Further Diary Entries - Moving Ahead in Lateral Time

05.08.1976 (Thursday) - Matters were over by 4.00 pm. At 4.15 pm, Mr. Sikka handed over a thick Tentative Cause List with the covering paper giving item numbers to Mr. V.J. Francis. Mr. Francis asked me to accompany him to the Court. I had a question mark on my face. He told me that it was a Thursday, on which the Cause List for the next week was settled in the Chief Justice Court by Mr. C.M. Oberoi, the Asst. Registrar and that was the first place apart from mentioning in court, where an new Advocate learns to address the Court. The Chief Justice Court was packed by Advocate on Records, all having cause list with numbers written on the first page, in their hand.

      Matters were called one after another. The Advocates were insisting on matters not being listed, particularly where notices had been issued and stay had been granted and the other side insisted that matter must be listed for the stay was operating against their clients. One of the interesting grounds was ‘material instructions not received’, which was a great humor issue. The environment was very cordial and very dignified, everybody knew everybody and the Asst. Registrar had continued to insist that the matters should be listed in the next week, for he had little matters for the court. Mr. V.J. Francis told me to speak out two dates in the next week, when the matter should be listed and Mr. C.M. Oberoi looked at me, for that was a new voice coming for Ramamurthy & Co. and accepted it willingly. Mr. Francis himself submitted the cases where the matter had not be listed or to be listed weeks thereafter. The matters which had to be listed after the next week were shown in the tentative list for that week and were confirmed again before they were listed.  Since the dates were already known well in advance to the advocates, as the clients had to come from all over the country, it was good reason for not giving the name of the Advocates on Records on the cause list. Ramamurthy & Co. had a great repute for it appeared for employees and labour supported by trade unions. R.K. Garg had a flair and command in his presentations and arguments, he was a member of Communist Party of India (CPI) and was known for his strong nationalist socialist philosophy. Ramamurthy and Co. had a lot of criminal and service matters from Bihar, UP, Rajasthan and South and also Civil litigation.

     06.08.1976 (Friday) - Around 5 pm, Mr.R.K.Garg came into the 20 A Lawyers Chambers along with another advocate and a two other persons behind him, who looked like leaders (Office Bearers of P & T Trade Unions) and told Mr. S.C. Agrawal “ OK, let’s go” and looking at me said “You also come”. Mr. Agrawal got up and we all went outside. Mr. Agrawal took the driver seat of a white Fiat, Mr. Garg sat next to him and four of us got squeezed in the back seat and we all drove to a market place very close to Supreme Court called the Bengali Market. On the way I saw Triveni Art Gallery on the right of the road after a big round about. I had enjoyed painting since my early childhood and had done several of them in dot painting, pencil, batik, oil. Everybody was in a relaxed mood, it was a Friday evening, we all ate samosa and chola bhatura and went back to the chamber. After sometime everybody left including Mr. Sikka. No work on Friday evening or Friday evening was the only non-working evening for Advocates, rest was all working days and working evenings, it was all about law, law and law. I was enjoying every moment of my life in Supreme Court.

     Since I had nothing particular to do or go, I made a call to my grandfather and mother and told her that I was fine. I then made a few calls to my relatives in Delhi and informed them that I was in Delhi. They asked me if I could come and have dinner with them, to which I readily agreed, asked them about the bus number which I could take to reach their closest bus stand and fixed up my evening meeting for the next and the next Friday.

     07.08.1976 (Saturday) - Had conference meeting in the chamber of Mr. R.K.Garg. There were two more Advocates present there. After Mr. S.C.Agrawal left, Mr. R.K.Garg introduced me to them. One was Mr. R.K. Jain form U.P. and other was Mr. R.P.Singh from Bihar who had joined Mr. D.P.Singh.

    10.08.1976 - Ramamurti and Co. is an amazing place and a citadel of the Marxist or Communist or Leftist thinking, of which I have no knowledge or idea at all, seems to do something with politics, will learn it all over the years. Mr. Francis told me that Mr.V.K. Krishna Menon who was the Defence Minister in Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s Cabinet and Mr. Mohan Kumarmanglam who was Home Minister in Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet and Syed Mehmood were the original Seniors who were briefed by Mr. M.K.Ramamuti, Mr. D.P.Singh. Mr. R.K.Garg and Mr. S.C.Agrawal and Ramamurti & Co was formed and were allotted 20 A, 25 and 26 Chamber.  After the death of Mr. Mohan Kumarmanglam in a plane crash in 1969, there was a split in the Law Firm where Mr. M.K.Ramamurti retained 25 Lawyers Chambers with Ms. Shyamla Pappu and Chamber No. 20 A, which was infact a canteen and the largest amongst the chambers and 26 were retained by Mr. D.P.Singh, Mr. R.K. Garg and Mr. S.C.Agrawal. After Mr. D.P. Singh was designated as a senior Advocate, Ramamurthy & Co, had two partners, Mr. R.K. Garg and Mr. S.C. Agarwal.

