I will prove, if I must, that the pen is still mightier than the sword, a Kalashnikov or a self-loading rifle.

Khushwant Singh has spent a lifetime waging war against hypocrisy, humbug and intolerance. It has made him India’s most provocative and popular columnist.

This new collection brings together his essays and articles on themes as varied as God, the afterlife, the banning of books, caste, prostitution, crank calls and pets.

His skills as a raconteur and journalist are used to brilliant effect in his sketches of Gandhi, Raj Kapoor, Vajpayee, Phoolan Devi, Zia-ul-Haq and the Dalai Lama, as also in his travel pieces on Nagaland and France, among other places.

The Vintage Sardar ends with a frank and introspective autobiographical piece.