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We, The People: India, the largest Democracy
The author incisively analyses the public policies which have resulted in India - one of the most gifted nations in the world - remaining one of the poorest countries on earth. Palkhivala's mordant wit runs like a silver thread through the book, making it compelling reading..
First published January 1, 1984
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About the author
Nani Palkhivala
7 books73 followersNanabhoy "Nani" Ardeshir Palkhivala was an Indian Jurist and Economist. His name is a byword in India's legal world. A man of many and varied parts, he has crossed with ease the law's narrow confines and has gone beyond into numerous other fields. His life's work, as evidenced by history, and his several writings and speeches, bears testimony to his passionate commitment to public causes. He has given generously and unsparingly of himself and his talents to the nation whenever the occasion demanded - most particularly in defence of the rights and liberties of the common man, so that the well-springs of democracy may remain undefiled.
Nani Palkhivala was born in 1920 in Bombay to blue collar, middle-class Parsi parents. His family name derives from the profession of his forefathers (a common practice among Parsis), who had been manufacturers of palanquins ("palkhis").
He was educated at Masters Tutorial High School, and later at St. Xavier's College, both in Bombay. He was a dedicated scholar and excelled even though he was hampered by a bad stammer. At college, he earned a master's degree in English literature. He overcame his speech impediment.
Upon graduating, Palkhivala applied for a position as lecturer at Bombay University, but was not awarded the post. Soon found himself trying to obtain admission to institutions of higher learning to further his academic career. It being late in the term, most courses were closed, and he enrolled at Government Law College, Bombay, where he discovered that he had a gift for unravelling the intricacies of jurisprudence.
He was called to the bar in 1944 and served in the chambers of the legendary Sir Jamshedji Behramji Kanga in Bombay. He quickly gained a reputation as an eloquent and articulate barrister, and was often the center of attention in court, where students of law and younger members of the bar association would flock to watch him. His excellent court craft and an extraordinary ability to recall barely known facts rendered him an irresistible force.
N Palkhivala initial forté was commercial and tax law. Together with Sir Jamshedji, he authored what was then and still is today an authoritative work: The Law and Practice of Income Tax. Palkhivala was 30 years old at the time of the first printing. Sir Jamshedji later admitted that the credit for this work belonged exclusively to Nani.
Palkhivala first participation in a case of constitutional significance occurred in 1951, where he served as junior counsel in the case Nusserwanji Balsara vs. State of Bombay [(1951) Bom 210], assisting the esteemed Sir Noshirwan Engineer in challenging several provisions of the Bombay Prohibition Act. Before the year was out, Palkhivala was arguing cases himself, but his first case of constitutional importance (a challenge of the validity of land requisition acts) was lost before the Bombay High Court.
By 1954 however, barely 10 years after his admission to the bar, Palkhivala was arguing before the Supreme Court. It was in this, his first, case before that court (concerning the interpretation of Article 29(2) and Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, which regulate the rights of religious minorities) that he first articulated his (later) famous statements on the inviolate nature of the constitution.
The laudatio from Princeton called him "... Defender of constitutional liberties, champion of human rights ...", and stated, "he has courageously advanced his conviction that expediency in the name of progress, at the cost of freedom, is no progress at all, but retrogression. Lawyer, teacher, author, and economic developer, he brings to us as Ambassador of India intelligence, good humour, experience, and vision for international understanding...."
Nani Palkhivala was born in 1920 in Bombay to blue collar, middle-class Parsi parents. His family name derives from the profession of his forefathers (a common practice among Parsis), who had been manufacturers of palanquins ("palkhis").
He was educated at Masters Tutorial High School, and later at St. Xavier's College, both in Bombay. He was a dedicated scholar and excelled even though he was hampered by a bad stammer. At college, he earned a master's degree in English literature. He overcame his speech impediment.
Upon graduating, Palkhivala applied for a position as lecturer at Bombay University, but was not awarded the post. Soon found himself trying to obtain admission to institutions of higher learning to further his academic career. It being late in the term, most courses were closed, and he enrolled at Government Law College, Bombay, where he discovered that he had a gift for unravelling the intricacies of jurisprudence.
He was called to the bar in 1944 and served in the chambers of the legendary Sir Jamshedji Behramji Kanga in Bombay. He quickly gained a reputation as an eloquent and articulate barrister, and was often the center of attention in court, where students of law and younger members of the bar association would flock to watch him. His excellent court craft and an extraordinary ability to recall barely known facts rendered him an irresistible force.
