Time & Chance-V A Mohta

Book: Time & Chance

Author: V A Mohta

Publisher: Rupa Publications

“I can honestly say that I have never allowed any person or occurrence to tempt me to compromise my self-respect, regardless of importance of the person or the attractiveness of the temptation. Everything has a price in life but I do not regret the price that I have paid. Surprisingly, while chronicling the journey of my life, I find that I have gained much more for adamantly adhering to this value than I have lost”

-Vallabhdas A Mohta

Reproducing this quote from the back cover of the dust jacket of the autobiography of Justice V.A. Mohta, Time and Chance, because this is a theme that is recurring in the book. A chronicle of the life and times of Justice Mohta, we get to see a very different side of Indian Judiciary from his eyes. Coming from a very humble background, it was his sheer grit and persistence that rose him through the ranks of the Indian Judicial System, where from being a lawyer in a mofussil court, he retired as the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.

Justice Mohta narrates some quirky incidents through the course of this life and his tenure that tested him, developed him and polished him to make him reach where he did. He brings forth his relationship with some of the most notable names of his time, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Ram Jethmalani, Justice Venkatachaliah and many more. He takes up the defining moments of his life and we can see a transition of a person happening as he passes through those events and those occurrences.

The book is written in a fairly simple manner and in an easy to understand English. At times, there are some legal terms that might cause a reader to look towards a dictionary, but that is one more reason to pick up this book. While reading, we also come through some landmark judgements of the Indian Judiciary from his perspective and that is a wonderful way to understand an alternate point of view.

An inspirational book, Justice Mohta’s message through this book is that of persistence and ethics. If you are true to your ethics and have a clear goal, you are bound to succeed. Another very important aspect that he highlights is that of relationships and your connection to people. In his memoir, there are many opportunities that happen to go his way because he had a personal connection with someone.

All in all, a definite recommendation. For me, I give it a 3.5/5.