The Detroit Red

Malcolm X in March 1964

"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time." — Malcolm X

While anger is something we are taught to contain, it certainly is one of the purest emotions. An angry person is a spontaneous person, the best he can be. What an angry person says is not fabricated, it is simply the truth from his perspective. But, historically very few have been able to articulate their anger creatively. Most have simply gone destructive. 

    To this end Malcolm X, the personification of anger, is a figure to look up to. One prime figure of American Black Rights Movement, he embodied a personality that was magnetic as well as one that could inspire fear. He was rightfully angry for the basics he was denied as a citizen of a nation, but more so as a human. His championship for rights of people, he considered brothers has been fierce and unabashed and essentially not concealed by garb of nonviolence.

The Throne Is Vacant

Full bloom in Delhi, mid-March.

The object of my worship lies beyond perception's reach; For men who see, the Kaába is a compass, nothing more. - Mirza Ghalib

He was already 74 when I was born. His most famous book was in its 50s when I read it. And while am still exploring him, he is a dead man at 99. He lived far more than life expectancy in his homeland, India.

The grand old man of Indian literature possessed a writing style which is ageless and timeless. The blunt, upfront and somewhat crude signature of Khushwant Singh was magnetic to people like me, who look for detail but need it to be simple and lucid. Besides his association with legends of bygone era and the experience he accumulated over an illustrious career can't be compensated.

The way he unravels the plots of Train To Pakistan and Delhi : A Novel indicate his skill of observation and ability to describe in an unabashed and unrestrained way. A career which would be envy of anyone interested in literature and people, Khushwant Singh made the best of it.

Born to contractor of Delhi Sardar Sobha Singh, Khushwant had every condition necessary for making of a brat. But he also possessed talent and wit to use his prizes, alongside the formidable challenge of outshining his father, who according to the legend commanded half the land of the city while British were creating New Delhi.

Half decade as resident of New Delhi, he epitomises the most fantastic aspirations one can imagine as well as the complex character of this refugee city. Reaching the upper echelons while maintaining an integrity of absolute order. Earning the luxuries and then consuming them to eloquence are some of the ways to summarise the grand and regal personality that thrived amongst the elite of all types in a central Delhi citadel.

Glad that the newly independent nation had such open minds to document its young years while it saw tremendous turmoils and tasks of building legacies that the future can look up to and care to uphold. While he proved to be a capable heir of legends like Mirza's Ghalib, the standards to meet and uphold have been defined for generations to come. The throne at Delhi is vacant and up for contest...