Had he been among us, that great jurist and liberal economist Nani Palkhivala would be making his Budget speech this evening. It was legendary. He used to hold it at Brabourne Stadium because no other venue in Mumbai was big enough to accommodate his growing audience. Vijay Merchant famously remarked, “Mr Palkhivala has brought the crowds back to Brabourne Stadium.”
Palkhivala was a powerful orator, candid, cultured and civilized man. And an intellectual. He held his audience spellbound by eloquently peppering his speech with judicial and literary references. Making a dry subject like the Budget analysis such a pleasant experience for all. His speech lasted an hour. Nobody went home dissatisfied whether Palkhivala agreed with the Budget or not.
He used to come straight from the court in his black advocate’s coat. When he arrived from his office at Bombay House where he was a director at Tata Sons or the Associated Cement Companies, Palkhivala would be wearing a white jacket. The audience was already waiting. Stirring impatiently. Familiar with the Budget but eager to hear what Palkhivala thought of it.
He was punctual. You could set your watch by Palkhivala’s time of arrival for the Budget speech. The press was provided with a summary of the speech beforehand. Prepared by Palkhivala himself. A reporter could reproduce it in his newspaper and make his job easier. But that would mean missing the richness of Palkhivala’s language, its literary qualities, and its judicial wisdom.
He came straight to the point. In two minutes his audience would know whether Palkhivala approved of the Budget or not. His criticism was gentle. But effective. He never raised his voice. Emotion did not replace reason. He was unknown to me when I met him. I believe he became a legend because he lived by his beliefs and used his talents for all good work. Today, he might have seemed old-fashioned. But Palkhivala would have summed up the Budget for us nicely.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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