Padma Vibhushan KK Venugopal needs no introduction. A colossus of his profession, he continues to be regarded, at the age of 95 years, as one of India’s finest legal luminaries. To review his autobiography An Accidental Lawyer: My Adventures in Law and Life is not an easy task. A life such as he has led is difficult to encapsulate in a book, much less do justice to it in a book review. Yet, I endeavour to take this liberty, having known him for nearly four decades and having enjoyed the deep privilege of calling him a friend. The former Attorney General of India is simply “Venu” to his friends, his seniority and celebrity status notwithstanding. I first met him when he joined the batch of pilgrims that I was chaperoning as liaison officer to Kailash and Mansarovar in the summer of 1989. The few weeks that we spent trekking together across the high Himalayas in Tibet forged a bond that I have since cherished.The book allows the reader to glimpse the course and trajectory of his illustrious life and career, from his birth in 1931 to growing up in Mangalore and practising in the Madras High Court before relocating to New Delhi as a senior advocate in the Supreme Court of India in 1972, where he still practices.Over the decades, he has served in a variety of senior posts, as the Attorney General of India (AGI), the Additional Solicitor General, and, thrice as the President of the Bar Association, apart from heading several international organisations.KK Venugopal’s autobiography is aptly subtitled My adventures in Law and Life. Besides reaching the pinnacle of his métier, the author has exhibited a true zest for life. Swimming and horse riding are among his passions, apart from collecting antiquarian books. Voyages and adventures in distant places are a part of his life, from exotic destinations such as Alaska and the two poles to Machu Picchu in the Andes and Mansarovar in Tibet. Along the way, he has had his fair share of close shaves, including a dangerous brush with a wild elephant in Tanzania.The author was born in Kerala in a reputed tharuvad (joint family) as one of seven siblings. His father, MK Nambyar, was an eminent lawyer and clearly exerted a distinctive influence on the young Venugopal, particularly in his career choices. He excelled as a Boy Scout while schooling at St Aloysius College where “happiness meant a handful of boiled sweets and storybooks about cowboys”.The idyllic life in Mangalore was soon overtaken by the more responsible demands of a college education. Fate ordained that failure in physics in his BSc course led to his switching, under his father’s advice, to an LLB course that subsequently put him on a trajectory that was to define his entire life. Venugopal’s sense of humour and humility comes through in his candid admission that he is still unclear whether by so changing his career he “did a greater service to the legal profession by joining it, or to science, by leaving it”!There was a time when Venugopal smoked, a habit picked up while at college, seeking to emulate the “Malboro Man” on a horse. His dire warnings against an injurious practice that he has long since abandoned should serve society well, especially as he highlights the perils of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The good things that remained with him are his lifelong passions for swimming, horse riding and spending time in the great outdoors.From a serendipitous start as a motor vehicle litigation specialist to becoming India’s foremost constitutional expert and senior cousel, he pays tribute to his father for his guidance all along, and to his mother Kalyani, who was a strong presence in his life. Filial piety is scarce in the modern world and Venugopal’s book brings to life the values of a bygone era.No life is without its share of trials and tribulations. In Venugopal’s case, his wife Shantha’s untimely passing in 1981 was a huge setback. She was a successful lawyer in her own right and a great companion and fellow adventurer. The sudden widowhood of his sister Nalini and the equally tragic demise of his youngest brother KK Shivshankar at the age of 32 all left a void. The author’s close relationship with his first-born, Lakshmi, and his two sons Krishnan Venugopal and Kannan Konath, is truly touching. Between having them as fellow travellers on many of his retreats, and his six grandchildren to give him joy, his life has been fulfilling indeed.This book is a treasure trove of reflections on Tamil Nadu politics and the DMK-AIADMK rivalry, which he delicately negotiated with clients on both sides of the divide at the Madras High Court. Descriptions of brushes with MGR, J Jayalathitha, and Murasoli Maran make for riveting reading. His bird’s eye view on the Emergency imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is revealing. It was unexpected, he states, and adds that “there was nothing that had portended to me that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi would wake up one morning and decide to plunge the country into darkness by assuming to herself totalitarian powers without even taking her cabinet into confidence”. He further avers that “Indira Gandhi was merciless in going after those who opposed her,” and that “there was nothing in the Constitution, at that time, to justify the proclamation”. Venugopal himself stood firmly on the side of democracy, even as arbitrary detentions and censorship of the press became the norm. His recollection of the 1984 riots in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination is chilling. Mobs rampantly killed and looted Sikhs. Venugopal and his family had a close shave since they occupied, at that time, a house that bore the symbol of the Khalsa. The death and destruction seared him, as it did any decent human being.Going by various published judgements, the author has appeared in about 1600 cases over his long and distinguished career spanning nearly seven decades. Some of them find place in the book. The Mandal Commission Report and the events that were triggered as a result find place as do the demolition of the Babri Masjid in which case he appeared on behalf of Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, LK Advani and others. Also covered in the book is litigation concerning the treasure-filled Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.Venugopal unhesitatingly laments the gradual deterioration, over the years, of standards in the “honourable and noble” legal profession, especially the festering conflicts between lawyers and judges, the politics of the Bar, and attempts at its usurpation by members who do not regularly practise in the Supreme Court. As President of both the International Association of Lawyers and SAARCLAW, the author describes his numerous contributions to developing ties with legal societies across the world, transcending borders.Some of the topics he dwells on continue to have abiding relevance today. He deems the National Judicial Appointments Commission a missed opportunity for judicial reforms. The jury is still out on this subject in the context of the credibility of the Collegium system.Having once appeared against his own father in his youth and later against his son Krishnan, the author’s guru mantra is that father and son should not appear on opposite sides in any case. Venugopal’s long experience and wisdom shine through as he shares many useful tips with budding professionals in his concluding chapter titled An Epistle to Young Lawyers. As the baton passes on, the author has also generously made his vast and valuable antiquarian library available online to the next generation. Coming from one of the stalwarts of the legal fraternity, KK Venugopal’s timely autobiography portrays an interesting and fulfilling life backed by insightful observations and practical wisdom.Sujan Chinoy, a former Ambassador, is currently the Director General of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; views expressed are personal.