My second visit to the Supreme Court of India and the Experience of Sitting in Front of the Honourable Chief Justice of India, Shri Dipak Misra

6th September 2018 - 10.55am, New Delhi - Inside the Supreme Court of India. I was sitting inside one of the most peaceful places on the Earth. The dome above me reminded me of the power of the truth and how the positive energy of everyone in the room was flowing up to the dome and the white light reflecting above from the walls of the main hall of the supreme court was highlight again that White is the colour of peace and truth.

A senior bar association member just came up to me and said, if I could please sit in the place designated for the family members of Late Shri GC Bharuka - who was one of the two distinguished member of the bar who were being remembered today in the holy Supreme Court of India in presence of all the judges on the panel and senior members of the bar. I was honoured to be sitting there and on a chance glace on the right side, I saw Shri Kapil Sibal also waiting like me to hear the life stories of my dadaji and Late Shri V. A. Mohta.

As I sat there and saw how calmly the preparation was done for the arrival of the Honourable Chief Justice of India - Mr. Dipak Misra and other Honourable judges. Inside me I thanked my cousin, Devashish Bharuka - Advocate in Practice at Supreme Court of India to think of me when the Supreme Court requested him to ask him to call close family members of Late Shri GC Bharuka. So, 5 of us at peacefully - including me, Dr. Hansa Bharuka (my real grandmother's youngest sister and my favourite dadi ji), Devashish Bharuka (the one who is most closely following the footsteps of Late Shri GC Bharuka and a true inspiration for me. He is the one who first shared with me his beautiful experience of studying in Harvard University - when I was in class 9th and inspired me to reach the best education institution in my vicinity and thus, I reached Lady Shriram College), my father - Mr. Sushil Kumar Tantia (my true role model and in the words of Dr. Hansa Bharuka - He is one of the most favourite person’s of late Shri GC Bharuka and shared one of the beautiful bonds with me over three decades. I remember the days when my father would see something new in technology and call dadaji and say, this is the new gadget which has come and I think you must use it and see how can you use it in improving your productivity and thus, helping better with the implementation e-governance in the Indian Courts) and Mr. Shiv Ladh (whom I met for the first time today, but he inspired me truly to plant as many trees as possible in my lifetime). Devashish Bharuka, Bhaiya, thank you again for this truly blissful experience.

An advocate just walked to Devashish Bhaiya and said, “I am so excited that in the next courtroom the decision of Section 377 is going to be unveiled in the next few minutes” I was eager to know more on this and continued that conversation with Devashish Bhaiya on my way out from the Supreme Court of India. The court’s proceedings were about to start and I saw the elegant tie pins with the logo of the Surpreme Court of India on everyone’s tie who were preparing the desk for the Chief Justice of India. I was so inspired that every single thing, including tie pins, have been beautifully thought through in this holy court. The ceremony started and as one by one three senior members of the court, including the Chief Justice of India - Mr. Dipak Misra mentioned a greeting to the family members, of Late Shri G C Bharuka, present in the court, I felt a feeling so blissful to be connected with the eternal soul of my dada ji.

It took me back to the memories of my childhood, when as about an 11 year old girl, I would want to go to Bangalore every holiday to sit in the white ambassador with red light on the top, when he was serving as an Acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. And I remembered, as a young girl - wanting to experience the responsibility that dada ji carried while sitting in that car, I was allowed to sit in that government car only once that too when the car was parked in the car parking of dadaji’s house. I still remember the white curtains inside that white Ambassador.Subhashish Bharuka Bhaiya, thank you for helping me convince the driver that day to just get me a glimpse of the car inside and helped me in sitting there literally for 5 seconds when the car was parked. I am not sure, if you remember that day, but I clearly do. Dadaji was a firm believer that government property has to be used only for the purposes it was given. So, only he travelled for work in that car.

Then, I came back to reality and listened how three different members, including the Chief Justice of India, in the Supreme Court beautifully narrated the life stories of Late Shri GC Bharuka and Late Shri VA Mohta. The two stories narrated by three distinguished men in three different forms were so inspiring that I could not stop myself gazing up towards the center of the dome above me and promising myself that in my lifetime, I will do as much goodness as I can to ensure that this earth is the most beautiful place in this entire universe, just like what Late Shri GC Bharuka and Late Shri VA Mohta did in his lifetime. I remembered another discussion with dadaji on a dinner table about 10 year back, when I had just came back from Australia (particularly Melbourne - the most livable city of the world at that time), after completing my studies and I was discussing with him - How can India be a better place to live in? He firmly said, every Indian need to contribute to the economy without thinking that the money he parts with and gives to the government will vanish in corruption. The firmness with which he said that sentence clarified his vision for the country - to be corruption free. Today, when his story was being narrated in the court - I clearly heard the speaker saying, “He worked to make the system corruption free”. If Dadaji had a vision - he worked for it, rather than just waiting for someone else to take the initiative for the good work.

He was one of the busiest personalities I have ever known. I remember, walking into the basement of his house - about 5 years back, when he encouragingly showed me how he has stocked all books related to revolutionising the e-system in the Indian courts. At that time, as much I remember, he was helping the governments in Africa, in association with Deloitte, to take South African legal system online. He was trying to help the entire world and not only India with his rich experience of being the Chairman of the Supreme Court E-Committee - the first ever committee formed in the Supreme Court of India - to make the legal systems more efficient to give justice to the common man of India. I am sure the South African courts would have spent a minute mourning his death after he passed away on 15th March 2018. Coincidentally, the date 15th March is very close to my heart and will inspire me every year as I celebrate the date in his memory and my daughter's birthday. I remember when I was studying my MBA in Australia- I made a practical project for a company named Tobin Brothers - which was a company formed on the mission of remembering the one who passed away with a party than a mourning. May be, I did that project only for this year, when I understood that the day of death can be a day of celebration for those like dadaji who lived for the world.

In my meeting with Shri Gurcharan Das at his beautiful study room - beautiful because I have never seen so many books so beautifully stacked up in a room ever - he shared a beautiful thought with me that ‘happy are those people - who love their work and who love the people around them’ I think, my dadaji was truly a figure who was living in this way. He loved his work to the bottom of his heart. This was told to me time and again, by dadiji. Even today, when our family and the family members of Shri Mohta were sitting together over tea in the Secretary General’s office in the Supreme Court of India - dadi ji could just say in the memory of dadaji, that ‘Even on his last day he was working as he loved his work’, and of course I know he loved the people around him - making me one of those fortunate people in this world whom he loved. I am thankful to Devashish bhaiya again, to give me this opportunity to coming to the court with him, and also meet the family of Mr. VA Mohta. The elegance with which Mrs. Surekha Mohta spoke with, while we talked over tea, was mesmerising. The presence of the entire Mohta family was truly inspiring as I saw the Mohta sons sitting in front of me. The family panel included - a retired judge from Mumbai High Court, a doctor, a pharmaceutical expert and four practising lawyers. The small chit chat over tea was so inspiring that I can really write 100 pages on it. But, I will keep it for another day, maybe after I meet Surekha aunty in Mumbai next.

I am carrying with me an experience to remember for life from today’s few hours spent at the Supreme Court of India. I would remember everything narrated above and a lot more including, the nervousness and excitement in the court as the decision on Section 377 was unfolding, the calm look of our ex-finance minister Shri P. Chidambaram standing in the corridor which I passed and his gentle greeting to me, as if he could read in a second in my eyes that he has been truly an inspiration for me.