Book Review- Roses in December

Submitted by Supervise by

Aaryan Sanadhya Dr. Tanya Mander

Class: 1st semester (B.A.LL.B) Assistant professor of English

Roll no: 22270

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law

Punjab, Patiala

2022
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 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the case comment entitled “Book Review- Roses in December”
submitted to Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, Patiala is an outcome
of my original work carried out under supervision of Dr. Tanya Mander, assistant
professor of English. The project is entirely based on my own research work and has not
been submitted elsewhere. All the ideas and references have been duly acknowledged. To
the best of my understanding, the project is free from plagiarism

Aaryan Sanadhya

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab,

Patiala

15th October, 2022

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 SUPERVISOR`S CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the case comment entitled “Book Review- Roses in December”
Submitted to Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, is a research work carried out by
“Aaryan Sanadhya” under my supervision and guidance for further evaluation.

Dr. Tanya Mander

Assistant professor of English

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 Acknowledgement

Every humble being should always first honor and thank those who have helped him
throughout their journey. With that, I would like to express my gratitude towards Rajiv
Gandhi National University of Law, which has allowed me to pursue good and structured
academic schemes and has added to my level of skills. Every opportunity I get here,
every work that I undertake or intend to undertake I will always be grateful to my
University. Further, I would like to thanks our respected Vice-Chancellor Dr. G.S. Bajpai
for steering the university towards growth based and efficient academic curriculum which
allows one to explore and implore their skills and work upon them to a greater extent.
Further, I would like to thank my teacher Dr. Tanya Mander, for allowing me to choose a
Topic of my choice and then guiding me from the first rough draft to this extremely
researched final draft. In this journey and afterwards, I would always be indebted to you.
Lastly, I would like to extend my letter of thanks to my friends and family for showing
faith in me in the journey of this research project, they are the backbone of this project
and have motivated me when I felt like I cannot do it anymore. And God, without your
eyes on me and inner strength this project would have always remained an idea.

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 Table of Contents:

Declaration Pg.2

Supervisor’s Certificate Pg.3

Acknowledgment Pg.4

Title Page Pg.6

About the author Pg.7

Why author wrote this book Pg.8

Author’s writing style Pg.8

Assessment Pg.9

Conclusion Pg.11

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“God gave us memory that we might have roses in December”

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 About the author:

M.C. Chagla was born in a Gujarati household on September 30, 1900, in Bombay. Due
to his mother's passing in 1905, Chagla had a lonely childhood. After graduating from St.
Xavier's High School and College in Bombay, he continued his education at Lincoln
College in Oxford, where he studied Modern History from 1918 to 1921, earning a BA in
1921 and an MA in 1925. He was called to the Bombay High Court Bar in 1922, where
he collaborated with notable figures including Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Sir Jamshedji
Kanga. Because of his then-nationalistic sentiments and membership in the Muslim
League, Chagla first worshipped Jinnah like many other nationalists do. During the seven
years he spent working for Jinnah in Bombay, he was frequently in need of financial
assistance, as he describes in his autobiography. Chagla and other individuals later
established the Muslim Nationalist Party in Bombay, a group that was overlooked and
marginalised during the fight for independence. In 1927, he was hired as a law professor
at Government Law College in Bombay, where he interacted with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. In
1941, he was appointed to the Bombay High Court as a judge. In 1948, he was named
Chief Justice, a position he held until 1958. He never stopped writing and speaking out in
favour of Indian independence and against the divisive two-nation theory. Chagla was a
member of the first Indian delegation to the UN in 1946. Chagla served as the interim
governor of Bombay, which was eventually divided into the states of Gujarat and
Maharashtra, from 4 October 1956 until 10 December 1956. Following his tenure as
Chief Justice, he served as the one-man commission that examined the Finance Minister
of India, T. T. Krishnamachari, over the controversial Haridas Mundhra LIC insurance
scandal. From September 1957 to 1959, Chagla served as ad hoc judge to the
International Court of Justice at The Hague. After retirement he served as Indian
ambassador to the US from 1958 to 1961. Chagla then served as Indian High
Commissioner in the UK from April 1962 to September 1963. Immediately after his
return, he was requested to join the Cabinet. He accepted, and from 1963 to 1966, he was
the Minister for Education. From November 1966 to September 1967, he was the
Minister for External Affairs of India. In September 1967, he resigned from the cabinet.
He also represented India in UN Security Council debate on Kashmir. He then spent the

