Memory's Gay Chariot: An Autobiographical Narrative

by G.D. Khosla

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1986

Reviews

[Sonya Dutta Choudhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandfather would be 115 years old today. To celebrate, I’m re-reading this book, his autobiography. He was a judge in the Indian Civil Service, & often in the midst of controversy. Read his book for the history in it - that is seen from such an interesting angle. Stories about life in Cambridge , in Europe , in British India and independent India. About his work life as a judicial magistrate and then as a High Court Judge, about meetings with Pandit Nehru, Mountbatten and Gandhiji.

In 1949 he judged the man who killed Mahatma Gandhi. Writing on this, in his book my grandfather, Justice G. D. Khosla says "The highlight of the appeal before us was the discourse delivered by Nathuram Godse in his defence. He spoke for several hours discussing, in the first instance, the facts of the case and then the motive which had prompted him to take Mahatma Gandhi’s life… The audience was visibly and audibly moved. There was a deep silence when he ceased speaking. Many women were in tears and men were coughing and searching for their handkerchiefs. This silence was accentuated and made deeper by the sound of an occasional subdued sniff or a muffled cough… I have, however, no doubt that had the audience of that day been constituted into a jury and entrusted with the task of deciding Godse’s appeal, they would have brought in a verdict of ‘not guilty’ by an overwhelming majority.”

His books are full of such stories and descriptions- his memoir, as well as books like Murder of the Mahatma ( from which the above extract is taken) Himalayan Circuit , of Mountains and Men, Stern Reckoning .. he was prolific .