On Being a Son of a Judge - 10.10.1978

    I am not aware of the 'olden golden' days nor of the 'future platinum', but today it is a sin to be born in a family of people who are still able to hold to some values of life, an integrity and work hard.  In Chapter VI, shlok 40 - 41 of Bhagavad-Gita in reply to Arjuna’s query, as to what end does that person meet, who though possessed of faith, is unable to control himself and whose mind deviates from yoga, the Blessed Lord articulates -

      
   "O Partha, neither in this world nor in the next is there destruction for him, the doer of good, O my son, never comes to grief. Having attained to the worlds of the righteous and having lived there for countless years, he who falls from yoga is reborn in the house of the pure and the prosperous"

   
   I was born and think that similarly several others must have been born in families who still think that purity, integrity and character gives you happiness and takes you to prosperity and up in the social ladder. It is not necessary to resort to manipulation or 'dinner diplomacy', which seems to be the way of the world today. Scott Newman son of Paul Newman said I got no nepotistic help from my father or not much “The only thing my dad helps me get is my foot into the door. But no one in my right mind is going to hire somebody to handle a part just because I’s somebody’s son”.

  
    My grandfather was the first person in Jaipur to do BA in English in 1914. He obtained LL.B degree in 1926 and joined judicial services in the erstwhile State of Jaipur on January 7, 1929 as Munsif Magistrate. He had an  integrity of characters and a confidence in the cosmic energy. He retired as the first Registrar of High Court of Rajasthan on March 31, 1951.

    My father obtained LL.B degree in 1946 and joined the bar in 1948.  From 1958 to 1973, I had not seen him sleeping before 2 ‘o’ clock in the night. He used to communicate with clients, scribbling on postcards, while he took us to a cinema hall. He was elevated as a judge in 1973. No client ever thought of entering our house. He may not be an outstanding judge, but he was known for my perseverance, integrity and hard work.

    
    Having graduated from Jodhpur in Rajasthan and being a son of a judge, I walked into the Supreme Court on August 01, 1976 and joined the bar on September 03, 1976. I had left Jodhpur with a single attaché, one Bhagavad-Gita, seven volumes of ‘Complete works of Swami Vivekananda’ and Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson as my prized possession. But as I write this article I feel that to be born as a son of a judge is not a boon. If you are successful, the feeling is “Oh, I is a son of a judge, he is bound to be successful”. If you are not successful, the feeling is “Oh, he is a son of a judge, even then he is not successful”.

    Either way it is no pleasure to work hard. The vibes around, in the bar, with all the advocates who were not able to become judges or sons of advocates who were unable to become judges are not so comforting. These are feelings and thoughts  at the thresh hold of my carrier, lets see how events unfold.