New Delhi: Author Ajeet Cour often felt intimidated by Khushwant Singh’s wife, Kawal Malik. At gatherings in the Singh household, they only served vodka, whiskey, and peanuts. No elaborate dishes. And the moment the clock struck 8:30, Kawal would clap her hands and announce that it was time for everyone to leave.

“These were a few lines from the portrait of Kushwant Singh by Ajeet Cour. When I read her sketches, it felt like I was standing in a village courtyard listening to men and women whose voices had long been silenced,” said translator Sushminder Jeet Kaur, as she read out some pages to the audience at the India International Centre .

It was Cour’s 91st birthday on 16 November , celebrated with the launch of her new book, The Blue Potter: The Creative Genius of Pun

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