I first met Arun Jaitley in Delhi University when he had come to speak at an ABVP gathering. Later, when I joined the legal profession, I met him through some common friends. Around 1980-81, Jaitley, Raian, Mukul, Tony, Rajiv and I were a gang or the core group that met every day for coffee at Machaan at the Taj and drank umpteen cups, as all of us had recently started out in the profession and had lots of free time and not too much money! Then we all got busy and the group got converted into a Saturday lunch group, and those gatherings continued for several years. I am mentioning the gang because that was the time when the bonding happened, as we all had started out as equals and have remained so to this day.
Life took us on our individual journeys and we all moved on, but being in the same profession and due to the strong bond that we had built, the connection continued. Jaitley, on the basis of his sheer hard work, moved from trial court to High Court and then Supreme Court. Then, in VP Singh’s regime, he was appointed the Additional Solicitor General. Thereafter he became one of the most sought after counsels in the Supreme Court of India. Later he got more involved with politics, his first love. A Rajya Sabha membership happened, and he was later involved in elections, ministries... and everyone knows the rest of the story.
But what is important is that even after all this, Jaitley remained Jaitley—the way he was. Change is the way of life, but he defied it. His tone, body language, and behaviour remained unchanged with friends. Whenever I called him, whether when he was a lawyer or a minister, he either took the call himself or returned the same before the end of the day. In fact, the last time I spoke to him was on August 5, 2019, when the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked. He sounded weak, but was happy with the development and also the fact that he was better. I did not know at that time that it was going to be my last conversation with my dear friend.
On the personal level he was extremely compassionate, and with friends he was yaaron ka yaar! His concern was always genuine. I remember that in the early 80s, when my father was admitted in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, dinner was packed and sent every night from Naraina by Dolly, his wife, who is equally kind and affectionate. This is something my family will never forget.
Everyone knows that Jaitley was fond of pens, watches and shawls, and had a huge collection of them. In his early days in the profession, a Mont Blanc was his prized possession! Every new acquisition would be proudly shown to the gang and would remain the topic of discussion for days. On spotting a new pen, both Jaitley and Raian would reach out for it from the pocket of the other! Jaitley was a man with an amazing memory for names, faces, events, family history etc.
During elections, he would be in full form, blurting out numbers like a computer. He was also a great storyteller and loved it when he was the one speaking and we were all listening. Basically, he had to have an attentive audience. I would often say to him, “Jaitley, this is the fifth time you’re telling us the same story,” but that never deterred him and he would merrily continue. It is difficult to believe, but Jaitley, who was a great orator and a party spokesperson who at times addressed rallies and gatherings extempore, was actually a very shy person.
My friend loved Hindi films, old songs and cricket. He also loved to entertain. For his annual birthday lunch, he would invite all his friends, old and new, and I think the gathering got bigger every year. Jaitley was a teetotaller and non-smoker himself, but food and drinks would flow in his parties as he felt great indulging his friends. He loved gifts, but also believed in giving back. When he went to London during V P Singh’s regime, we all got so excited, and he returned with gifts for the entire gang. I still cherish the ink blue muffler he got for me to go with my jeans.
Jaitley was a man with a golden heart—generous and with a genius for touching people’s lives. He took keen interest in all who connected with him, whether it was his juniors, colleagues or staff. His staff—Joginder, Surender and Jagan, the driver—which started out with him in the late 70s and the 80s, remained with him until the end, which speaks volumes about how he treated them and how they all served him with love and loyalty. One more trait which showed his engagement with others was his capacity to celebrate and mourn equally. He would go to funerals of everyone he knew, including mere acquaintances.
The above is only a short description of a great human being, lawyer, statesman and, above all, a friend who will always have a place in our hearts. Sadly, in the end I can only say that our gang is now incomplete and we have all lost our 4 am friend. We will miss you Jaitley.
Bina Gupta
Advocate
Email: binagupta147@gmail.com