Company Of Women Paperback – February 1, 2016

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Please ignore other reviews that only focus on the "promiscuity" of the protagonist. Nor is the protagonists end a just punishment for his bad deeds.Other than Mohan Kumar's wife and the women at college, all of whom he had sex with, he felt real love and regard for the last three "arrangements" of companionship with sex. He gave freely and was given generously in return, not just sex, but friendship, appreciation, and love.His affections for each of these women were incongruent with his belief that he needed to have many women and could not be satisfied by one. He stayed monogamous with them. The relationships ended because of practicalities. While marriage was out of the question for any of themhis sadness after departure, especially for Molly and Sue, indicated a need for something greater. But it seemed they all shared the belief that whatever they shared with each other, it would end if marriage were to enter the arrangement.The author writes that these may be his fantasies, but the book was much more.And by the end, I realized that Singh, for his age, wrote a remarkably thoughtful book, speaking to the culture and attitudes toward sex, the prevalence, yet shame of casual sex, a place for casual sex in some people's lives, especially for women to whom society would not be very forgiving for their simple need of companionship and satisfying sex life outside of marriage, when married life had failed them in so many deeper ways. It also touches on the ways women are introduced to sex, which is commonly through elder male relatives... such is also the case for young boys in India subcontinent, for whom it's elder female relations.Also, for Singh's age, he writes this detailed story of a good man, in need of sexual satisfaction, but who is not a caricature of a womanizer. There's depth and kindness to the character, that may not be as easily found in real life.The book often mentioned Mohan's lack of use of a condom, and I often thought it was the writer's oversight or the writers unwillingness to address the need for condoms. There was several mentions of need for condoms, pills, or nasbandi that would avoid pregnancy. Each time I though how typical it is that desis, and non, tend to think that is the only thing they need to worry about. At least pregnancy is not terminal! Many who talk about condom use do so in terms of preventing pregnancy... similar to the focus on women's contraception, such as the pill, diaphragm, or IUD.And then also for Singh's age, he takes this entire story, without any social commentary on STDs and safe sex, ends the story with Mohan contracting HIV. The HIV diognosis and Mohan's decision that follows ends the story and was the smallest part of the story. And yet, the issue. was always there everytime he had sex without a condom, which was mentioned in passing in various contexts.I don't think Singh was telling a moral story about sex leading to HIV. I think it was about the shame around sex, especially as represented by the wife and her misgivings about it, and the lack of openness that ultimately prevents real education and understanding of today's realities around sex... HIV and other venereal diseases are a real concern for Indians. And few know about it or consider it.So ignore reviews who are just stuck on some of the detailed sexual encounters.

I bought this book on a recent trip to Delhi and found it vaguely fascinating. I couldn't believe that one of Indias most respected writers, historians and political thinkers was indulging in erotic fantasy.Mohan Kumar is a middle aged divorcee who embarks on an erotic odyssey. The book is probably quite accurate with regard to the social mores inherent in middle class Indian society which dictate that sexual relationships with unattached contemporaries of similar social standing are largely taboo.Poor Kumar has to resort to advertisements in national newspapers to recruit live-in companions who will be handsomely remunerated for their services ( By Indian standards )Kumar's relationships with a veritable range of Indian women from different parts of the subcontinent are initially fulfilling but lead ultimately to disappointment.As the protagonist who brings women to his luxurious lair one may get the feeling that he uses women.But a closer examination of the individual encounters leaves one with the feeling that it is Kumar who is being exploited by the womenfolk in question, mainly for money and sex.Eventually, there is a salutory lesson on the risks of unprotected sex, certainly timely in the context of Indias ever burgeoning problems with HIV.The narrative uses some interesting devices in terms of switching from the first person to the third person and flits niftily from one period of Kumars life to another.The book also provides familiar insights into every day life in Delhi for those familiar with this sprawling and increasingly exciting Indian metropolis

Hilarious with great imagination and fantasies from a 85 year old writer.

Khushwant Singh, the author, writes in his Author's Note: " As a man gets older, his sex instincts travel from his middle to his head. What he wanted to do in his younger days but did not because of nervousness, lack of response or opportunity, he does it in his mind. I started writing this novel when I was eighty three. I finished it at eighty five. An equally apt title for it could be "The Fantasies of an Octogenarian."This book is polymorphic - the face that it presents is dependent on the age, experience and attitude of the reader. To some, it may seem pornographic, with detailed acts of sex with various women ranging from ugly to beautiful, from maidservants to foreign diplomats. To others it may be the recitation of a correspondence match, followed by an arranged marriage and a cold wedding bed leading up to the ultimate breakup and the affairs that followed. To a sociologist, the narrative hearkens to a life of wealth, clubs, shopping, New Delhi life and the contrast with the rural boredom of a small town in Haryana where the first liaison comes from.Having lived through the times when Khushwant Singh lived inside a lightbulb in the pages of the editorial in the Illustrated Weekly of India during his prime years, and enjoyed his editorials that were meant to provoke, the man has not lost his touch as an octogenarian.In my opinion, the book showcases the playful and naughty side of Khushwant Singh in a manner that must be read in a playful and unserious (?) manner. The book is a easy read but the author draws the reader in and you emerge from the book with feelings for some of the characters and their unfortunate situations.

I have high hopes having just bought the book in India. Yes, I have read the reviews... sex sex sex... and the problem with that is ... its such a basic human act and still people have so much trouble with it... I look forward to the read... good bad or otherwise... lets have a look

This book tells us a story of man and his women, but I can feel the love of a son to his father. I can find sex in this book, meanwhile it tells me I must love my father. Yes, Father is more important than a woman.