N Palkhivala initial forté was commercial and tax law. Together with Sir Jamshedji, he authored what was then and still is today an authoritative work: The Law and Practice of Income Tax. Palkhivala was 30 years old at the time of the first printing. Sir Jamshedji later admitted that the credit for this work belonged exclusively to Nani.
Palkhivala first participation in a case of constitutional significance occurred in 1951, where he served as junior counsel in the case Nusserwanji Balsara vs. State of Bombay [(1951) Bom 210], assisting the esteemed Sir Noshirwan Engineer in challenging several provisions of the Bombay Prohibition Act. Before the year was out, Palkhivala was arguing cases himself, but his first case of constitutional importance (a challenge of the validity of land requisition acts) was lost before the Bombay High Court.
By 1954 however, barely 10 years after his admission to the bar, Palkhivala was arguing before the Supreme Court. It was in this, his first, case before that court (concerning the interpretation of Article 29(2) and Article 30 of the Indian Constitution, which regulate the rights of religious minorities) that he first articulated his (later) famous statements on the inviolate nature of the constitution.
The laudatio from Princeton called him "... Defender of constitutional liberties, champion of human rights ...", and stated, "he has courageously advanced his conviction that expediency in the name of progress, at the cost of freedom, is no progress at all, but retrogression. Lawyer, teacher, author, and economic developer, he brings to us as Ambassador of India intelligence, good humour, experience, and vision for international understanding...."
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 30, 2019
Mr Palkhivala was a renowned lawyer. I came across his name when Justice RF Nariman mentioned him in one of the lectures he was taking on fundamental rights and true to his description, the man deserves all the accolades associated with him
This is not one of those books in which you can trace a single theme which is going along the whole narrative. As the title suggests, it talks about India and since the subject is so vast, a single line of thought will not be able to subsume all hues and shades of the country and its people. But since he was a lawyer, subjects like constitution and democracy appear at multiple places in the narrative
An unfailing index to a democracy's maturity is its degree of respect for the unwritten conventions. I used to think that people cannot be convinced to follow a certain set of propriety so it would be easier to create a legal obligation for them in some or the other way but this is precisely what the author advises us against. He says " We need to stay away from the fallacy of legal solubility to all problems that we face. The true essence of democracy can be preserved only through obervance of the unenforceable." What a neat thought. We fail to realize that if we pursue towards the path of creating a legal obligation for everything, we might end up creating a long-term, widespread, inter-generational hatred against one another. Persuasion, negotiation and interaction will always ensure better results in the long run
Creating legal obligation not only breeds resentment but also leads to putting too much power in the hands of the executive. In the short term, it may seem as a liberator of the oppressed but in the long term, we are creating a permanent weapon for solving a temporary problem and that weapon's usage will depend upon the kind of executive that we are blessed or cursed with. The real essence of a nation's progress can be encapsulated in two words-> Stability and Progress. Government is there to provide stability, individuals are there to achieve the progress. In the name of stability, if we put too much power in the hands of the executive, we are bound to create roadblocks for individual progress
If the present scenario is any evidence, not only its hard to correct what you have done wrong, its harder still to bring in something new which won't be bearing fruits maybe in near future but is bound to be very healthy for the society in the long run. Never in the past staying aware was so important
"God give us men, A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess will and an opinion;
Men who have honor, men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before demagogue,
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking;
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty, and private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb worn creeds,
Their large profession and little deeds;
Mingle in selfish strife, Lo! freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps"
This is not one of those books in which you can trace a single theme which is going along the whole narrative. As the title suggests, it talks about India and since the subject is so vast, a single line of thought will not be able to subsume all hues and shades of the country and its people. But since he was a lawyer, subjects like constitution and democracy appear at multiple places in the narrative
An unfailing index to a democracy's maturity is its degree of respect for the unwritten conventions. I used to think that people cannot be convinced to follow a certain set of propriety so it would be easier to create a legal obligation for them in some or the other way but this is precisely what the author advises us against. He says " We need to stay away from the fallacy of legal solubility to all problems that we face. The true essence of democracy can be preserved only through obervance of the unenforceable." What a neat thought. We fail to realize that if we pursue towards the path of creating a legal obligation for everything, we might end up creating a long-term, widespread, inter-generational hatred against one another. Persuasion, negotiation and interaction will always ensure better results in the long run
Creating legal obligation not only breeds resentment but also leads to putting too much power in the hands of the executive. In the short term, it may seem as a liberator of the oppressed but in the long term, we are creating a permanent weapon for solving a temporary problem and that weapon's usage will depend upon the kind of executive that we are blessed or cursed with. The real essence of a nation's progress can be encapsulated in two words-> Stability and Progress. Government is there to provide stability, individuals are there to achieve the progress. In the name of stability, if we put too much power in the hands of the executive, we are bound to create roadblocks for individual progress
If the present scenario is any evidence, not only its hard to correct what you have done wrong, its harder still to bring in something new which won't be bearing fruits maybe in near future but is bound to be very healthy for the society in the long run. Never in the past staying aware was so important
"God give us men, A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands;
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess will and an opinion;
Men who have honor, men who will not lie;
Men who can stand before demagogue,
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking;
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty, and private thinking;
For while the rabble, with their thumb worn creeds,
Their large profession and little deeds;
Mingle in selfish strife, Lo! freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting justice sleeps"
March 29, 2015
A very good book to read for people who like political commentary. I also found the expressions and eloquence of 70s English. It is very aristocratic and good to read.