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remaining years of his life actively in which he heavily protested against the emergency
imposed in 1975, continuing to practice law in Supreme Court of India into his seventies.
In 1978 he received a National UNESCO Award for Distinguished Service to Human
Rights. In 1978 he received a National UNESCO Award for Distinguished Service to
Human Rights.

Why author wrote this book:

Retd. Justice M.C. Chagla himself answered this question in the first chapter itself- “Why
an Autobiography” wherein he elaborately discussed as to the reason for writing his
autobiography. He firstly acknowledged that he would not have written any such
autobiography if his son (Iqbal Chagla) would not have persuaded him to write one. Due
to some eye surgery he was restricted from reading and due to idleness he was asked by
his son to write an autobiography. He then went on to explain as to why one writes an
autobiography and why he wants to write one. In his words “There is no doubt that in one
sense at least, an autobiography is an off-shoot of ordinary human vanity. One does not
want whatever one has done to be completely obliterated, because men’s memories are
short, while something that is in print is much more enduring. Usually, one is rewarded
with an obituary notice, but fortunately or unfortunately it is not possible for one to read
it.” A person's need to collect and permanently save the recollections of their past—
memories that have given their entire existence a sparkle and glow—is, in his opinion,
the most compelling reason for writing an autobiography. When a person is young, they
cannot or at least shouldn't write their autobiography because they are still dreaming
about the future. When one has, more or less, reached the end of one's life, when all of
one's passions have been exhausted, when one no longer dreams of the future, that is
when it is appropriate to reflect, remember, and summarize.

Author’s writing style:

Author does not want his autobiography to be written in a chronological manner (like
obituary) which seems very much disinteresting and notorious in the sense that they are
written in very impersonal way as it is a mass of biographical data and no one gets to
know about the man’s ambitions and aspirations or his disappointments and

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disillusionments and in author’s words “ to write an autobiography, as if it were an
obituary notice in anticipation, would be for me a most futile undertaking.” Author’s
writing style in this book is greatly affected by the autobiography of Lord Haldane which
he considers as one of the best autobiographies written in English language. In his
autobiography Lord Haldane looks objectively at his own life and in a famous last
chapter sums it up and tells his readers what his philosophy of life is, and what he has
learnt from living. Author accepts the fact that the book may appear to be too egotistical
at some places but he also says that he is afraid that it cannot be helped in an
autobiography. Additionally, he acknowledges that people have a propensity to choose
options that are advantageous to them and allow them to experience the rose-scented
December months. The inability to write an autobiography arises from the fact that doing
so would require reliving the agony, anguish, and suffering one has previously
experienced. If all memories are terrible, then there is no way to do so. But the reason
why writing an autobiography becomes feasible is because every person's life has
memories that they would like to store forever and release in idea and imagination, if not
in reality.

Assessment:

 To read Roses in December is to read the history of the author’s times. Unlike most
autobiographies, Roses in December does not fixate solely on the author but also explores
the various other actors who played an important role in the author’s life. True to his
reputation for being industrious and meticulous, Chagla records the most minute details
while narrating the story of his life, and the lives of those around him. This is seen quite
clearly when he speaks about his mentor and long-time idol Jinnah, his colleagues on the
bench, as well as his friends at the bar. He recalls specific incidents, the key actors in
such incidents, as well as the outcomes and the reactions that the outcomes solicited.
Chagla had an eye for detail, and that is evident throughout the book. Author himself
believes that a author must tell the truth and nothing but the truth, but also he cannot and
should not tell the whole of the truth as one would be passing judgments ex-parte and in
absentia. As it’s not possible for one to know the point of view of every side and he
might not even know all the facts. And through this book author is not just addressing

