(16^th December 1907 – 10^th January 2004)

Many years ago, while dropping me at our ancestral home in Jaipur, capital of the western Indian state of Rajasthan, a rickshaw-puller Abdul Hamid (name changed) asked if it was Daulat Mal Bhandari’s home. When I pointed towards babusa (an endearing address for the head of family), who was sitting in the garden, reading in the diminishing warmth of the winter sun, Hamid’s face lit up. He told me that he, along with most people in his community, had cast their vote to babusa in the 1952 Lok Sabha elections. India had just become a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary form of government after decades of British rule (1858-1947). Hesitantly, Hamid asked if it was possible for him to pay his respects to Bhandari saheb. Babusa, made him sit on the chair opposite him and they shared a cup of tea over a yarn. Such was his humility.

This is an attempt to sketch the life and times of a man, my paternal grandfather, who rose to fame by sheer excellence of his calibre, diligence and perseverance. His razor-sharp memory, quick wit and amiable nature earned him the love and respect of one and all.

He always wore a white Khadi dhoti and kurta and ate one simple vegetarian meal a day. He personified simplicity. His room was without frills. A hard bed, simple table and chairs, shelves filled with books of every genre, and a chessboard where the black and white armies battled it out every single evening. He would often beat his sons, grandsons and later even his great grandson at a game of chess. The girls in the family, many of whom became state and national champions in later years, were more inclined to take him on in a table-tennis match. The table-tennis table was a constant feature in the veranda outside his room.

Born on 16^th December 1907 in the internationally renowned Pink City, Daulat Mal was the second son of Budh Mal Bhandari. The eldest, Dhanrup Mal, took to business and carved a niche for himself in Kharagpur (West Bengal). So much so, that till this day the main market in Kharagpur has a Bhandari Chowk — a hub of trading activities. The youngest, Premchand, chose legal profession and practised in the Rajasthan High Court. The brothers’ only sister, Paan Bai, lovingly referred to as bhuasa, was much adored and respected.

Babusa was married at the age of 13 to Gulab Bai from Seoni in Madhya Pradesh. Their strong marital bond was the guiding force during the turbulent years of the two World Wars and throughout the freedom struggle. They stood by each other, nurturing six sons and four daughters, and then an ever-growing joint family of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Hail or shine, he would always wake up at the break of dawn and go for a long brisk walk with neighbour and friend, Devi Shankar Tiwari, who was a great visionary, freedom fighter and architect of post-independence Rajasthan.

During Babusa’s student days in Lucknow, he had the opportunity to hear fiery speeches by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other stalwarts of India’s freedom movement. The repartees of C V Chintamani and Govind Ballabh Pant impressed him immensely during his regular visits to the Uttar Pradesh legislature. The happenings around left a profound imprint on his young mind and he vowed to give his all for the country’s independence.

In 1930, Babusa graduated in Law and the very next year acquired a Master’s Degree in Mathematics. His was the second batch to have graduated in Law. Prior to that, the profession was teeming with `babus’ (clerks), who had little knowledge of law or jurisprudence.

When young Babusa joined the profession, the official language of courts was Urdu. It was a challenging situation as he was well-versed only in Hindi and English. However, with perseverance, he gained amazing fluency in Urdu and displayed his sharp intellect and erudition in court proceedings.

His intelligence, loyalty to his clients, dedication to truth and justice, coupled with his eidetic memory, earned him the respect of his peers and seniors. Soon he was acclaimed as the leading advocate in the profession. Fresh graduates turned to him for advice and guidance, many of whom rose to become leading lawyers and judges in later years. In a short span, he attained a level of intellectual acumen which few of us can in a lifetime.

He continued to actively participate in the freedom movement against the British imperial rule, especially during the Quit India Movement of 1942 when he formed the Azad Morcha in Jaipur and staged satyagraha (a form of non-violent civil resistance). He was imprisoned for nine months. The hard toil in the Jaipur Central Jail did not dampen his spirits. His trial was conducted `in camera’ and after completing his sentence, he reverted to legal profession and joined the freedom struggle with a renewed vigour.

Political stalwarts of the pre-independence era, recognising his flair for history, justice and governance, readily accepted him into the fold. He organised the Praja Mandal movement in the then Jaipur State. His vibrant orations drew large crowds and the people of Jaipur revolted against the Jaipur Raj and British rule. Sir Mirza Ismail, the then Diwan (Prime Minister) of Jaipur State, sent him feelers to help curb the uprising. But he was unfazed.

Soon after India attained independence in 1947, he was elected to the Jaipur State Legislative Assembly and became the Development and Agriculture Minister of Jaipur State. He was instrumental in the rehabilitation of refugees pouring in from Sindh and Western Punjab provinces as the country witnessed a bloody partition.

In 1952, he was elected as Member of Parliament from Rajasthan on a Congress Party ticket to independent India’s first Lok Sabha. In 1951, he was selected as a member on the Committee of the Bar Council of India. His political work took precedence, but the then Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court, Justice K N Wanchoo, persuaded him to join the Bench. He was appointed judge in the Rajasthan High Court in 1955. He held the post with distinction and candour. Till this day, he is remembered for his abundant knowledge of jurisprudence and his sound judgments, which were never rebutted in appeal by the Supreme Court.

In 1968, he became the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Just before retirement, he was appointed member of the Krishna Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal, headed by Justice R S Bachawat. He spent several years living on the prestigious Willingdon Crescent in Delhi.

He held several important posts, which included Chairman of the Revenue Law Commission constituted by the Government of Rajasthan; founding member of the Indian Law Institute, New Delhi; founding Vice-Chairman of the Lal Bahadur Shastri College in Jaipur; and President of the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh.

People were in awe of his quick perception, multi-faceted faculties and decisions. He was an avid reader – devouring books on literature, law, history, politics and medicine in equal measure. “Indeed, common sense is the rarest sense but you have surfeit of it”, a leading personality had commented after a brief tête-à-tête with him.

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