Read
August 1, 2015nice book, gives the reader the situation that India has been through as a young democracy. Worth reading!
July 29, 2016
If this is how he argued/wrote, the Judges of his time had a tough job.
It would definitely have been tough to 'judge' Palkhiwala's prose.
All his quotations/references, in an age without Google, made him walking treasure chest of choicest wisdom.
Add an inimitable style of wit to it and one gets pages of insightful reflection and engrossed reading.
I've heard people from Bombay, those from 1970s, speak of India's two annual budget speeches. One delivered by finance minister in Lok Sabha in the last working day of February and another one delivered by Nani Palkhivala in Bombay reviewing the former and the latter being the more interesting one.( and yes, sadly, also the one which would have no consequence except enlightenment)
I read this and realise why the high praise is not an exaggeration at all.
It would definitely have been tough to 'judge' Palkhiwala's prose.
All his quotations/references, in an age without Google, made him walking treasure chest of choicest wisdom.
Add an inimitable style of wit to it and one gets pages of insightful reflection and engrossed reading.
I've heard people from Bombay, those from 1970s, speak of India's two annual budget speeches. One delivered by finance minister in Lok Sabha in the last working day of February and another one delivered by Nani Palkhivala in Bombay reviewing the former and the latter being the more interesting one.( and yes, sadly, also the one which would have no consequence except enlightenment)
I read this and realise why the high praise is not an exaggeration at all.
August 9, 2020
After reading both - We, the People and We, the Nation, i am awestruck by the breath of knowledge of Nani Palkivala. Quotes - which make you think deep - of his own and others continuosly flow in his essays. Highly recommended to understand brilliant takes on diverse topics ranging from Law to American Principles to the Constitution of India.
October 17, 2013
A lawyer is an innate critique. But an author has to develop the thinking of readers or to give it a direction. Unfortunately both of his books had no positive suggestion.
July 25, 2023
"We, the People" by Nani Palkhivala stands as a clarion call to every citizen to understand the essence of democracy, embrace their responsibility in shaping the nation's future, and witness the power of collective action. This anthology of enlightening speeches and essays offers profound insights into the challenges and promises of India's nascent democracy.
In this seminal work, Nani Palkhivala delves into the pain points of governance and socio-economic disparities, presenting a beacon of hope when citizens recognize their collective strength. The comprehensive collection covers themes from constitutional framework to individual rights and India's global identity, inviting readers on a journey of introspection.
Palkhivala's erudition weaves a seamless tapestry of ideas, engaging readers on intellectual exploration and introspection. The tone is enlightening and empowering, setting the stage for an impactful reading experience.
Nani Palkhivala, a luminary of the legal and political landscape, emerges as a revered authority on matters of governance and democracy. His profound understanding of the Indian Constitution adds depth.
"We, the People" presents a comprehensive collection of essays and speeches, covering a wide spectrum of themes, united by the common thread of democracy and responsible citizenship.
The book inspires readers to actively participate in shaping the nation's destiny, emphasizing the importance of informed citizenship and righteous governance.
Palkhivala's thought-provoking words ignite a sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to society, leaving a lasting emotional impact.
The blend of intellect and emotion, coupled with Palkhivala's wisdom, resonates with readers and invites them to engage actively in the democratic process.