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contemporaries but the posterity as he has left his life through his autobiography be
judged by history as it has an objectivity and a dispassionateness. The author has tried to
maintain a chronology of events but has not restricted himself from jumping into time
which would aid the story telling through autobiography. Author has tried to explain
almost every complex thing through anecdotes which is natural to him due to his vast
experience. The author has tried to discuss almost every significant moment and event in
his life and has not omitted any controversy regarding his life including the most
sensitive to deal with, which was his association with Muslim League and his towering
leader, one of the best advocate in the country, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and his support to
India-China relations (which can be inferred from his meeting with Chinese officials)
which proved to be a total fiasco and got India into a lot trouble, which is even accepted
by the author. The author has tried to give rational reasons behind his certain decision
which might be questioned by some people and has tried to substantiate each and every
instance where he is trying to prove that he was correct or decision taken by him in that
situation was best and has not tried to persuade readers towards his perspective by some
illusory ideas but has rather substantiated each and every decision, be it for selection of
judges in judiciary or some other fight with the executive headed by Morarji Desai (chief
minister of Maharashtra at the time of writing) in regards to certain opinions or rather
criticism of government by Justice Chagla which were related to some policy decisions
taken by the incumbent Chief Minister . He has tried to put forth the truth to the best of
his knowledge and can be deduced logically from circumstances and he has already
accepted that it is not possible to know the absolute truth. One of the most unique
qualities about Chagla’s writing is his honesty. He writes candidly, often reproducing
other people’s critical opinions of him. He attempts to the best of his ability to provide
context to events and ensures that he does not pass judgment on people who have passed
away and therefore cannot defend themselves. He also speaks freely of his own
shortcomings and failures in life. The author has done faired extremely well when it
comes to objective analysis of his life events and his decisions and tried his best to not let
his biases creep in. One of the most unique qualities about Chagla’s writing is his
honesty. He writes candidly, often reproducing other people’s critical opinions of him.
He attempts to the best of his ability to provide context to events and ensures that he does

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not pass judgement on people who have passed away and therefore cannot defend
themselves. He also speaks freely of his own shortcomings and failures in life. Through
his autobiography, Chagla also shares his manifesto of secularism. A die-hard secularist,
Chagla champions for interreligious relations and communal harmony. His secularism
wasn’t rooted in politics, but rather in his deep patriotism, for he believed that India as a
nation had a secular fabric since time immemorial and those who divided the nation into
communal lines had done a great disservice to their birth land. His knowledge of various
faiths and their evolution is evident from his detailed writings in the autobiography.

Conclusion:

Roses in December is not just an ordinary autobiography, but rather a timeless account of
what a well lived life can be. Chagla was not born into royalty, nor did he die rich. His
life was one filled with struggle – something that many young readers relate to. His
gratitude for the opportunity, commitment to hard work, and adherence to principles are
evident throughout and help understand his approach to the various events of his life.

By no means is this a onetime read. This is a book that one must revisit. To a young
student, this may be the life of a Chief Justice, but for someone who understands and
studies the past, this is one of the finest accounts of Indian history, recorded by one of the
most remarkable and consequential Indians of all time. Author has tried his best to not let
imagination takeover his objective analysis and has not tried to boast his life much and
has rather tried to explore almost all of the important events in his life which needs
further clarification from his side or there are some confusions in mind of general public
or the whole information is not in public and has not left any controversy unaddressed.
And he has not enriched any selective part of history in which he was involved and has
given every part of his life the deserved importance. In the last chapter on personal note
the author has explicitly mentioned that why he is exposing his inner self to public
scrutiny and he himself answered this by writing that when he reads an autobiography he
would like to know the man and his quality of his and not only his achievements because
however eventful one’s life might have been, one is not an automaton, one is a human
being with flesh and blood, with weaknesses and faults, emotions and sensibilities.

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