    There was no restrain on any advocate to continue to keep his files and continue meetings with his client in 20 A Lawyers Chambers. There has been a huge lot of advocates who had been associated with Ramamurthy & Co. Other Advocates who were using the chamber regularly were Mr. Naryan Netter, Advocate on Record for the State of Karnataka and a very fine gentlemen to the core. Mr. Narayan Nettar was a class fellow of Mr. S.C.Agrawal in London, when they were doing their Bar at Law there in 1956-58.  His wife was a lecturer of English in Kamla Nehru, College. Mr.P.D. Sharma, Advocate was another advocate who was occupying the chamber regularly, a simple human being, who kept to himself. A smile and a hand shake every time we met.

   13.08.1976 - Justice M.L. Jain, a judge in the High Court of Delhi, a very close friend of my father , was transferred from High Court of Rajasthan, because of his differences with another Senior Judge in the High Court. Justice M.L.Jain informed me to come to Ashoka Hotel and meet Mr. Shrikrishanmal Modi, a Member of Parliament from Neem ka Thana, Rajasthan. At the meeting Mr. Modi told me that he had a M.P. flat at 60, South Avenue, with a Barsati Floor and that I can stay there.

   15.08.1976 - I reached 60, South Avenue, with all my belongings, an attaché and a bedding. Mr. Shrikrishanmal Modi had left instructions for me and I went up to the Barsati Floor. It was a one room apartment with an attached washroom and a terrace in front. There was greenery all around, an MP Canteen right in front and a very calm and wonderful environment. I felt extremely comfortable, for there was lot of peace, fresh air and freedom.

   16.08.1976 - Setting into routine -Got up in the morning at 5.30 am as usual. Went for a jog around 6 am. Came back went through my yoga exercises, did my pranayama and meditation to which I was introduced 2 years ago by a yogi whom I never met again, took bath and was ready around 8.00 am. Went to the MPs canteen, took my breakfast, two boiled eggs, four slices of bread and a glass of milk. Took a bus to Krishi Bhawan, changed the bus and got down at Tilak Bridge and walked to Supreme Court.  In the chamber between 9.00 to 9.15 am. Read the law reports, starting making notes, read some briefs, had my lunch in the canteen, continued to be in the chamber till around 9 pm, walked down to Tilak Bridge, took a bus back to South Avenue. Went straight to the Canteen, took my dinner, four tandoori chapatti, half plate aloo matter and half plate gobhi and in my room by 10 – 10.15 pm.  Read some books. I never subscribed and never felt the necessity of Newspaper. Washed my clothes twice a week after coming back, upto about 12.30 -1 pm and met my relatives on Friday evenings. Sometimes called my grandfather and mother in the late evening before I left the chamber. This was a routine I continued to and follow every day.

   03.09.1976 - Today I got my enrollment as the Advocate from the Bar Council of Delhi and can now wear a white band, a black coat and a gown and can regularly appear in the court along with Mr. Francis and my seniors. My grandfather had completed his LL.B in 1926 and  retired as the first Registrar of High Court of Rajasthan on 31.03.1951 on his attaining the age of 58 yrs. from Jodhpur. My father had completed his LL.B in 1946 but joined the bar in 1950 since he was the prcharak for south delhi during that period. However, since warrants were issued against all RSS personnel after Gandhi murder in February 1948, my grandfather insisted him to join the profession. My father had started practicing law with Mr. C.L. Agarwal at Jaipur. In 1958, my father had along with our family shifted to Jodhpur, after abolition of the Jaipur Bench of the High Court of Rajasthan. He was associated with R.K.Rastogi and had started independent practice thereafter till he was elevated as a judge of Rajasthan High Court in 1973.

   Since my father was a sitting judge of High Court of Rajasthan and was likely to remain till 1986, he felt that my presence in Rajasthan would not be conducive in his, my and the institution’s interest. I, therefore, did not apply for my enrollment as an Advocate with the Bar Council of Rajasthan, but applied it to the Bar Council of Delhi. My name was proposed by Mr. S.C.Agarwal and for the second recommendation Mr. S.C.Agrawal requested Mr. S.K. Mehta, Advocate whose chamber number was 43 and he had willingly and happily accepted aswe walked to his chamber.

