Insightful, provocative, unabashedly entertaining. In the course of almost a century ofiving, 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 histories and 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 India's most celebratediterary and cultural icons.

Interesting Facts about the BookFrom India's grand old man ofetters comes a new compilation of essays that profile some of the most iconic figures in theast century of the subcontinent's history.This book will appeal not only to admirers of Khushwant Singh's 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.