Opinion Seven lessons from my guru, Fali S Nariman

One: How did he think? He neither emptied his mind like a monk nor did yoga. He let thoughts flow without judgement or attachment. He stayed calm and focused on those thoughts, even in his subconscious mind and when asleep. He would get up at odd hours of the night and call me to discuss new thoughts on a subject. His way of deeper thinking is hard to understand. It’s like a compass that helps us find direction. To learn from him, I had to be silent and focused, with my ears open. I had to read and reflect more. His guidance helped me to understand him better. I learned to maintain equipoise in my thoughts and find stillness around his dynamism at home and in the courts. It wasn’t just a goal, but a silent journey that we went on together for decades. Ours was not just a guru-shishya relationship — it went beyond that.

Two: He knew how to master his thoughts and could remain focused on multiple things even amidst the noise. While working on a case, he wrote articles, prepared speeches and settled other petitions with ease. He cared for minor details, once telling me,“God is there”. Look sharp, he told me. He valued time. He read a lot and wrote down all his ideas and concepts on small slips that he would keep in his pocket, like valuables, and which he would later develop. I picked up this habit too — it helped me evolve with him. Whenever we had free time in court, we would visit the magnificent Judges Library, like students seeking more knowledge, especially the gold mine that is the collection of foreign journals.

Three: Forgiveness is a divine virtue, one that very few people have. It was his hallmark. If someone was mean or ridiculed him, he would laugh and let it go or ignore it. He often said, don’t hold onto bad feelings and try to be forgiving, otherwise your perceptions and outlook of life will be affected. Focus on what makes you happy and don’t compare yourself with others — the competition is with your own self. He always said God and goodness are everywhere.

Four: He knew how to keep away from bad influences and ignore unkind people. He chose a smart way to make choices by diverting his energy towards what he believed in.  He focused on doing his best in life and listening to his heart. He did not take either praise or criticism seriously because both can upset the balance of the mind. He said to me that an individual’s charm depends on his will power and how much awareness he has developed. To remain happy, make your life easy and simple.

Five: He always loved truthfulness, no matter how inconvenient it may be. He stayed true to his own integrity, like the needle of a compass, and ignored manipulators and liars. He never gave legal opinions that he was not convinced of. Human rights and independence of the judiciary were issues that were close to his heart.

Six: In any matter, he would reflect carefully and did not mix his subjective feelings with the objective facts. His mantra for clear thinking was: “Don’t subjectify the object and don’t objectify the subject.” He didn’t let his strong personality get in the way of clear thinking. He remained detached in order to think better. When working on a case, he explored all angles and prepared well from the other side’s perspective as well. He was a creative genius in court and nobody could ever guess his next strategic move! Even at the end of his life, at the age of 95, his memory never faded and his legal acumen and clarity of mind remained outstanding.

Seven: When preparing any case, we would, after going over the facts, hunt for materials and cases from across the world. Long-haul conferences brought objectivity and excellence. This grinding process of rewriting, recycling and polishing continued for days until perfection was attained. He would then pick out points and argue them before the court. He never crossed his Lakshman Rekha and respected the judges.

Two days before he died, he spoke to me about his two great law teachers, Yeshwant Chandrachud and Nani Palkhivala, and how they inculcated the love of law in him.

It was a great joy working with my prophet. He taught me not only what to see but how to see it consciously. May his grace and wisdom shine on all of us forever.

The writer is an advocate