   20.09.1976 - We had item No. 1 in the Chief Justices Court and I was sitting next to my senior Mr. S.C.Agrawal. Mrs. Sunanda Bhandare, from Bombay, an advocate on record and daughter of Mr. H.R.Gokhale, Union Law Minister, Government of India mentioned a matter which was on the cause list of the next day, for not to be taken as she was not in town. The A.N.Ray, Chief Justice said that she must get it mentioned on the next day, to which she said that she would not be there the next day and, therefore, it would not be possible for her to mention it the next day.  Chief Justice A.N. Ray then said “Then, let some young advocate mention the matter tomorrow” and looked around. As he looked around his eyes suddenly stopped at me who was sitting in the front row, next to Mr. S.C. Agrawal, and he said “You, young man, mention the matter tomorrow”. It was a pleasant surprise for me, but I thought may be that is the way the Supreme Court functions and encourages juniors. I instantaneously got up and uttered “Yes, My Lordships” and realised all eyes were fixed on me particularly, Ms. Sunanda Bhandare.

There were other mentioning by other advocates and Mr. S.C. Agrawal asked me if I knew Chief Justice A.N. Ray and I said of course not. After our matter was over and as I came out of the Court, I saw Mrs. Sunanda Bhandare and her junior associate Mr. Ajit Sharma, waiting for me. It was the same question again “How Chief Justice A.N.Ray, know you” and “Who are you”. I told them that I did not know Chief Justice A.N. Ray and that I had shifted to Delhi and Supreme Court, because my father was a judge in High Court of Rajasthan and perhaps the only other advocate I knew out of Rajasthan was Mr. S.C.Agrawal and that I will mention the matter tomorrow and that they may give me the brief, so that I can at least read what is there in.

21.09.1976 – My First appearance before court - I reached the Chief Justice Court at about 10.25, Mr. Ajit Sharma, Advocate was there. I said I was ready, he smiled at me. I was the first in the row of mentioning and told the Chief Justice that the matter was mentioned yesterday and their Lordships had requested me to mention the matter for adjournment. He simply said “Adjourned for two weeks” and I walked back and handed over the brief to Mr. Ajit Sharma. He had put in one year, his father had worked with H.R.Gokhale and he had joined the chamber of  Mr. M.C.Bhandare and Mrs. Sunanda Bhandare. Mr. H.R.Gokhale had two daughters, the elder one was married to Dr. Y.S.Chitale, Senior Advocate and the younger was married to Mr. M.C.Bhandare.

Forty One years in Supreme Court - Diary Entry August 1, 1976

     On July 31, 1976 Hazari Ji the driver and Ramu Ji the zamadar of my father, Justice D.P. Gupta, Judge, High Court of Rajasthan came to drop me, a twenty one and half years law graduate from Jaswant College, University of Jodhpur, on Delhi Mail at the Jodhpur Railway Station. Delhi Mail left at 2.10 pm to reach Delhi at 6.00 am in the morning today. My father had remained as a junior associate (1950 -1958 at Jaipur, Rajasthan) with Mr. C.L. Agrawal a Senior Advocate and a doyen of the Rajasthan High Court and his eldest son Mr. S.C. Agrawal after completing Bar at Law from London, was practicing law at Supreme Court of India. We had, had a lunch meeting with Mr. S.C. Agarwal about two weeks back in Delhi at Kwality Restaurant, Connaught Placeand my father had requested him to associate me in his office, to which he had readily agreed. My father had fixed for my residence for some time with Mr. N.K. Sanghi, a Member of Parliament from Jodhpur and a close family friend, at Humayun Road, New Delhi. 

    Today, August 1, 1976 a Sunday morning I reached Old Delhi Railway Station at about 6.15 am, with a bedding and an attaché containing apart from my garments, a Bhagavad Gita, by Swami Chidbhavanand, autographed and given to me by my grandfather, complete works of Swami Vivekananda in seven volumes, four books from Aurobindo including Savitri, essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson and my three diaries in which I used to scribble and place ideas from where ever they came to me, particularly the books I had read and I used to read a lot. I was always enthused about reading and learning. There was an insatiable desire to read, to learn, to understand, to analyse and to know the truth. 

