The company of women - (Khushwant Singh)
Old-aged and middle-aged patronize it for its ability to rouse cherished reminiscences.
Puerile and adolescents fantasize, as well as acquaint themselves with the truth of adulthood’s amazing journey and the shift of sexual instincts from a person’s middle, to his head, as he grows older, and finally dies.
Khushwant Singh believes that the most important thing in an individual’s life is SEX. One should get unconditional sexual pleasures throughout one’s adulthood till he gradually loses libido due to old age. In old age one starts pondering over his/her past encounters (marital & extra-marital). He believes that if the sexual tension between a couple dies out and no chemistry between them prevails any longer, they should understand each other’s need to look for new partners and bring their relation to an end with a good will. This becomes necessary because if the main binding force of man-woman relationship dies out, i.e. sex, all kinds of ugly problems spring up (e.g. nagging, bickering, quarrels, they start forfeiting to adultery, etc.) which leads to a sour divorce instead of a healthy separation.
Khushwant Singh speaks in his work of one of his friend, Mohan Kumar, who completed his graduation from Princeton, America, return to India after bedding uncountable number of girls there. Of all his relationships with girls, the ones he remembered were few. The first was with an African-American, Jessica Browne, at the hands of whom he was deflowered; Yasmeen Wanchoo, a plump and full-bosomed Pakistani politician. Mo became popular among girls because of the size of his organ, “it is the biggest I have ever seen”!, would exclaim his admirers. Mo would retort “how many have u seen”?
When he returned to India, he married Sonu, a millionaire’s daughter. He impregnated her on their honeymoon. Sonu was spoilt child of her wealthy parents. She had a habit of bickering, nagging and harassing Mo and his father, whom he would refer as “old man”. Old man, felt unwanted in their house and left for Haridwar to fulfill his spiritual quest where he eventually dies.
Mohan Kumar resented all this but was not able to do much about his spiceless, sexless, flat life unless he asked for a divorce after 12 years.
Mo was left forsaken with all his youthfulness, wealth, and peerless sexual prowess. He decided not to grow old like that and waste his prowess. He paid for an ad for a concubine partner in the newspapers. In the meantime he was served by his sweeper woman, Dhanno, who was dark but full bosomed and proficiently pleased him.
The first reasonable reply to his audacious advertisement was from a professor, Sarojini Bharadwaj. She was diminutive, petite, bespectacled but reasonably beddable to Mo. Sarojini lived with him and everyone was told that she is a cousin who has been transferred to Delhi. This clandestine affair had to be cut short due to social prejudice. Hence they parted to never meet again.
The second response to his advertisement was from Molly Gomes, a Christian masseuse in Goa. She was short, stocky, dark and cheerful. She gave Mo the best time and best sex ever in his life he could ever get. Since she was a professional masseuse, she knew the pressure points and all the tricks. Even though they liked each other a lot but the word LOVE never occurred between their conversations. She left after spending 2 months of quality time with Mo and never called back.
Mo was again left alone when he found Susanthika Goonatilleke (Sue) at one of Delhi’s high class parties. Sue was a young, darkish, slightly built, unmarried, Sri Lankan second secretary in High Commission. Sue was interested to accompany Mo to his visit to Haridwar to watch the majestic Ganga worship at Har Ki Pauri. The saints would wave their huge lighted candelabras during sunset, in the honor of Mother Ganga. Then they float oil lamps which filled the entire stream, bobbing up and down. The sunset, movements of the candelabraas, clanging of the temple bells and quivering myriad of floating oil lamps is described to be the most resplendent scene in the world. Mo bedded Sue in Haridwar and this led to a two year long relation of sheer love-making between them. At the end of the second year, Sue was transferred to New York High Commission.
Although Mohan Kumar was in his late forties, he started losing his potency and found he could no longer get his member to get upright. This made him feel very sad. He overcame this agony in Mumbai where he hired a prostitute and had sex with her. He was relieved to find out that he still retained his manly powers which fueled his desire to live.
All this came to an unexpected end when he found out that he has contacted AIDS during his trip to Mumbai. He sank into deep sorrow. He incriminated his lecherous behavior for all the shame agony, and his life. But soon realized that it was because of his libido he was able to relish all the good times he had in his life, without which life will lose all its meaning. He felt gratified by all he had got from life in the form all the women he had bedded. He thanked god and left for his heavenly abode peacefully.