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Khushwant Singh, one of the finest authors who elevated English writing in India with his classic works on Partition and history of Sikhs, literature and displayed an impeccable sense of wit and humour, died here today at the age of 99. The veteran writer and journalist, who suffered from age- related illness and had faded from public life, passed away at his Sujan Singh Park home built by his father Sir Sobha Singh, a civil contractor and a prominent builder of Lutyens' Delhi. A fearless writer, who had taken on Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale who had spearheaded the insurgency in Punjab from Golden temple, fell out with the then Indira Gandhi government after Operation Bluestar in 1984. He had surrendered the Padma Bhushan given to him in protest. Later he was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2007. Singh's son Rahul, also a journalist, said the author breathed his last "very, very peacefully" and was mentally alert till the end. "He led a full life. Although he stopped writing a few weeks ago, he was reading books and newspapers." "He had his regular peg of whiskey last night, read a book, solved crossword in the morning and passed away within minutes," Rahul said, adding, "The sad part is he could not complete his '100' which was just 11 months away." President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh paid rich tributes to Singh, describing him as a "fearless intellectual" and a "gifted author". The Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among scores of people who paid homage to the author at his residence. The author, who produced classics like "Train to Pakistan", "I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale" and "Delhi - A Novel" and "The Company of Women", was cremated at the Lodhi electric crematorium here. Though Singh was an agnostic in life, a Sikh priest conducted Ardas, the last rites in Sikhism as Rahul and other family members watched. His friends, well wishers and political leaders including Union ministers Salman Khurshid and Kapil Sibal and http://www.financialexpress.com/news/khushwant-singh-dead/1234669