    My grandfather was a morning walker, a habit, I picked up from him while I was in class IV as he used to take me and my elder brother to a library in the public park. I moved from Phantom and Mandrake comics early in life to biographies of Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, Chanakya, Vikramaditya, MaharanaPratap, and abridged versions of Shakespeare - Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Merchant of Venice, Tempest and many many more. He also continued to tell me a story each evening, when we were together, since I was the age of 5 till about the age of 14, which cover the entire Bhaagwat, Ramaayan, Mahabhaarat, Puraan, Panchtantraand others.

My mother used to subscribe to Hind Pocket Books, 8 to 10 books used to come by post every month, it was like rain on parched land. As I moved to class VIII, I read Col. Ranjeet (34 of them), Sharad Chandra Chattopadhyay (Devdas ++ ), I also made serious effort in vain to learn Bangla to read him in original. Bankim Chandra, Acharya Chatursen, Shivani, Amrita Pritam, Gulshan Nanda, Krishan Chander. GurudattJi was a close friend to my father and he used to give a huge lot of books to him whenever we visited his place at Delhi. I read him extensively Ganga Ki Dhara (5 vol.), KhandarBolRahein Hein (4 vol.) and many many more, he was making serious efforts to bring Hindu and Muslim Community together, in his own way.

     As I moved to class X (1969) and further, I read James Hadley Chase (76 of them, every one that I could lay my hands on), Ian Flaming –James Bond (18 of them from Goldfinger to The Man with a Golden Gun), Alistair MacLean (28 of them from Guns of Naverone, Where Eagles Dare to Circus), Harold Robbins (Stiletto ,79 Park Avenue, to The Pirates). By the time I was in class XI and entered college the scene shifted to classics Jane Austin, Bronte sisters, Earnest Hemingway, Erich Segal. While pursuing my Law Degree, I heard Swami ChinmayanandJi (12th Chapter of Shrimat Bhagwad Geeta, Prashno Upanishad andNarad Bhakti Sutra) and that opened the gates of freedom for Self, read Bhagwat Gita (Tilak, Vinobha, Gandhi, Radhakrishnan, Satyamitranand Ji), Swami Vivekananda, Sri Arobindo, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bertrand Russell (History of Western Philosophy, Theory of Social Reconstruction), Biography of Philosophers. 

     From old Delhi Railway Station, I took a three wheeler and went to MPs flat at Humanyun Road, where I had to stay for some time till an alternate, more permanent arrangement was made. The flat at the ground floor, at Humayun Road was occupied by Mr. AvinashSanghi son of Mr. N.K. Sanghi, a servant and an old maid as the Parliament was not in session. Mr. N.K. Sanghi, the M.P. had gone to his constituency, Jodhpur.

    Around 8.30 am, I made a telephone call to Mr. S.C. Agarwal, who told me to reach 20-A, Lawyers Chambers in Supreme Court, on Bhagwandas Road, around 10.00 am, when he would be there. I took a three wheeler at about 9.15 am and requested to be taken to Supreme Court at Bhagwandas Road. At 9.30 am, I reached Bhagwandas Road and entered the premises of Supreme Court through Gate No. D. It was a great sight of the magnanimous balance shaped building, with a huge staircase and pillars standing before me, with lush green sprawled lawns. I had visited it once earlier with my father in May 1964, when Justice Gajendragadkar was the chief justice and he was sitting with four other judges in the chief justice court. As I turned on the right and entered into chambers block, through the porch, right in front was 20-A Lawyers chambers, with increasing numbers on the right till 48 and reducing on the left till 1. There was a brown signboard attached on the right top of the door and read ‘Ramamurthy & Co.’ and below that was written D.P. Singh and S.C.Agrawal.

    The door of the chamber was locked and I just walked up and down in the corridor of the chambers, familiarizing myself with the surroundings around and have a feel of place where I had to spend many years to come. In about 10 minutes a middle aged person came and opened the lock of the chamber. I told him that I was a law graduate from Jodhpur and had come to meet and work with Mr. S.C. Agrawal. The person told me that he was Mr. Sikka, the senior clerk of the law firm and looked at me with a curious smile, meaning of which is difficult to decipher and walked into the chamber, without speaking a word. 

