Kushwant Singh, the writer who liked to describe himself as the Dirty Old Man of Delhi, died on Thursday at the age of 99. Through his long career, he wrote more than 30 books of fiction, non-fiction, poetry translations and humour; edited "The Illustrated Weekly of India' magazine, 'The National Tribune' and 'The HIndustan Times'; and wrote a weekly column until he was well into his eighties.
In this interview with Karan Thapar recorded in 1999, he looked back at his life and work, including his controversial association with the Gandhi family. Asked what he'd do when he eventually met his maker, Singh replied that he was a non-believer and didn't believe that there is a maker. Instead, he chose to quote a verse of by the 19th century poet Walter Savage Landor:
"I strove with none, for none was worth my strife.
Nature I loved and, next to Nature, Art:
I warm'd both hands before the fire of life;
It sinks, and I am ready to depart. "