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Neither Roses Nor Thorns
When Justice Khanna delivered his dissenting judgement in the famous Habeas Corpus case, the New York Times in an editorial wrote about him : "If India ever finds its way back to freedom and democracy that proud hallmark of its first 18 years, someone will surely erect a monument to justice H.R. Khanna of the Supreme Court."
In this forthright autobiography of his life, Justice Khanna lays bare the influences that shaped his life and made him the great man that he is. An outstanding judge and jurist, an undaunted man of conviction and independent views, Justice Khanna's life is one for every Indian to emulate today, and his autobiography for every Indian to read.
In this forthright autobiography of his life, Justice Khanna lays bare the influences that shaped his life and made him the great man that he is. An outstanding judge and jurist, an undaunted man of conviction and independent views, Justice Khanna's life is one for every Indian to emulate today, and his autobiography for every Indian to read.
- GenresLawNonfictionIndia
500 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 2, 2020
Read it for this impeccable and forthright judge. What a man. He has written this book not in the hand of a wannabe author with flowery language, but like a man would put down his thoughts in his daily diary. Such a simple and accomplished man. There are moments of such honesty that they might make you cry. He just speaks of the life he lived, integrity he showed, and people that made him. They don’t make judges like him anymore.
June 28, 2020
The Legend Himself!! One of the finest judges of the Indian Judiciary.
I do wish there was a little more meat in the book. It consists of a lot of good anecdotes and makes for an interesting read. The tenor of the book and experiences of the author can be related to some of the judgments written by him. While some chapters felt like a dispassionate recounting of history which could be found in any other book, some were absolute gems of personal insight and experience.
All in all, a good read. Justice Khanna’s account never appears bitter of a man clearly wronged. Speaks volumes about the man he is.
I do wish there was a little more meat in the book. It consists of a lot of good anecdotes and makes for an interesting read. The tenor of the book and experiences of the author can be related to some of the judgments written by him. While some chapters felt like a dispassionate recounting of history which could be found in any other book, some were absolute gems of personal insight and experience.
All in all, a good read. Justice Khanna’s account never appears bitter of a man clearly wronged. Speaks volumes about the man he is.
June 29, 2017
It is one of the best personal accounts of undeterred integrity, simplicity and humility by one of the greatest Jurists of India - Shri Hans Raj Khanna. The book can be a bit dull to read because it is too simple at times. However, the content is relevant to understand the personality of HR Khanna and how it was shaped to its cast. Also, it throws light on the intense struggle between the Indira Gandhi government and various institutions in the 70's. Must read of law students.
December 27, 2021
A lot of irrelevant things are written - like his speeches, the descriptions of the people he met and the lack of flow to justify the additions to name a few.
December 6, 2021
The book is a beautiful journey. In the beginning you feel a bit aloof but as you progress with the reading you find yourself understanding the writer and walking with him and seeing and thinking with him. I loved the experience, the language and the way of expression. Must read for a law student or a lawyer.
October 2, 2022
The book deals with Justice Khanna's life and his description of the same as an aching joy. It is an autobiography of one of the most respected judges of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. The book speaks of his integrity and character in a humble fashion. It is a good one time read, that probably lawyers or ones in allied fields would be more interested in.
May 1, 2021
A must read for any and every law student!
August 15, 2022
Quite straight and simple, it is a lucid read that has been written in the typical style of a seasoned judge. A must read for all professionals.
December 27, 2016
If we look at the post-independence history of India one can easily see the tumultuous times that this young nation has gone through to reach the stage where it can call itself a robust democracy. Littered with doubts, the journey was always on the verge of derailment. A few gentlemen of extraordinary grit and calibre saved it, however. With most of those men, as is usual with the history, the importance of their actions and the men themselves have gone unnoticed during their times, except a gifted few. Justice H.R.Khanna is one such man who was celebrated in his times and continues to be a venerated personality of this order. His was the lonely voice that sung the triumph of democracy in testing times. To arrive at a decision with wide ramification to both him personally and to the moral fabric that made the country like India takes the kind of courage that is rarely encountered in the history. What makes the man that he is? The answer comes straight from the horse's mouth in 'Neither Roses Nor Thorns'.
The narration starts with his childhood and traces it to his ascension as the judge of the highest court of India. The best part of this journey is that, more than the man himself, it is the importance that he gives for those people who partook the burden of the journey with him. Littered with hear warming anecdotes of such men this book just shows the immense importance that this man gives to others that surrounded him in his life, how much ever small they may be.
In spite of being a well-written prose there are significant shortcomings that I felt made the book somewhat of a disappointment. The book does not carry the much-required depth that one would expect from it. The lack of depth makes one to think that this is a half-hearted attempt by the author to write an autobiography. For a towering personality that he is, this book has all the possibilities to set the golden standard in writing, since his life offered immense scope for the grandeur in such a scale. In fact, I was not able to help myself but to draw comparisons with the “Roses in December by M.C.Chagla” (The greatest autobiography ever written in my opinion) against which this book fails in every possible aspect of writing. If my guess is right, this is the mistake of editor who was not able to bring the best out of the author. Another major problem that I encountered in reading this book is that it does not make any chronological sense. At places, it jumbles within the overall timeline without much sense confusing the reader.
I was utterly disappointed with the book. However, few stray snippets of information about people and incidents qualifies this book to be a read worth one time.
The narration starts with his childhood and traces it to his ascension as the judge of the highest court of India. The best part of this journey is that, more than the man himself, it is the importance that he gives for those people who partook the burden of the journey with him. Littered with hear warming anecdotes of such men this book just shows the immense importance that this man gives to others that surrounded him in his life, how much ever small they may be.
In spite of being a well-written prose there are significant shortcomings that I felt made the book somewhat of a disappointment. The book does not carry the much-required depth that one would expect from it. The lack of depth makes one to think that this is a half-hearted attempt by the author to write an autobiography. For a towering personality that he is, this book has all the possibilities to set the golden standard in writing, since his life offered immense scope for the grandeur in such a scale. In fact, I was not able to help myself but to draw comparisons with the “Roses in December by M.C.Chagla” (The greatest autobiography ever written in my opinion) against which this book fails in every possible aspect of writing. If my guess is right, this is the mistake of editor who was not able to bring the best out of the author. Another major problem that I encountered in reading this book is that it does not make any chronological sense. At places, it jumbles within the overall timeline without much sense confusing the reader.
I was utterly disappointed with the book. However, few stray snippets of information about people and incidents qualifies this book to be a read worth one time.
September 17, 2018
A good book by a person of integrity. The narrative might be a bit dry like a text of judgement, which naturally might be expected from a person who was a judge most of his life.. what really matters is his simplistic but firm and integrated approach to life which in resent day has become a rare quality and worth emulating...
April 9, 2015
The stature and the achievements of this man are enough to say what he was and what he stood for. If Young India needs to be gratuitous towards someone for enjoying the fruits of a carefully and vigilantly protected democracy then it should be to Justice H.R. Khanna. Though I feel that the book could have been more in depth about the life and times of Justice Khanna.
July 7, 2015
Some parts of the book are very good and interesting for law student,lawyer and others, otherwise it is very personal account. I am giving 2 stars because of 4-5 topics included in the book. The can be more interesting if he had included more topics of his professional life.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews