on sexuality in India, after having witnessed a newly-wed couple consummate their marriage on a moving train; and the poker-faced narration of an episode in a doctor’s clinic which leaves Singh feeling ‘buggered’. Also included are selections from his works of fiction: ‘A Mixed Marriage’, a moving account of a Hindu-Muslim union in Mughal times; and ‘The Rooftop Massage’, in which the masseuse Molly gives Mohan Kumar an experience which she recommends he never try to repeat. Funny, instructive and titillating in equal measure, On Love and Sex is a celebration of two of the most enduring leitmotifs of Khushwant Singh’s oeuvre of work. This volume will delight Singh’s fans everywhere.