Leading Indian journalist and author, M J Akbar said the noted author was an admirable man.
“I have this unreserved gratitude for him. I was a kid, 20-year-old in a newspaper, and he really picked us up from nothing. He gave us opprtunities which were undreamt of for any young person wanting to do anything,” he said.
“For him to recognise and bless you was virtually the hand of a benedict,” Akbar added.
Akbar, however, said Singh resented those who had too strong an ideology and was a “classical 20th century liberal”.
Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Rajmohan Gandhi remembered Singh as someone with a desire to build other people.
“Apart from being a popular writer and utterly fearless man, what I found unusual in him, very rare in others was his great desire to build other people. He was always praising new authors, giving time to them. He was frank in his verdicts,” said Gandhi.
“To think Delhi, the world of literature and newspapers will be without him is a very very hard thought to accept!” Gandhi said.
People from all walks of life took to twitter to offer their condolences.
“The bulb is extinguished ...Goodbye Khushwant Singh,” tweeted journalist Ashok Malik.
“So khushwant singh goes,like we all must. what a life led! a 100 would have been excellent but he gave us 99 & we must be thankful for that,” tweeted cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle.
Writer Shobhaa De tweeted, “Khushwant Singh. End of an era. Only KS could say ‘There's no condom for a pen. And prove it!”