     It was fairly a large room, with two wooden executive chairs, two large executive wooden tables stacked with files, leaving just enough space to get into a room on the side and four chairs in the front. There as another large table on the left, with two chairs behind it and three chairs in front, having a type writer in front of one of the three chairs. Between this large table and the wall immediately on the left was another long table from the door to the end of the wall which was heaped with files. There was just enough space to enter to the two chairs on the left behind the table. At the end of the room there was a gate on the right and as I walked in and peeped into it, I saw a table with two typewriters, a cyclostyling machine and the room packed with files from wall to wall. There was a gate at the back which opened into a parking space. Mr. Sikka who had entered the room was standing there and looked at me. We smiled at each other and I came back to the room. I took a seat on one of the two chairs behind the large table, immediately on the left of the entrance. Behind the chair was All India Reporter (AIR) from top of the wall, corner to corner, I checked up, it was from 1914, complete set as was in my father’s office. In the front was Supreme Court Reports (SCR) 1950 onwards, the last row had Supreme Court Cases (SCC) 1969 onwards and bare Acts. I wondered where the text books were.

I looked around to have a feel of the chamber and picked up 1950 SCR. As I looked at the list of Hon’ble Judges on the first page, I saw name of two ad hoc judges, Hon’ble Justice R.S. Naik and Justice Khaliluzzaman. A very interesting fact and I quickly turned over the pages to find where they were figuring and I saw four (4) judgments delivered by Supreme Court of India (Hyderabad), where their names were figuring. I turned over the pages and found the ‘Proceedings at the Inaugural Sitting of the Supreme Court of India, In the Court House, New Delhi, on January 28, 1950’.  It made a wonderful reading and nothing could have been a better document to enable me to understand the vision statement of Supreme Court on my first day at Supreme Court. I continued to read it, just aware of anybody entering the room.

At about 10 am Mr. S.C. Agrawal came and occupied the first of the two chairs at the end of the room. I got up and greeted him. Mr. Agarwal welcomed me and gave me a big broad smile and with a gesture of his hand told me to take the chair on which I was sitting. Mr. Sikka came out immediately, gave Mr. Agarwal some letters and files and Mr. Agrawal signed the letters, gave them back to Mr. Sikka and got busy with the files. After some time another advocate, around 45 yrs. of age entered the room, almost like one of my father’s associates and occupied the chair next to the chair on which I was sitting. He looked around and opened a file and started working on the file. I continued to read and kept looking at Mr. Agrawal, for an eye contact. 

    After some time Mr. Agrawal looked up and discussed something with the associate sitting next to me and after the discussion was over, looked at me and said “Aruneshwar, Mr. Francis, Mr. V.J. Francis” and looking at him said “Francis, Aruneshwar is a law graduate from Jodhpur and will be working here”. I got up and shook hands with Mr. V.J. Francis. Mr. Francis gave a very warm welcome smile and as I touched his hand I realized that his hands was unusually dry and rough. The first feeling I got with the touch was that he had gone through a lot and a very tough life. I asked him which of the chair I should occupy as my seat. 

    Mr. Francis, with a big smile said “Two chairs on those two table there, are for Mr. D.P. Singh, Senior Advocate and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from the State of Bihar and Mr. S.C. Agrawal occupies the chair on which he is sitting, I sit on the chair on which I am sitting and the chair next to me is a musical chair, you are occupying it at present. Nobody will tell you to get up, but if somebody is sitting on it, you cannot request him to get up either. We have to get ready for tomorrow matters. Just watch and observe. You will soon pick up something”. 

    Suddenly, around 11 ‘o’ clock the activities in the chamber got moving and energized. Everybody seemed to be rushing here and there. Mr. Sikka rushed with the cause list and some papers out of the chamber. I looked up at Mr. Francis, with a question mark. To my surprise Mr. Francis smiled and said that the boss was there. I had never thought, that there was another boss around. After some time Mr. S.C. Agarwal got up to move out of the chamber, with two files in brown folders in his hand and with a gesture asked me to come with him. I got up to move behind Mr. S.C. Agarwal, who by that time had got out of the room and had turned left. At the same moment Mr. Sikka entered the room and by the time I could get out of the room and look left in the corridor Mr. S.C. Agarwal had disappeared into the oblivion. I was puzzled, it would be unwise on my part to go back and ask somebody. I, therefore, moved slowly and cautiously peeping into each chamber, through the glass fitted in the doors. As I crossed chamber 26, I saw a fleeting glimpse of Mr. S.C. Agrawal sitting in the end of the room and discussing something to another middle aged gentleman. I opened the door and slowly and cautiously walked into the chamber, which unlike 20A had a strong spring closure to close it, on its own silently. 