Weaknesses:
As a book , some readers may find certain sections more resonant than others.
"We, the People" emerges as a timeless guide that illuminates the path of responsible citizenship and active engagement in a democracy.
In conclusion, "We, the People" leaves an indelible mark on every reader's conscience, inspiring generations to be active participants in shaping India's future. Palkhivala's timeless wisdom and profound insights echo the spirit of a united and progressive India.
In this seminal work, Nani Palkhivala delves into the pain points of governance and socio-economic disparities, presenting a beacon of hope when citizens recognize their collective strength. The comprehensive collection covers themes from constitutional framework to individual rights and India's global identity, inviting readers on a journey of introspection.
Palkhivala's erudition weaves a seamless tapestry of ideas, engaging readers on intellectual exploration and introspection. The tone is enlightening and empowering, setting the stage for an impactful reading experience.
Nani Palkhivala, a luminary of the legal and political landscape, emerges as a revered authority on matters of governance and democracy. His profound understanding of the Indian Constitution adds depth.
"We, the People" presents a comprehensive collection of essays and speeches, covering a wide spectrum of themes, united by the common thread of democracy and responsible citizenship.
The book inspires readers to actively participate in shaping the nation's destiny, emphasizing the importance of informed citizenship and righteous governance.
Palkhivala's thought-provoking words ignite a sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to society, leaving a lasting emotional impact.
The blend of intellect and emotion, coupled with Palkhivala's wisdom, resonates with readers and invites them to engage actively in the democratic process.
Weaknesses:
As a book , some readers may find certain sections more resonant than others.
"We, the People" emerges as a timeless guide that illuminates the path of responsible citizenship and active engagement in a democracy.
In conclusion, "We, the People" leaves an indelible mark on every reader's conscience, inspiring generations to be active participants in shaping India's future. Palkhivala's timeless wisdom and profound insights echo the spirit of a united and progressive India.
Want to read
June 3, 2021i had the great privilege of attending various public speeches by nani phalkiwla both in madras and bombay decades ago and needless to say they were brilliant and interesting and informatively knowledgeable. Since I had not read this book We the Nation and heard about rave mentioning of the same at various circles I am interested in reading the same. Hope you understand my passion and help me out.I am also expressing my request to havea web CC/pdf copy if available and would love if an offer is made.My mail id is ananthes@gmail.com.Would GOD bless me in my present appeal?
Thanks,regards-ananth srinivasan elayavalli. to the executives at GOODREADS.
My add read date can be 9th and 10th of june 2021.
Thanks,regards-ananth srinivasan elayavalli. to the executives at GOODREADS.
My add read date can be 9th and 10th of june 2021.
February 13, 2023
Excellent, brilliant
September 11, 2025
"We, The People" as well as "We, The Nation" -- both are are very insightful
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2021
There are very few books, let alone ones which belong to the sociopolitical genre, for which I would say the words, "anyone could read this and take something away from it". Even though the book was written in the 20th century and there are sections in the book that might feel irrelevant to a reader, the words are apt for today's times and could be associated with most of the events in the last decade across the world. Brilliantly written and extremely articulate.
December 7, 2014
What is mentioned in the book is a history, and they are still relevant in today's political scenario, and this means India is not learning from the past.
Every word about Congress Party of India made me feel that the party is stillborn after India's independence and its leaders live with a stillborn baby.
Every word about Congress Party of India made me feel that the party is stillborn after India's independence and its leaders live with a stillborn baby.
June 19, 2016
Chuck out few chapters, and then read this book. This book full of information, quotes and indeed wisdom of Nani Palkiwala. Reading this book in present time may be little awkward but overall a must read for every student of this country
October 31, 2013
EXCELLENT OBSERVATION, OPINION AND FULL OF ADVICE ON INDIAN ECONOMY AND POLITY BY A RENOWNED JURIST, CONSTITUTIONAL EXPERT, AMBASSADOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
December 1, 2013
Not something I would have read if not forced. But I quite enjoyed reading it.
August 3, 2014
Outstanding insights into the Indian psyche by a stunningly brilliant, and one among the very few of India's legal luminaries who understand the 'spirit of law'
April 9, 2015
A must read by every Indian. Shows true politics of democracy
January 22, 2020
It is an extraordinary work by Late Shri Nani Palkhivala. After reading this, I believe every youth must read it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews