The Arc Of Memory: My Life And Times By Murlidhar C. Bhandare: A Delightful Read On Law, Politics, Love & Life

Like most autobiographies, this book attempts to capture one's life as you see it passing by in a single frame, an earnest effort to articulate your life journey for the benefit of others and in a way for oneself before memory fades. Without a doubt, the book is a must-read for the legal fraternity but it should also adorn the bookshelf of anyone interested in various vicissitudes that dot one's life and the way to overcome it.

The book has an illustrious foreword by Fali Nariman, eminent jurist whom we lost recently, recalling the brilliant lawyer and most importantly the amazing human that Mr. Bhandare is. Though the autobiography is neatly structured with each chapter containing various phases of his life it is written in a way that gives no scope for a mundane reading. It is sprinkled with anecdotes and first-person accounts of landmark cases and events like Gurbaksh Singh Sibbia, Shreya Singhal and contains the legal and diplomatic manoeuvres that he was a part of at the UN Sub-Commission for Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. It not only offers a fairly good insight into the functioning of the Bar and the Bench – both integral for a robust democracy but also highlights the stereotypes and traditional baggage that mar these institutions sometimes to the detriment of a large section of people.

The book has an entire chapter dedicated to H.R. Gokhale, former Law Minister of India who was a friend, mentor, partner and father-in-law of Mr. Bhandare. Mr. Bhandare not only highlights the contributions of Mr. Gokhale to Indian public life but delightfully reminisces about the great benefactor that Mr. Gokhale was to him. In recalling his days as a member of the Rajya Sabha he briefly outlines the important interventions that he brought on a wide range of policy matters – the welfare of women and children, federal structure, environmental protection, and human rights. They do not just reflect upon the legal perspective that he brought to the rich dialogue in Rajya Sabha but also the humane insight that he offered to the parliamentary discussions. In his days as the Governor of Odisha, he recounts throwing open the gates of Raj Bhavan to the common people and striving to be a people's governor changing the image of being just another central government-appointed constitutional functionary to a person steeped in the land's culture and milieu.

With great personal details, the autobiography offers us the utter happiness and joy that he derived as a parent and grand-parent, the importance of sports and leisure in one's life, and his journey from bare minimum existence to being a part of the social elite. The work is replete with the gusto and zest for life that Mr. Bhandare has and it emphasizes on enjoying the finer things that life offers. It is an unfailing reminder not to let your enthusiasm dwindle in the face of drudgery – life's inevitable part.

The most striking and beautiful part of this memoir, the inspiration for penning down his life journey is the eternal love he professes for his wife Late Justice Sunanda Bhandare. The book highlights her many achievements – both as a doting mother and as a seasoned legal professional, who he recalls would have become the first woman Chief Justice of India, had destiny not snatched her away at a fairly young age. In dedicating the book to her, Mr Bhandare quotes Mahatma Gandhi, “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” Having lived an illustrious life, the only abiding regret he has is of prematurely losing her when she was only 52. The idea of writing this memoir at such an advanced age arose out of a desire to convey to his wife how he had been leading his life since her passing away in 1994, a kind of posthumous monologue.

Even though it is a memoir of a remarkable lawyer and public person, it offers more on life than law or politics. Rather it is an attempt to showcase how the yarn-like diverse aspects of one's personality can be weaved together into one whole – the fabric of life. To sum it up the memoir notes “This happy life, I hope, will one day have a peaceful end. That is the way of life. That is the way of all humankind. That is the success of a well-lived life. To be born, to live well, to achieve your best potential and, hopefully, to be remembered as a good human being.” It seems the huge arc of memory always finds solace in an attempt to reduce to writing in the December of one's life, the glorious events experienced.

The author is an Advocate at Bombay High Court