    As the door opened, Mr. S.C. Agrawal looked up as if he had forgotten that I was following him and continued the discussions with the gentleman. With a gesture he asked me to take a chair on a large black conference table, with a glass top on the left of the entrance. Every inch of both the walls on both the sides of the chamber was covered with books and books, text books on the right and English Law Reports on the left, a great place to be in. I could spend hours and hours here and satisfy my insatiable desire to read and read more, to learn and learn more, to know and know more. Slowly as I sat down and watched the discussion, I felt the existence of a very powerful personality like my father in front of Mr. S.C. Agarwal. Both Mr. S.C. Agrawal and the gentleman had thick brown folders in their hands. Mr. S.C. Agrawal was telling some facts to the gentleman, who continued to ask questions and make notes on the first page, of the thick brown folder, called brief. The gentleman told Mr. Agrawal about some judgments and Mr. Agrawal continued to give the citations of the judgments out of his memory, which the gentleman continued to write on his brief. Soon they finished holding the conference on all the four briefs. 

   After the conference was over and Mr. S.C. Agrawal was about to get up, he looked up at me and then at the gentleman and said “This is Aruneshwar from Jodhpur, son of Justice D.P. Gupta of Rajasthan, one of the 13 judges of High Court in MISA case. Aruneshwar, Garg Sahib”. Mr. Garg looked at me with a smile, Mr. S.C. Agrawal got up and left the room. I also got up as Mr. S.C. Agarwal left the room and continued to look at Mr. R.K. Garg for I expected him to say something. Mr. Garg had a pile of books on the table in front of him, some of them were in Urdu and others in English and he continued to make some notes on the brief. After sometime Mr. R.K. Garg closed the brief in hand and looked up straight at me and said:

    “So you are 26 years late in the profession, young man”.

  “But, I was born that way” said I not correctly understanding the basis and reasoning of his statement.

   “Supreme Court started in 1950 and you have come in 1976, how you think you will understand what Supreme Court is doing. There is only one way young man, if you are really serious in the profession, start reading 1950 onwards and 1976 backwards and continue to make notes. After you have read at least 10 years each side and continue to update with what is going on, you will have some idea of what Supreme Court is doing. Supreme Court has to lay down law for the entire country and you have to know what law is as interpreted by Supreme Court, what the basis of that law is and what law has to be laid down, if you do not know the direction of law, the way Supreme Court thinks, how can you assist the Supreme Court in performing its duties and if that doesn’t happen the institution will collapse. So read, write, analyse and discuss and see what is happening here”. It was a perfect statement, an articulate exposition, every word made sense, there was not a word that was out of context. Logic, direction and experience all clearly stated in the minimal possible words.

   “I will do it to the best of my ability,Sir” said I, feeling elevated and looking forward for the cherished task at hand and the presence of a powerful personality in action. I said “Good Day, Sir” and left the room as I realised that Mr. Garg had picked up a book and had got engrossed in the same. I came out of the chamber and saw the name plate, Mr. R.K. Garg on one side of the door and Ramamurthy & Co on the other side. I wondered who would be Mr. Ramamurthy and I saw chamber no. 27 right in front of chamber no. 26 with the name M.K. Ramamurthy. Someday I will know it all, thought I and walked back to the chamber no. 20 A.

   When I came back to 20A Lawyers Chambers, I realised that some other Advocate was sitting on the chair on which I was sitting earlier and talking to a client sitting in front of him. Mr. Francis looked at me and smiled, as if saying – “Look I had told you.” I took the seat in front of Mr. Francis, picked up 1950 SCR and started reading it. 

    Around 6.30 pm the activities in the chamber were over, everybody had left. I requested Mr. Sikka, if can sit over in the chamber late and that if I could get a duplicate key of the chamber, for I would be reaching at 9.00 am the next morning and would like to stay late for I had seen my father working late night till 2 am during my 18 yrs. of conscious life with him at Jodhpur (1958 – 1976). Mr. Sikka, looked at me, smiled and said that it would be possible for him the next day to give me a duplicate key of the chamber, though it was very unusual request, never made by any advocate yet and that the chambers in Supreme Court would finally close at 9 pm. I came back to Humayun Road, took a bath and walked on Shahaajahan Road till India Gate to have a feel of air of Delhi and the surroundings. Akhsay Sanghi told me that he was going to Chelmsford Club for squash and that behind Humanyun Road was Khan Market. I did not understand much, for I was neither a club goer nor market hunter. 

    I have come to take up law as the calling of my life and have to live a life with dignity in which market and clubs had no place. Though, I have not the remotest idea of what will unfold in time. Time will unfold all that has to come and I have the blessings of my grandfather and support of the divine…