(ET)
There is one advice of (Arun) Jaitley ji that has particularly held me in good stead among all the nuggets of his experiential sagacity that I have been a beneficiary of through my association with him: “When in dilemma, go straight. Because, straight is the most natural road. Hence, the easiest to negotiate”.
I had heard of Jaitley during the early 1980s as a student activist in Odisha. However, I met him only decades later –– in 2001–– and thereafter, developed a bond deep personal bond with him. My innings in the political capital of India would neither have begun nor been as eventful but for his mentorship. And mine is not the only story— as would be apparent from the many memoirs that would tumble out in the coming days, both in personal conversations and public expositions.
The limits of language are many to capture the essence of a person in any meaningful way. But, if Iwere to choose a word to describe him, it would be “authentic”.Jaitley was an authentic person: he was multi-faceted, but never two-faced. I consider it a grace to have had an elaborate opportunity to see his authenticity at play on occasions too numerous to count. He had the disposition of a saintly-king. I call him a king because he was blessed enough to accrue in his lifetime most material comforts, owing to his roaring practice as a senior advocate in the Supreme Court. His influence over the Indian polity — as former defence minister, finance minister, law and justice minister, corporate affairs minister, leader of opposition and so forth — can only be matched by few in the country’s political landscape. So much for the king part.
