|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leaves from My Personal Life
I first had the elevating pleasure of a few leaves from this distinguished life some 24 years ago, soon after his retirement from the Supreme Court. It was a long meeting in Chennai when he reflected on his life and work; and how much there remained to be done to make our state and society democratic, justice-based and respectful of human rights. He had agreed to meet me for 30 minutes and we ended up talking for over three hours. In the years since then I have run in to Justice Iyer wherever the cause of justice, human rights and democracy needed to be taken up: In a Nepal that was in the throes of violent change to a constitutional monarchy; at meetings to organise construction and contract labour; at workshops of social justice; at the Asian Women’s Human Rights conference and public hearing in Bangalore; and at innumerable other places in the shrinking commons in this country. I mention the occasions because in his preface to Leaves from My Personal Life, Justice Iyer says that his book "may interest those who come across me". Yet the book is not for such an audience alone but also "addressed to a generation which has not seen me at work". The book offers inspiring glimpses into an extraordinary life. Justice Iyer has always been an activist. At the bar, (and also behind bars), legislator, minister, jurist and author, Justice Iyer’s stint as a judge of the Supreme Court was short. But in that time he left a mark on the judicial system and the public mind. He was the pioneer of public interest litigation, which Justice P N Bhagwati carried further with aplomb. Be it as a Minister in the first Communist government in Kerala, on the bench, at the bar or after retirement, he has also been deeply concerned, and involved, with prison reform and legal aid for the less fortunate sections. His unrelenting quest for justice and reform of our political, electoral, judicial, social, and penal systems, regardless of the many high offices he held, has always been informed by compassion. In the book, written in typical Krishna Iyer prose—high-sounding, ornate, full of the flourish that characterises his writings and expressions—there are many interesting insights into events and situations that involved him. He recalls his meeting with Indira Gandhi during the Emergency as also the origin and purpose of the Independent Initiative for electoral intervention and reform that took shape in the late 1980s. An avowed leftist and rationalist, in later years, as he had told me, he was also drawn to the spiritual and reflected on the after-life. So the chapter on ‘Bhagawan Satya Sai Baba’ comes as no surprise. "Progress lies in courageous acceptance of the spiritual, if verifiable evidence is forthcoming", he says in this laudatory section on Satya Sai Baba. Yet, few can deny that Justice Iyer is one of the most "progressive" figures to have left a lasting impact in many spheres of our public life. The book is episodic and full of anecdotes, autobiographical but not an autobiography. "What I give (in the book) is glimpses here and there, not even a coherent story", writes Justice Iyer. It is more than enough to keep the reader interested and inspire a generation not acquainted with his life and achievements. The book’s price could hinder its popularity. The cover could have been more imaginative and attractive. While the paper and printing quality are excellent, the same cannot be said of the editing. There are far too many errors that could easily have been avoided with alert editing. Yet, these do not detract from the compelling stories that Justice Iyer has to tell us. A sequel would be awaited with interest. |
There
must be few sections of people in this country whose lives have not been
touched in some way by V. R. Krishna Iyer whose intellect, passion,
judgments, advocacy, politics, concern and activism were motivated by an
overpowering urge for justice. This is a life that must be read about,
for rare is such a personality in our times.