Roses in December - An Autobiography

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Description
A Book is generally the result of co-operative effort. It is not what the author writes that ultimately gets published. He receives suggestions, criticism, advice as to what to omit and what to put in. Most important of all, he must be persuaded to write it in the first place. The book may be in his mind, and might remain buried there. There literary adventure begins to take shape when the first line is written and then, unfortunately for the reader, the explosion follows.
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Contents
1.    Why an autobiography
2.    School and College
3.    Oxford
4.    The Bar
5.    Politics
6.    Puisne Judge
7.    Chief Justice
8.    Acting Governor
9.    Life Insurance Corporation Inquiry
10.  International Court
11.  United Nations and South Africa
12.  Diplomacy
        Part I    —  United States
        Part II   —  Mexico and Cuba
        Part III  —  United Kingdom 
13.  Education Minister
14.  Kashmir
15.  External Affairs Minister
16.  The Presidents, Prime Ministers and Parliament
17.  Personal
Epilogue
Appendix I to XVIII
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Author Details
M. C. Chagla (Sept. 30, 1900 - Feb. 9, 1981)
Jurist, judge, educationist, diplomat, Central Cabinet Minister and statesman, Shri M.C. Chagla was born at the turn of the century.
He was educated in Bombay at St. Xavier's High School and College after which he went to Lincoln College, Oxford, where he became President of the Indian Majlis. After graduating from there with Honours, he was called to the Bar from the Inner Temple. Returning to India, he taught Law at the Government Law College, Bombay. He became successively a Puisne Judge of the High Court at Bombay and its Chief Justice.
While on the Bench he was also Vice-Chancellor of Bombay University, served on the Law Commission, became Acting Governor of Bombay and Ad Hoc Judge of the International Court of Justice at the Hague. Thereafter for three years he was India's Ambassador to the U.S.A., and for one year High Commissioner for India in the U.K.
As a member of the Indian Cabinet, first as Minister of Education and later of External Affairs, he came into the limelight of Indian politics. He led the Indian Delegations to the Security Council (on Kashmir), to Ottawa, UNESCO and the U. N. General Assembly.
Shri Chagla was the recipient of honorary Degrees of Doctor of Laws from several Universities both in India and abroad. He Education and the Nation; Unity and Language.
As Shri Jayaprakash Narayan has mentioned in his 'Foreword' to the Post-Emergency edition Roses in December, "Chagla's crowning glory came during the Emergency (June 1975 to March 1977) which stirred the innermost recesses of his heart and he became a beacon—rallying point—of the forces struggling to restore our freedom and democracy."
Shri Chagla associated himself with the Bhavan from its inception 63 years ago. When he was Union Education Minister, he once visited the Bhavan's Andheri College Campus to participate in the quarterly Shibir Munshiji used to convene for the staff and students of the College.
So much impressed was Shri Chagla by the educational activities of the Bhavan that he offered to give a "Deemed University" status for the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Munshiji, while very much appreciating the offer, declined it on the plea that such a status would result in the Bhavan getting involved in the labyrinth of rules and regulations which would ultimately stifle the institution's initiative and freedom to undertake trend-setting activities.
Shri Chagla married Meherunissa Dharsi Jivraj and had two sons Jehangir and Iqbal and one daughter Husnara. His wife died in November, 1961.
Shri Chagla passed away on February 9, 1981, at the age of 81.
Shri Chagla's birth centenary was celebrated on Sept. 30, 2000 at the Bhavan in Mumbai.
Publication of the Centenary International edition was made possible through the spontaneous sponsorship of Shri Iqbal M. Chagla.
as a Fellow of the Bombay University and Hon. Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and was President of the Supreme Court Bar Association (1971-73). His published books include The Indian Constitution; Law, Liberty and Life; The Individual and the State; An Ambassador Speaks;
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