The Army's Judge Advocate-General (JAG) makes an appropriate enough entity to pay tribute to the late Nani A. Palkhivala, undoubtedly one of India's most celebrated legal luminaries.

An alumnus of Lucknow University and of Mumbai's ]amnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Maj .-Gen. Nilendra Kumar is a prolific writer on military law - he has authored six books on the subject and expresses himself frequently on issues of jurisprudence, security, human rights, and laws governing war and defence procurements.

As with many others from his legal fraternity, Kumar too is an ardent admirer of the renowned lawyer, Constitutional expert, economist, and political commentator that Palkhivala was. And he decided to dedicate his eulogy to "this great Indian" soon after he heard the news of Palkhivala's passing away on 11 December 2002 as he was hosting a formal invitation on the eve of the JAG department's Corps Day on the lawns of the Rajputana Rifles Centre Officers' Mess.

Kumar elicited fulsOIIl_ response from all those he contacted towards the compilation he proposed to edit. "A large number of them did not know me personally, yet their attitude was most encouraging," he points out in his preface. "I have no doubt that such a positive response was only because of deep admiration and respect they held for Nani Palkhivala." Indeed, President A.P.]. Abdul Kalam too has sent in his message, commending Kumar for his initiative "Palkhivala epitomised the civilisational heritage of India, which emphasises the unity of minds and the universal spirit," he writes.

As many as S3 persons from various walks of life, from the judiciary, politics, bureaucracy, and industry, to the armed forces, social welfare, and literature, have their say in the book. Palkhivala's colleague, Tata group chairman Ratan Tata, mentions: "To those of us who interacted with him or worked with him or just looked up to him, Nani, as we knew him, was an individual who left an indelible mark on all of us as also the community at large." He adds, "His contribution to the Tata group was enormous, especially because it came at a very fluid time in the history of corporate India." India's attorney general Soli]. Sorabjee, who was Palkhivala's junior in several important cases, calls him the greatest advocate he has known. Rajya Sabha member P.e. Alexander avers, "He was the best finance minister India never had," while senior counsel Ram ]ethmalani was enchanted by the music in his speech.

Former Supreme Court judge V.R. Krishna Iyer says, "To praise Palkhivala is to paint a lily, to gild refined gold, and throw a perfume on the jasmine." Former foreign secretary ].N. Dixit recalls the time Palkhivala took over as India's ambassador to the US in 1977, under the insistence' of then prime minister Morarji Desai' and at a time when Indo-US relations were still recovering from the .negative chemistry between President Richard Nixon and Desai's predecessor Indira Gandhi.

Others who have contributed include, of course, Maj.-Gen. Kumar as also Palkhivala's younger brother Behram, and Behram's wife Dhan and son ]ehangir, eminent jurist LM. Singhvi, Maharashtra's advocate general Goolam E. Vahanvati, former finance minister Manmohan Singh, senior lawyers Fali Nariman, K.K. Venugopal, Thakurdas Sugla, and scholar-philosopher Karan Singh.

By way of explanation Kumar asserts, "I hope the book will be of interest to the readers and, more particularly, the Indian youth and" students who are advised to believe in and practise the cherished goals of Nani Palkhivala to make India a truly great nation."