For the
Beginners at the Bar
“A Rewarding
Recipe”
Perseverance
& Prayer
By
J. L. Gupta
Gradually,
I had graduated. Even in law. I was now qualified to be enrolled as an
advocate. And then to wear the robes ordained as the insignia of the profession
- the butterfly collars, the bands, the black and grey striped trousers, the
black jacket and the gown.
It has been said that a "man with
a good coat on his back meets with a better reception". Believing it to be
so, I had scraped through all my savings of student days and bought myself a
decent though not an extravagantly expensive dress. After some months, when I
was 21 years old, I was actually enrolled as an Advocate. But, that was all. I
had nothing more. No office. No books. No staff. And yet, I hoped to set up a
legal practice. With what? I had no idea. With patience to wait? With a will, determination and an overwhelming
need to succeed?
One day, a middle-aged man walked in.
He opened his worn out bag and took out the Paper-book. Apparently, the man had
waited for years. Though, posthumous awards are no longer the sole monopoly of
the services, yet, he had hoped that he would get justice in his lifetime. The
papers were partly moth-eaten. They had gone yellow with years. Just 300 typed
pages. In the language of law, it is still called a brief.
In spite of need, I was reluctant to
accept the brief. My daughter had high fever. I was anxious. However, the man
was not ready to take a No under any circumstances. He undertook to sit by her
bedside and pray till she was well. He was confident that she would be fine by
the morning.
He
prayed. I sat through the night and read his brief. At past three in the
morning, I had finished reading the paper-book. He was still with the beads. I
felt the child's pulse. The fever had gone. His prayers had been answered.
Shall my effort bear any fruit?
As
the case started, it was evident that it would not be a smooth sailing. In
strictly legal terms, I did not have much to complain about. However, in
equity, the claim appeared to be fair. But, the Bench was not receptive.
Regardless, I persisted.
In between, while their Lordships were
conferring, I whispered to a senior colleague: "Shall I be able to
'secure' the petitioner’s job for him?"
"Only
for as long as you keep talking" was the terse reply.
The
response was not encouraging. Especially for a beginner. Yet, I silently prayed
and persisted. I was able to do so primarily for the reason that I was morally
convinced about the innocence of the petitioner- the Justice of his cause. I
had faith and confidence in the efficacy of prayer. Equally, I had the belief
that in court as much as before God, the truth must triumph. Still more, I
needed to succeed. Every case makes a difference. Especially, in the beginning.
It was necessary to win. I had nothing else to fall back upon.
As
I persisted, their Lordships examined the file, conferred for a while, and found
that the evidence on record had not been considered by the punishing Authority
while passing the order of dismissal from service. The Bench pronounced the judgment in favour of
the petitioner.
Ultimately,
truth had triumphed. Justice was done. Not entirely because of me. There is an
invisible force that guides the destiny of us all. But, one is related to the
other. His success was mine too. We both needed success to survive. And, we
did.
Forty
years and more have passed since then. Lots of things have happened. Once, I
even made bold to boast: "I am a self made man." And without batting
an eyelid a friend remarked: "Does it not save many of a lot of blame?” He
was so right. Everyone could have agreed. But prayer & perseverance really
make a rewarding recipe. Every beginner at the Bar shall do well to remember
that.
